2009 Light Car Comparison
January 5, 2009 by Matt Brogan
Conclusion
As it stands, each of the three cars tested offer much the same when viewed on paper, but as you’ve just read, the devil is in the detail.
It’s obvious this time round at least the Japanese manufacturers still have the Korean licked, though I dare say not for long. The Rio isn’t far off the mark from a build and equipment perspective, but suffers in the driveability stakes considerably, especially on the open road.
From a performance standpoint, things are neck and neck. They all take about 13 seconds to get to 100km/h and they all max out just shy of 175km/h, even if some perform better in different ranges. Jazz is however noticeably more sprightly around town, brakes better and is noticeably more fuel efficient, despite what ADR tests may have you believe.
Passenger cabin space is probably more generous, if only slightly in both Jazz and Rio, while the “Magic Seat” flexibility does afford Jazz maximum cargo area over the other two, something that Yaris is sorely lacking.
Based on the week I spent jumping between the three light hatches I’ve come to the conclusion that the Jazz rules the roost. OK, it’s slightly dearer, but you do get what you pay for – more room, it’s a better drive and if this week proved anything, it’s cheaper to run as well.
To be fair though, the Yaris isn’t far behind though and were the brakes a little sharper in response, the boot space more ample and the drive more fluid it could have been a different call, but as it stands Toyota is our runner up.
Lucky last is the little Rio. It’s heavy, aged design makes it a quite sluggish by comparison, especially on the open road, and while it does feel very sturdy, the lack of a more modern chassis design is very evident in enthusiastic driving. Once the Rio sees a facelift though, this comparo could have a very different outcome.
- Honda Jazz
- Kia Rio
- Toyota Yaris
- Conclusion
- Ratings
- Specifications
Tags: Honda Jazz, Kia Rio, Toyota Yaris
Considering the how much older the Rio is compared to the other two, I think despite being third, still hung in pretty well for its age.
Nicely done CA but the only problem was that I could predict the result before I read a word. It would be nice to see a test with more superminis – Yaris, Jazz, Rio, Micra, Fiesta, Colt, Getz/i20 (don’t know what the release date is over here), Punto, Polo, Barina etc.
Just to see who the real winner is in this size bracket.
nice job
One of the reasons I bought a Mazda 2 over a new Jazz, was the availability of Stability Control.
You didn’t include your Long Term Fiesta in this comparo?????
It would have been nice to see the Mazda2 included in this comparison, especially as it is one of the frontrunners in this class. However perhaps a comparison between the new Fiesta and Mazda2 would be interesting..
It’s funny, my supervisor at work corrected me when I said the new Fiesta is based on the new Mazda2 platform, but correct me if I’m wrong, the Mazda2 has been out for approximately a year! Blue tainted, oval-shaped glasses.
Why is there no Mazda 2 or Fiesta?
I hardly think the Yaris or Kia are class leaders like the Jazz!
If the photo’s shown on the site are pictures of the actual cars that they’ve tested, it’s a dud test. The photo’s of the Jazz are the VTI, which is a 1.5, not 1.3 as claimed. I can tell you, the Jazz GLI would have to be one of the slowest cars I’ve driven, second to the 1.3 Yaris! I think if the WS Fiesta had have been included in this test it would have aced the competition.
As you would appreciate getting cars together for multi-car tests takes a lot of organising and a number of the cars readers have mentioned above were on our list. However, they either weren’t available, or in the case of the Fiesta had not yet been released.
As this is a very significant section of the Australian car market we do plan to re-visit it in the near future, especially now the Ford Fiesta has been released.
Brad – I can assure you that the car in the photographs is in fact a Honda Jazz GLi, I drove it and arranged its loan from Honda Australia!
David Twomey – Editor
Andrew, as far as i know, and as strange as its seems, your supervisor is correct, the chassis was developed by FORD, then first used by Mazda and subsequently by Ford for the Fiesta, so technically the Mazda2 is built on the Ford Fiesta chassis. Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction!
Brad is correct. The Jazz in the photos is a 1.5-litre VTi. The interior photo shows audio controls on the left side of the steering wheel – a feature not available in the GLi.
Doesn’t matter who developed what, apparently the Mazda 2 & new Fiesta share approx 55% of their DNA.
They seem to differ in their engines & trim levels.
It’s no fireball, but my “2″ is a great little city car.
My bad about the platform, on wikipedia it states that the Mazda2 and upcoming Fiesta are based on the new DE platform which is based on the Mazda D Series platform family, but according to the Fiesta page it references the Ford B3 platform, which is another name for the DY platform.
Engine bays so tight you’d need to take it back to the dealer to re-insert the dipstick. My fairmont on gas is cheaper to run and is much more comfortable. Get a proper car or get a scooter.
Brad,
You win this one and our humble apologies, we actually had two Honda Jazz booked at the same time a GLi and a VTi, the car used in the photography is the VTi and we will make the appropriate corrections to the story. We apologise for any confusion.
David Twomey -Editor
Hi guys,
Pricing is incorrect on Rio, it is $15,990.00 drive away, not $16,990.00 as you have listed. Rio is considerably cheaper than the Jazz and Yaris that will still charge on roads from the list prices stated, making Rio cheaper by thousands.I would say it is punching well above its weight group on value for money. Also no mention of Kia’s 5 year warranty?
I did not know Kia had a new Rio comming out next year, it is looking a bit old now.
Check in the specifications table next to warranty!
As for pricing, we focus on RRP, not drive-away offers that appear from time to time as these can vary state by state.
Cheers.
Thanks Matt, i did not read the specifications page. Also I stand corrected on the RRP, although the drive away price has been nation wide for some time it could change any month. I hope the new Rio blows the competition out of the water.
