Surprising us with its agility and sportiness, we wrapped up our test drive today of the 2012 Kia Rio SX Sedan. The small car packs a lot of style and sportiness into the entry level class in ways we just had to explore. What we found was a refreshing look into the growth and maturity of the Korean brand.
The Kia Rio is the Korean brand's smallest entry in the American market. Here we can get it in both a 5-door hatchback and a 4-door sedan. It falls into the B-Segment shared with the Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Accent and Chevrolet Sonic.
The latest generation Rio sports one of the most fashionable designs in its class, looking far more upmarket than its $13,600 starting price tag might suggest. We have a fully loaded Rio SX model which is the top trim grade, packed with luxury and performance oriented features like sport suspension and handsome 17” alloy wheels.
nside the SX gets a black interior trim scheme with sturdy and supportive cloth seats, full power accessories and a touchscreen audio system with full connectivity functionality. Also included are a backup camera and satellite radio, a handsome leather wrapped steering wheel and remote keyless entry. For 2013 paddle shifters are added to the steering wheel too.
Power comes from a 1.6 liter four-cylinder engine with a modest 138 horsepower. We found the engine to be surprisingly smooth and decent to listen to compared to Kia vehicles of the past. While this car is not fast, we would say it's perhaps slightly spunky.
The EPA rates the Kia Rio SX at 30 mpg city, 40 mpg highway and 33 mpg combined. In our battery of hyper-miling tests we never saw 40 mpg in highway driving, but did manage combined observed fuel economy of 32.5 mpg for the week.
In the SX your only transmission choice is a 6-speed automatic transmission, but it does allow manual shifting via the lever. If you want a manual transmission, you need to look at only a base model Rio. The transmission shifted predictably and followed orders well when you plant your foot hard on the accelerator.
Handling was indeed supple and tight, with a quiet upmarket feel for a car in this class. The electric power steering had a well weighted feel and gave precise predicable feel when carving corners in the desert mountains outside Phoenix.
While the Rio SX does have a “performance suspension”, we would not call it a back road barnstormer. For daily carving through traffic it's spirited in feel. Put push this car hard in the hills however you will find the rubber jounce bumpers of the suspension and the smell of brakes pretty quickly.
The interior if our SX had a black monotone trim which carried through the entire cabin. It lent a more upscale briefcase-like feel. The seats were easily adjusted and plenty comfortable. In our Arizona summer weather we found the air-conditioning to keep up well in the heat.
The touch screen audio system was a bit difficult to use because its graphic buttons located in the tight corners of its plastic frame. This made certain buttons like the station presets sometimes hard to touch accurately while driving. The screen was also hard to see in some light, but once set the system had a quality sound.
Overall we came away impressed with Kia's newest entry level car. It looks and feels several thousand dollars more expensive than it is, which is a major step in the evolution of the relatively new brand from South Korea.
The Kia Rio SX Sedan we tested came in at a total price of $18,245 including a $750 destination charge. The only option was a set of carpeted floor mats for $95. The new 2013 Kia Rio's are landing at dealerships around Phoenix now and as stated can be had for as little as $13,600.
Courtesy of the Examiner
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