2012 Kia Rio reviewed

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By Brett Davis | August 25th, 2011

Update: Kia Rio Review.

The new 2012 Kia Rio was unveiled in Australia at the Australian International Motor Show earlier this year. CarAdvice has already driven the new Kia Rio and has a review ready to go, but due to an embargo by Kia Motors Australia, we cannot publish our local review until September 1. International publications have already got their hands on the new Rio, however, giving us a decent preview of what it’s like.

Autoblog in the UK was one of the first to review a 2012 Kia Rio in right-hand drive. Obviously, they reviewed the Euro-spec version, which will differ slightly from the vehicle sold in Australia, but it is still the new Kia Rio nonetheless. The test car featured Kia’s 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine producing 79kW of power and 135Nm of torque. It also featured a six-speed manual transmission. (Euro-spec versions also come with an optional 1.1-litre three-cylinder diesel engine. It is unknown if the engine will make it to Australian showrooms at this stage.)

The early comments of the review focus on the Rio’s larger size compared with the outgoing model, saying it offers more interior room thanks longer and wider overall dimensions. The review says the overall height of the new Kia Rio does seem lower though, giving it a fatter stance and a more solid look, employing various design cues and technologies taken from the rapidly growing Hyundai/Kia partnership.

Apart from the nice looks – which is something everyone can judge for themselves – what we all want to know is how the new Kia Rio drives and what it’s like to live with. The review says vision through the rear windscreen is a little obstructed by the large C-pillars, but says the overall quality and finish of the interior is up a notch higher that what was on offer from the outgoing model. The review says the interior refinement isn’t quite up there with the European rivals, such as the Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta, making special mention of skinny plastics used on the door trims that could be prone to wear. Overall though, it sounds like improved interior refinement is something we can look forward to.

Comfort-wise, the new Kia Rio is apparently satisfactory, with fairly supportive seats and a comfortable driving position. Rear seat passenger comfort also seems to have shaped up well, with adequate legroom and headroom on offer, even for tall passengers. Boot space is rated at 288 litres and increases to 923 litres with the rear seats folded down. The review says the boot space is surprisingly usable, considering the curvy nature of the rear design.

Out on the road, the new Kia Rio is apparently quite good, offering a comfortable ride, steering refinement and little road noise. According to the review it only just misses out on achieving the more sporty dynamics of the more expensive rivals. A slight lack in active steering feel and a less-than-enthusiastic gear change were the only drawbacks. But as the Kia Rio is not meant to be a sports car, the advice need only be taken on board if that’s the kind of thing likely to affect your purchase decision.

As mentioned, CarAdvice will provide a full 2012 Kia Rio review on the Australian-specification models on September 1. In the meantime, it’s good to know we can look forward to the new Kia Rio, and it’s great to hear Kia is advancing on its rivals at a very fast rate. Stay tuned.

Click the following link for full details of the 2012 Kia Rio.

K20A

Best looking light car?

Korean cars have come a long way.. 10 years ago I wouldn’t have thought I prefer Kia over Jap brands.

Well done Kia
Andrew of Melbourne

If Kia can get its driving ability of cars on par with VW they will attract even more customers. Although going by the photo of the backseat they need to have better quality backseats. It looks likes too much vinyl and plastic but otherwise great car.
Seano

it has an armrest!!!! In a light car! Ford cound manage that on the bottom 2 specs of the new focus which is a whole step up in the small segment!
o

The rio to me looks like a much more solid car though that can be said for all kiss to there equivalent Hyundai’s, while looking great the Hyundai’s sheet metal looks flimsy.

Bring the god damn diesel, bring sat nav or at least a screen and climate control.

If kia could bring there diesel model which is getting 85mpg in the UK and sell it for 20k then that would be a winner.

union

Agree – I want a diesel

http://www.caradvice.com.au Anthony Crawford

It looks better than Alfa’s MiTo – inside and out.

Arky

Drugs, Anthony.

The only good thing I can say about the Mito is that from the exterior it looks like a much more expensive car.

http://www.caradvice.com.au Anthony Crawford

It looks more expensive because it has an Alfa badge on it, otherwise I find the car bulbous and unattractive. On the other hand, the new Rio looks more contemporary with a rear end that has a touch of the better looking Giulietta in it.

steve

agree with Anthony, Mito is dog ugly…i hope the gorgeous 159 replacement doesnt end up the same.

Arky

It looks a LOT better than the old one, I’ll give them that.

Look, the whole point of the Rio is cheap and cheerful. No-one’s expecting super driving from it. If they keep the cost down while making it more cheerful and comfortable than the previous model, they’re on a winner.

Sumpguard

Your summary is spot on. It isn’t being built to compete against the polo so it needs to be let off the hook a little.

My partner’s car is a current model RIO and despite being rough around the edges it has so far been fault free with 42,000 k’s on the clock. We didn’t expect class leading dynamics in a car that cost $13,000 and so far it has done what we bought it for without fuss.