The way KIA are going mate I am sure they’ll kick goals.
We actually have a KIA as a member of the family here and have been more than happy with its flawless performance over the past two and a half years.
I have not driven any of these cars, so accept Matt’s views that the Jazz is the clear winner, followed by the Yaris and the Rio.
A couple of points in favour of the Rio, that emphasise its suitability as a daily suburban drive, are:
1. That excellent 5 year warranty, and
2. The all-round rubbing strips, so lacking in current designs, yet so useful in the normal shopping centre car park “demolition derby”.
To top it all off, Kia offer an excellent range of colours.
Cut it out Triton, the ONLY reason you would buy the Rio is if you could not afford to buy the others or a Mazda etc.
You would have to be a fool otherwise to pay the same amount for an inferior car with poor resale.
Must admit, never seriously considered the Rio or the current Barina. They’re both just so anonymous.
On another note, how come nobody on these forums slags off Kia as a failure, having been saved by being bough out a few years back by Hyundai?
Or for that matter, Nissan, who was saved by Renault?
Or Mitsubishi, saved by Daimler-Benz?
Or Mazda, saved by Ford?
Guess the Big 3 US Manufacturers must be a more appealing target…………
Still wish the Mazda 2 & new Fiesta were included in this test.
JasonP,
Competition in the market is getting tough, it costs millions to research and develop a new product and get it on the market. It is cheaper to share technology with other manufactures and there are many examples of this today.
Matt,
Stupid question maybe, but it has been bugging me. Why are the pictures of Paul and yourself have you in LHD cars?
Given this Honda Jazz is so expensive, almost 5K above the Yaris, no wonder it won the test. Of course you will make anything much better if you throw money at it. For the same price you can buy a better Corolla. I know which one I’d rather have. Value for money the Jazz is a rip off in my opinion. If you have enough cash for a Jazz, do the smart thing and get a Corolla, for an identical price too!
Kia Riio 1.4 man $13,990 drive away no more 2 pay.
Its good to see that the other makes get a look in but I’m rapped in my Mazda 2 Genki.
Scrap those cars, Mazda 2 wins.
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You missed a LOT of cheaper vehicles in this comparison, like your loan Fiesta?The base Fiesta would have killed everything, but yeah less room than the jizz.
Nearly every jap/korean brand [and son euros] have a vehicle that should have been included….
In any case a vehicle i am interested in is the new honda city, the PRICE will be the key issue, in other markets its cheaper than sister model jizz, not sure what honda are going to do here?
Another vehicle that could also shake up this test, being bigger but priced in the ballpark is the new 2L Forte/Cerato, once again the PRICE will be the key, they are claiming it will the cheapest in its segment.
And then we have new Getz i20 etc etc, plenty newies coming out in 2009.
Cheers
F-0
I used to own a 2006 model VTI manual Jazz…and absolutely loved it! I wanted a small car that got great fuel economy and was large enough to fit me in it (all 196cm and 106kg’s).
I got rid of it becuase I got a new job and “had to” take the car that came with the job (an ‘06 E-Gas auto falcon). While the falcon was a nice drive and the gearbox was awesome, it was the hardest car to get into and the fuel consumption was very ordinary – the Jazz on the other hand had sensational room and was very easy to get in and out of.
My Jazz averaged around 6 l/100km (with less than 5k on the odo) and the best I got out of it was 5.7l/100km (from Latrobe Valley to Bright via the City with the a/c on and the Missus driving at 120km/h up the Hume).
If it wasn’t for the work car (now an Auto Camry) I’d buy a new Jazz as I’m smitten – the one looks great!
Out of the current lineup in this article, the Jazz would win. As it was mentioned earlier by another reader, it’s worth more…..
Though Honda’s vehicles are always more expensive than their competitors. I personally dislike Honda (coming from a mechanical background – the highest rate of grease monkey deaths come from Honda dealers, both cars and bike/recreation/small vehicle divisions).
Sadly, I understand why these other cars didn’t make it. It is a royal pain trying to have a massive comparo/shootout of anything when doing a review like this. But the Mazda 2 would have to be the best hatch out there according to my experience.
Out of these three, the Jazz would be the best. Best room, best utilisation of seating, best performance and handling. Honda are generally reliable too (I wonder if they have ever fixed their issues with regulator/rectifiers dying, which happens on all their vehicles that have dead batteries because they stopped charging thanks to the reg/rec failing to push out the charge that the alternator is creating. Their cars do it, their bikes do it, their ATV’s do it. Their ride-on lawn mowers even do it.
SteveC
Why not compare apples with apples?
The Rio LX 1.4 should be compared with getz and barina. The Rio EX 1.6 (still cheaper than jazz and yaris) should be compared in this article. I have always loved a underdog, and cannot wait to see the day that hyundai / kia overtake the big guys, cause they already sell more cars globally than honda.
Rio EX gets abs brakes, power windows all round, cvvt in the engine making it a much greater performer. Of course the yaris and jazz are going to be favourites.
THE 2009 KIA RIO no longer has the safety of a rear fog light. (See rear pic of lower bar). It is a deleted item on 2009 models that I’ve seen.
You do get however a plain rear bar, minus the safety light.
Dumb, neigh stupid, but thats a reflection on our backward ADR which opts out of the mandatory International rule, so thank you ADR 13 Part 8.5.1.
This car is therefore off GF’s shopping list (she uses the NSW F3 and does country driving encompassing heavy rain, fog etc).
Above said in principle, don’t take offence dear reader, and I like most of you would permit police to drag F&R fog light offenders from their vehicles for summary roadside execution:-)
Fix that rotten ADR.