The Bottom Line: The Rio is slightly cheaper than other small-car rivals, but you'll feel every saved dollar in the grumbly and rough drivetrain, nervous freeway manners, and general lack of substance.
I test-drove a Kia Rio 5-speed sedan at a local dealership. My test drive lasted about forty-five minutes and covered city streets, the freeway, and some winding back roads.
Performance
The Rio's engine is certainly one of its weak spots--in terms of both performance and refinement. It puts out the same 104hp as the Hyundai Accent that I drove the same day, but where the Accent felt zippy and eager, the Rio felt flat-footed and reluctant.
There aren't many brand-new cars whose acceleration actually makes me think, "man, this thing is slow." But the Rio sent exactly that phrase through my mind when I ran it up to speed on a freeway on-ramp. Its power delivery felt flat and sluggish--it built up revs slowly, and it never came to life, no matter how high I revved it. To be fair, the Rio did build up enough speed to merge safely in the short on-ramp space it was faced with. But it was always clear that the engine had nothing in reserve--there was enough power for gradual, law-abiding acceleration and nothing more.
That's where some people would say, "well, that's all I need anyway." But the engine's crude and unrefined nature should also be taken into account. When I turned the key to start the Rio, it clanked to life with a ill-tempered grumble that sounded more agricultural than automotive. It also sent rough vibrations through the cabin at all engine speeds, even at idle. The shift knob could double for a hand massager, so insistent was its buzzing. Matters worsened on the move, with the engine emitting a boomy groan that only got louder when I revved it up--a necessary condition for decent forward progress. Not all aspects of the Rio were this unsatisfactory, but the engine's roughness and impotence were a major drawback.
Transmission/Clutch
The Rio's transmission wasn't as bad as that in its stablemate, the Spectra, but it could still use some improvements. The biggest issue here, as I mentioned before, is engine vibration--the Rio's shifter buzzes and shakes like it's attached to a... well... a Rio's engine. It's does this no matter how high or low the motor is revving, and it lends the car a feeling of crudeness that I tired of quickly on my test drive.
The Rio fared better when it came to actual shift action, although this was still average at best. The shifter had fairly long throws and a somewhat rubbery feel, but its gates were well-defined and the lever moved naturally enough from one gear to the next. Not great, but appreciably tighter and more-connected than the shifter in the early-2004 Spectra I test-drove a few months ago. The Rio's clutch was also decent, with a somewhat vague and mushy engagement point, but light effort and easy, forgiving take-up.
Steering/Handling
Here's where I can lay off the negativity for a bit. The Rio's handling won't be mistaken for that of a sports car, but it had a commendably composed and accurate demeanor over the road, and was better than I expected in the cheap-car class.
The steering was light--a bit lighter than I'd prefer, actually--but its effort built naturally in turns, its ratio was appropriate, and it directed the car with easy accuracy on winding roads. There wasn't much road feel, but the steering felt natural enough that I didn't really notice it one way or the other most of the time. The Rio's suspension was better tied-down than I expected. The body didn't lean much in brisk turns, and the tires provided a reasonable amount of grip considering their meager dimensions. It wasn't until I pressed the Rio moderately hard that the body started to list to the side, and the front tires began to squeak and chatter with understeer.
Still, despite its impressive adequacy, the Rio's handling wasn't as good as that of the Hyundai Accent. The Accent feels more eager around town, and its steering has better weighting and precision. And unlike the Accent (and similarly-priced Chevrolet Aveo), the Rio's handling quickly deteriorated when I ventured onto the freeway. The steering lost its sense of straight-ahead, and the car was easily deflected by grooved pavement and crosswinds, sending the Rio on an unsteady path down the road.
Worse yet, the Rio's somewhat flexy body structure shivered constantly on patched pavement, allowing the car to wander and further detracting from accurate control. Between the shaking, wandering, and noise, the Rio wasn't an especially pleasant car outside of the tight confines of city traffic. That said, as an around-town runabout, the Rio does a surprisingly good job.
Ride
The Rio's ride quality was about what I had expected--decent, but not fantastic. It actually felt quite composed and comfortable on well-maintained pavement, soaking up minor imperfections quietly and unobtrusively. The suspension tuning felt just about right, with no floating or bouncing over the uneven sections, and impressive composure over dips and rises. The Rio even rode pretty well on rougher surface streets, absorbing impacts without complaint and refusing to be knocked off-course in bumpy turns.
But as the pavement got more ragged, so did the Rio's ride. When I hit potholes, the Rio announced them clearly through audible "clunks" from the tires, and through quivers in the slightly loose-feeling body structure. On the patched concrete that made up the freeway portion of my test drive, the body flexed incessantly, and ride motions turned nervous and jerky. Noise levels also increased greatly with speed, with wind and road noise joining the boomy groan of the engine and creating quite a racket. As I mentioned in the "handling" section, the Rio feels most in its element in around-town driving. On the freeway, it seems in a bit over its head.