If KIA’s newer products prove as reliable as the current RIO they should have little trouble increasing sales due to the fantastic look of their new range. People still stare at our Sportage where ever we go.

Price will be the key. I expect they will go up around $1000 to $1500.It will also be interesting to see if they offer the model shown with the sunroof. We will know soon enough.

Jonno Smith

KIA Rio looks like a curvy girl cousin of the VW Polo. Even the steering wheel looks like copied from the VW Golf/Polo range while the stubby Auto shift looks like plagiarized from the Golf’s DSG shifter.

G

Kia looks better IMO. It’s how I’d imagine a SEAT version of the Polo would look. i.e. an alternate version of the SEAT Ibiza.
springbok

Jonno Smith, couldnt agree with you more.

Henry

I would Buy a Korean over a jap anyday! (Excludes all Ssangyongs other than the okay looking Korando!)
Goodfa

I hope they do not price it like Hyundai have with the Accent. The Accent is almost as expensive as an Elantra.

If they put the right price on it they will sell a bucket load. (I would say $16,990 drive away would be a fair price)
Μr Gaspo

******** PRIMO! ********
King Kia!!!

What? It only has a 4 speed auto and no diesel option? Then….

********* NOT SO PRIMO *********
http://Caradvice Onepoppa

Everything I have read says that it has a 6 speed auto.

JT

I think the 1.4 petrol will be shod with the 4 speed auto whilst the 1.6 GDI will get the 6 speed auto.

Mat

Correct

duckula

Gotta give em points for putting a fair bit of work into a tiny car with little profit margin…whether its a great car remains to be seen….but good on them so far Id say…
“james”

wow. i can’t fault the design. it looks great in the pics. will this be a competitor to the focus? i must admit i skimmed through the text.

Goodfa

This will be a competitor to the Fiesta,Yaris,Barina,Accent and Mazda 2. Focus is one size up.

mcl334

Looking forward to your review hope its the 1.6 motor but
Tim

The only thing that will judge whether this Rio can be successful is its price. If the price jumps up to 20ish, I would definitely grab something bigger for my money.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1715760895 Charles Dean

Why do all Korean cars have those dreadful grey cheap looking and feeling interiors?? I45, this, Optima etc etc..

Also why are the seats of Korean vehicles so flat??

Fernando

My Toyota’s interior is dreadfully grey as well.

darkone

cheap interior is right my mrs has an 08 sportage and the door plastics are hard and scratch easily,dosent make the car look new for very long.

GtI

Exactly true, Kia and Hyundai have horrible quality interiors..

PhantomHamster

Mazda 2 is just as cheap and nasty and I wont even comment on Yaris interiors… just wish Kia didnt have those super flat seats….

Devil’s Advocate

The Mazda 2 is no more cheap/nasty than virtually every other car in the light class. Now they have switched back to Japanese production again the plastics appear to have improved a little. They also no long have that distinctive “Korean car” interior smell!

Freddo

Better than the soft touch plastics you get in euro cars that blister and peel in our aus weather conditions.
And really how often do you run your hands along the door trim or dash?

Bangel

YES froggo a bit like korean exterior plastics that all seem to discolour and bubble in oz sun , cheap , thats why they are cheap to buy .

http://CarAdvice The Salesman

I guess the 40 judges who awarded the Kia Optima with the Red Dot design award were wrong?
steve

are you sure, current interiors for optima and sportage are fabulous.
harry

new clubsport plastics on doors also scratch easily and they are only $67000 lol
Ausbloke76

I own a 2007 GTI VW and the dash forms a new rattle every day, the painted silver plastic bits are fading and stained/and or peeling. So whoever says Euro interiors are better are nothing but brand snobs.
My GTI is also the the first car I have owned that I have had to take back to the dealer for warranty issues, some still ongiong (ie gearbox).
Also I work with a fleet of over 3000 cars for a major renatl brand and the most reliable cars we have n fleet are Hyundai/Kia. We don’t have any i30′s throwing pistons through the sidewall of the motor like Corolla’s do…

Chad

The only thing I reckon the old Rio was good for, was the price tag. I highly doubt that they’ll price this one as low as the current one. Shame really… I bet a lot of p-platers would rather it be dirt cheap then, good looking. I sure hope it’s cheap, I’d love the buy one for my first car. But I highly doubt it.

drive one and find out

You obviously haven’t actually DRIVEN one of the current Rios… we bought one new when they first came out in 2005, and it hasn’t missed a beat in 65000km. It’s a bit jiggly over rough roads, but generally goes just as hard as anything else in the class, gets good fuel economy, and the mechanicals are bullet proof.

Can’t say the same thing about a Ford we owned (and now don’t).

The new Rio with 103kW should be a cracker for the price I’d say if it’s as reliable as the current ones.
harry

less road noise than holden commodores base model have a bd back drove our rio 1000 ks in a weekend no back ache people should try them b4 they can them