Car pool: Kia Rio
We test the Korean brand’s three-door city-car.
The car: Kia Rio S
The price: $15,290 plus costs.
Vital statistics: 1.4-litre 4-cyl petrol; 79kW/135Nm; 6-sp manual; 5.7L/100km and 135g/km CO2; FWD.
The tester: Matt Campbell
Why we're driving it:
Kia's Rio city car has been selling well over the past 12 months, but we hadn't yet sampled the base model manual three-door version which accounts for a lot of those sales.
Likes:
A comfortable, spacious cabin. Back seat is roomy for a three-door. Decent boot space (288 litres). Good standard equipment including Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, USB and auxiliary inputs, six airbags and a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.
Engine is perky enough for city duties. Six-speed manual shifts nicely. Steering is light and town-friendly. Rides well over bumps. Sporty looks. Has steering wheel reach adjustment while many rivals only offer tilt adjustment.
Dislikes:
Lacks the driver engagement of competitors such as the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo. The S's 15-inch tyres mean it doesn't hold the road quite as well as more expensive Rios with bigger wheel/tyre combinations. No cruise control on the base model.
Should be cheaper in light of new arrivals such as the $13,990 VW Up and heavy discounts from sister brand Hyundai on its i20 - and it's thirstier than both of those competitors.
Would I buy one?
As far as city hatchbacks go, the Rio is a pretty good one. Regular drive-away deals make it a reasonably good buy, too - though I'd also take a look at the Ford Fiesta CL, which offers the extra practicality of five doors for a similar price.