Interior
After my experience with the 2003 Kia Spectra's drab and gloomy interior design, I didn't have high expectations for the Rio's accommodations--but it surprised me. The Rio's interior felt like that of a very cheap car, but it wasn't the penalty box I had expected it to be.
The dashboard and console had a fresh, modern-looking design that far surpassed the circa-1992 styling of the Spectra's interior. It wasn't high style, mind you, but it was youthful and clean, the kind of ambiance that I find works best for very inexpensive cars. The console-mounted controls had big, clearly-marked buttons that were easy to find, and they felt agreeably smooth in operation. The rotary climate-control knobs were mounted a bit too low for easy use, but they felt fairly slick when turned. The plastics weren't top-quality, but they weren't low-rent, either. The dashboard and doors were trimmed with a slightly softened, rubberized material that felt much better than hard or grainy plastic. The fabric trim on the doors was a bit rough, but not egregiously so like the Chevrolet Aveo. Cupholder-counters will be impressed by the Rio's four drink holders, including two large bulges in the door panels to accommodate those ridiculously-large soda cups--a clever touch. I would have preferred a thicker steering wheel rim, but that's nit-picking.
Still, despite the unexpected decentness of the Rio's interior, it's not as good as that of the Hyundai Accent. The difference is what marketing people refer to as "surprise and delight." Unlike the Accent, the Rio fails to feel fun. The key-in-ignition chime is a dull and listless "bong..... bong....." and the bland-looking four-spoke steering wheel is a missed opportunity for some sporting flair. The doors feel very thin and tinny, and they close with an unsatisfying "clonk." The seat fabric is somewhat rough, and the seats themselves feel flat and short on padding (although the driving position is quite good). The Rio's interior is thoroughly serviceable, even pleasant at this price. But it's too bland and obviously cost-cotting to feel the least bit special.
Practicality
Practicality is only a strong suit for the Rio because of its available wagon body style, called the Rio Cinco. The sedan version that I test-drove was a couple quarts low on utility. Although the seats weren't uncomfortable, their thin, flat padding felt like it would probably become uncomfortable on extended freeway drives. The interior felt narrow, and although the stocky build of the accompanying salesman on my test drive didn't help, it seemed too easy to bump elbows with the occupant of the passenger's seat. The rear seat was habitable, but only just--headroom was tight, and legroom in desperately short supply. The Rio's trunk was larger than I expected given its diminuitive body, but it still wasn't all that spacious, and a folding rear seatback is unavailable on the sedan--big items simply won't fit.
But then I looked at the Cinco version, and found a much better story. The interior still feels tight, but at least there's more headroom for rear passengers because the roofline doesn't curve down over the seatbacks. The Cinco's cargo bay is also usefully larger and will accommodate taller items--plus, a folding rear seat comes standard. To my eyes, the Cinco version even looks considerably better from the outside--so unless you're trying to save money by going for the cheaper sedan version, the Cinco is the one to look at first.
Reliability
Consumer Reports has no reliability data on the Rio as of yet. In fact, it doesn't have data on many Kias at all, presumably because they haven't sold in large enough numbers to get an accurate sample group. The only Kia models they provide data on are the Sorento SUV and the Sedona minivan, which scored Average and Worse Than Average, respectively. These figures suggest that the Rio's reliability is at least unlikely to be catastrophic, and might even nudge close to an Average rating. If that's true, it would be quite an achievement, as the average number of defects in a new car are quite low. Kia's lengthy warranty seems to show confidence in the car's ability to hold up over time, too. But on the other side of the argument, the Rio hardly impressed me with its mediocre-quality materials and less-than-solid feel. Either way, it's all pretty much speculation as the hard data just isn't there yet.
Overall
All in all, the Rio was a better car than I expected it to be. Going into my test drive, I expected it to feel like a smaller, cheaper version of the awful 2003 Spectra I drove a few months ago, but the Rio was actually more fun to drive and had a better interior than its costlier stablemate.
Still, I don't know how comfortable I would feel advising a friend to consider purchasing a new Rio. Yes, it's the cheapest new car on the market, and no, it's not as insubstantial as you might think. But for not that much more money, you could get into a Hyundai Accent that's far more sprightly and fun to drive, or a Chevrolet Aveo that feels far more comfortable and mature. Or you could hit the used-car market and find a certified off-lease vehicle with more room, superior refinement, and higher performance for a similar price.
The unfortunate truth is that, while the Rio will save you some money over its slightly more-expensive small-car rivals, you'll feel every saved dollar in the coarse grumbling of its engine, the buzzy shifter, the narrow-feeling interior, and the jittery body structure. The lower cost just doesn't seem worth the drastic cuts in refinement and driving enjoyment to me. I want to give Kia some credit for a product that exceeded my expectations, but at the same time, I really can't recommend this car as a well-informed purchase.
If you just want cheap, new wheels and really have absolutely nothing invested in the quality or sophistication of your automobile, then well, I guess you could give the Rio a look. But if you care at all about the way your car drives and feels--even just a little--I would strongly recommend making the step up to a Hyundai Accent, Chevrolet Aveo, Scion xA, or one of any number of good used cars.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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