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Posted August, 2006

Road Test: 2006 Kia Rio5

By Kevin S. Lowery

I was at the launch of the original Rio in Las Vegas in 2000 (a 2001 model). It had very little going for it, except that it was small, cheap and had a great warranty. It was priced aggressively and not expected to be more than a commuter conduit going between work and home.

The driving route I was given (it is always meticulously planned) included Red Rocks, part of a colorful mountain range just west of Vegas. As you might guess, this route had a plethora of inclines and even a few twists and turns. The Rio didn’t like the hills, even though I‘d downshifted aggressively. And there were precious few features to take your mind off the practically non-existent low-end torque.

With high fuel prices in the offing of late, the bottom end of the car market is getting more attention from consumers and manufacturers. Nothing is new under the sun so steal from the best, I always say. That holds true in automotive design. Kia paid careful attention to the Toyota Scion’s fashion sense, pleasant and comfortable drive and noted its almost-excessive number of features. They may not have captured Scion's fashion sense entirely but the new Rio is pleasant to drive, loaded with features and comfortable to boot. One of the best bargains in its class.

Rapid acceleration is not within a lower-end economy car's grasp. The Rio, however, is energized by a thirty-pound weight loss and a new 110-hp, 1.6-liter inline four with variable intake valve timing generating 107 lb-ft of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is mandatory on the base sedan, but the LX sedan and Rio5 hatchback have a choice of either the manual or a four-speed automatic. So it gets around just as easily as any of its competitor’s cars in this segment.

Both the Kia Rio sedan and Rio5 hatchback now share a platform with Hyundai's Accent, and this is of benefit to all the vehicles involved. The Rio’s suspension consists of a simple arrangement of struts in front and a semi-independent torsion bar with coil springs in back. But Kia engineers took more care when tuning it and it's now capable of managing body movement and road irregularities. The handling is much improved and takes corners well, as well as can be expected for a low-end automobile.

Kia is offering the Rio sedan in base and LX trim levels, along with a Rio5 hatchback in a single SX trim. With no air conditioning and skinny 14-inch tires, the base sedan is still very much a budget ride. (But who buys a car without air conditioning these days?) Yet, you do get an attractive cloth interior in beige or gray, side-impact airbags for front occupants and side curtain airbags for front and rear occupants for about $11,000. Kia expects most buyers to step up to the LX sedan, which for just under $13,000 comes with modern-day essentials like A/C, a CD stereo, power steering, a 60/40-split folding rear seat and a tilt steering column.

The sedan comes in base and LX trims, while the five-door hatchback is available in a single SX trim. With no air conditioning and skinny 175/70R14 tires, the base sedan is a budget ride. Yet, you do get an attractive cloth interior in beige or gray, two-way driver-seat height adjustment, a tachometer and a full complement of side airbags. The well-equipped LX sedan provides A/C, a four-speaker CD stereo, power steering, a 60/40-split folding rear seat, a tilt steering wheel and meatier 185/65R14 tires. The SX hatchback adds fifteen-inch alloy wheels, metallic interior trim, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and metal-trimmed pedals. LX sedan and hatchback buyers can get the optional Power Package, which provides power windows, mirrors and locks; keyless entry; and tweeter speakers.

All Rios come standard with side-impact airbags for front occupants, full-length side curtain airbags and three-point belts in all seating positions. The LX sedan and the hatchback also come with adjustable rear headrests. ABS is optional on the LX sedan and Rio5, and ordering it replaces the standard front discs/rear drums with four-wheel disc brakes. In NHTSA frontal-impact crash testing, the Rio scored four (out of a possible five stars) for driver protection and five stars for passenger protection. In the side-impact test, the vehicle earned three stars for both front and rear occupants.

Dressed in beige, our test car’s cockpit had an open feel that’s so often lacking in this price bracket. Some of the plastic interiors look plastic— not up to the level of the Scion xA. The cloth upholstery is attractive and breathes well in warm weather, and the control layout is as straightforward as they come. Seat comfort is excellent, as the well-shaped front chairs offer a generous range of seat-track travel. In back, headroom is a bit tight for six-footers, but legroom is fully adequate and the tall bench provides good thigh support.

The 1.6-liter provides decent low-end pull and the manual transmission version offers enough thrust to merge into highway traffic with ease, although the engine gets noisy at higher rpms. Shifting the manual gearbox is enjoyable, thanks to the distinct gates and smooth clutch. Acceleration is almost as good with the automatic (which serves up smooth upshifts and on-time downshifts), though freeway merging takes some planning. The ride is smooth and stable, as the suspension does a fine job of soaking up road irregularities, and even at 75 mph, the ride is hushed. Pushed through corners, the Rio responds with predictable body roll and unexpectedly crisp steering.

I drove the hatchback with a manual transmission. The base price is $13,500, approximately $14,510 with all of the features imaginable tacked on. It had surprisingly conservative gas mileage ratings—32mpg/City, 35mpg Highway with a manual transmission and 29 mpg City/38 mpg Highway with the automatic. If you’ve looked at the Rio in the past, look again. It’s an excellent value. Best yet, they're affordable cars that you may even grow to like. R&D