this is one of the best reviews i have ever seen... its relaxing it feels like a real person talking about it.. not some guy talking a million miles a hour blurting of facts that most peopld dont understand.
Thx Holger for the review. Don't let haters get you. Not everyone likes overhyped people with shallow words (not meaning Thomas btw). A couple of more reviews and I am sure some of the nasty comments will go away. All in all looking at the side of the car it looks like a Polo with a body kit. Seems like good value for the money this one.
Thanks for the thorough review. Kia has done well to improve this model, looks very smart and good to see steering is better. I recently got the big brother, Cerato, at a great price and the 7year unlimited km warranty is what hooked me in.
I had to smile a little at "And now...... I.... am going ...... to brake...... in order to test the ...... acceleration". Maybe it is better not to drive and talk at the same time. I cannot do that either, not even in my native language. But thanks for the thorough review. Good stuff. Oh by the way, the Kia 7 year warranty is not so unique in the world. In America Mitsubishi gives 10 year guarantee (or 100.000 miles). No idea why they don't do that in Europe.
Awesome review. I love the level of detail you guys go into, this is very helpful as I am seriously considering buying this car for some time now. Thank you!
Mario Banović - Po tim autima se pljuje sa razlogom jer su bili katastrofalno neupouzdani i raspadali se nakon par godina, a po VW-u obicno pljuju oni koju su ili glupi ili ljubmorni, ili oboje. Npr. ti ni ne znas zasto pljujes, ali po tome "krampwagen" znam tocno o kakvom se liku radi. Pa smijes ti pljuvati, samo kad ispadnes budala u javnosti i to ti netko kaze, nemoj se ljutiti. Ocito si jedan od onih koji nemaju pojma o autima i ne razumijes detalje zbog kojih su neki auti superiorni. Usporediti Kiu i VW moze samo netko tko nema pojma o autima i nema NIKAKVOG iskustva sa njima, jer ti je otprilike 2 minute iza volana dovoljno za znati da je svaki VW daleko bolji auto od konkurenta iz Kie, u svakom pogledu, naravno, uz uvjez da razumijes sto radis i nisi jedan od onih cije razumijevanje automobila seze do "lijep mi je" ili "nije mi lijep".
Really great to hear Holger - very much enjoy your videos. Many thanks for showing us the car. I quite liked the contrasting dashboard of light grey and darker, which lifts the interior on this top spec model, but I think I prefer an integrated central display... Unusual on a modern car to see the engine isn't hidden under a big cover. Many thanks Holger and team.
Besides the rear being reminiscent of 2011 Golf the rest of the bodywork is a good step up from previous Rio. Cabin/dash ergonomics is a big improvement. New 1.0/3cyl. engine is appropriate in that size category. A good review there Holger.
10 seconds in 1-100 kmph for 3-cylinders 1.2L Turbo engine-powered 120 hp? Not bad. I expect it comes with DCT like DSG for Turbo mated engine for Automatic. Thanks for the review on new Kia Rio on the new motor technology. First Ford and VW/Audi, and now Hyundai/Kia joins 3-cylinder Turbo technology. Interesting times are looming ahead. Cheer! :)
thanks holger for this review. some constructive feedback that i think will aid your journey with car reviewing. you need to loosen up a bit my friend, be confident in what you are talking about and it will then flow through to the camera. compare your reviews to thomas's and aj's and you will see what i mean. anyway, all the best with your journey. the kia rio is a great car, my neighbour just bought one, the standard 7 year warranty being the icing on the cake to seal the deal. you get alot for your money with kia.
I am going to buy one of these - probably in St. Louis, MO. I am probably moving to a small farmtown north of Columbia, MO, in mid-Missouri. St. Louis would no doubt be the city I'd poach a 2018 or 2019 Kia Rio in. This car has it all - a great body design - and Kia mechanicals are great - they are primo. If this thing costs around $15,000 for a 6-speed base model - I'll go trade in our 2011 Kia Soul in for one. No doubt - I would prefer one of these. Meanwhile - the 2011 Kia Soul is great - a solid ride that won't let me down. What more do you want?
Been waiting for this review forever. Does is drive/feel like the current i20 with the same engine? Because I love the Rio on paper, but I hate how the i20 drives and I tried it twice. :-(
Thanks for the immediate reply. I was hoping for a different clutch and engine tune than in the i20. When driving economically around town (shifting up at 2000 rpm), I always had to wait almost a second after mashing the throttle for anything to happen. I assume both cars are identical except for design and equipment. On the Autobahn the i20 was quite nice to drive, but 7 l/100km at 120 kph in 6th gear is unacceptable for any new car with less than 200 PS (with warm engine and a few 1000 miles on the odometer already). On the plus side, it was very comfortable, the steering was pretty direct (not mushy like the "old" Rio) and not too light but with little feedback from the road surface. Good shape, size and haptics though and the heating on the steering wheel goes all around and doesn't have gaps like on BMWs. The heated wheel doesn't heat very quickly or get very warm though, I was hoping for it to feel like clenching a hot coffee mug. Powerful heated seats, quiet AC, very nice suspension (even with the 18" rim on it) and sound insulation for the segment. The manual 6-speed gearbox was surprisingly smooth and nice to operate. Love the engine noise as well. Plenty of room on the back seat and the trunk as well. The engine response (really the turbo lag) and blue interior lighting (my eyes can't focus on this color light, it's mostly a blur) were a no-no for me. I'll have to give the new Rio a go, hoping that it's a bit more responsive and frugal than the i20 now that this engine type has been around for a while and they improved upon it.
The only downside of KIA is the engine. Not even close to Japannese if we are talking about performance, reliability and gas milage but other than engine.. Everything is better: body aint tin can like jappannese(ex: swift sport got ncap 2/5), chassis is much much stiffer, many feature and good design(since they hijacked head of audis designer) Just the engine, it aint bad but.. Not that good
Nice car and big improvement in comparison with previous generation, but 20k EUR for highest trim level is too much. For 20k you can buy bigger, spacier and I think better cars. Even 11.7k EUR starting price is too much if now older version you can buy for under 10k. Except of that they did a good job with this generation I think. Such a shame they are not yet planning to produce also a sedan version
11,7k starting price is ok. The VW Polo for instance start at 12,7k EUR in Germany with a non-turbocharged 1,0 liter 3-cylinder engine, which really dont fit the car. With the Rio at least you get a much more suitable 1,25 liter 4-cylinder engine already in the entry level model and for 1k EUR less. The entry level Rio is also a 5-door already, while the Polo only come with 3 doors as standard.
Yes, from this perspective, you are right :). I was just hoping that starting price will be below 10k, but it was maybe too unrealistic, because they improved interior alot as well.
Tested 120hp model today and I was immediately sold. Signal red 120hp Rio with TX trim level (highest available in Finland, similar to British 1st edition) ordered. Estimated delivery in mid-May.
Robert Smug I used to look down upon the quality of Korean cars, I changed my opinion until my neighbor's KIA Picanto of 1st generation lasted 12 years without any troubles and breakdowns, as reliable as my Toyota Corolla. But the price and warranty of KIA are much better. I will switch to Korean cars for better value next time when I buy new car.
