Kia Rio ‘2’ (From York Press)

Kia Rio ‘2’

8:30am Friday 25th November 2011 in Road Test By Steve Nelson

THERE’S a new-found confidence about Kia. It probably started with the superb, heavily-revised Sportage, and continued with one of the best small cars of recent years, the Picanto, which launched last year to more-or-less universal acclaim.

In between, the Korean firm even had the balls to go a bit leftfield with the slightly whacky Soul.

Now its drive to upgrade the style and quality of its entire model range while hammering down fuel consumption and CO2 figures has taken another step forward with the launch of the all-new, fourth-generation Rio.

By next year, Kia aims to have the newest product lineup on offer in the UK.

And you know what? There won’t be a dud among that line-up.

Long gone are the days of bargain-basement imports that clung to the tails of the more refined European offerings.

The Rio comes with modern, European-influenced design and a range of engines that includes a diesel with industry-leading fuel economy and CO2 figures of 88.3mpg and 85g/km – better than any current internal combustion engine on the market.

You only have to sit in the Rio for a few seconds to begin appreciating the ergonomics and cabin quality.

This is a car that can certainly line up alongside alongside the Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo, Peugeot 207 and Vauxhall Corsa with that new-found cofidence.

Indeed, Kia expects the Rio to be a top-ten contender in the supermini market.

The new Rio is available with four engines, including a 1.1-litre three-cylinder turbodiesel with lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions than any other non-electric car on sale in the world and fuel economy of at least 74.3mpg.

The 1.4-litre diesel develops 89bhp and has economy and emissions figures of 70.6mpg combined and 105 g/km of CO2.

There are also two petrol engines. The entry-level unit is the 1.25-litre Kappa engine, developing 83bhp, which recently made its debut in Kia’s smallest car, the new Picanto.

But my test car was fitted with Kia’s 1.4-litre Gamma engine, developing 107bhp and 137Nm of torque. It also offers buyers an automatic gearbox as an option to the standard manual.

All petrol manual versions of the new Rio comfortably exceed 50mpg, with the automatic version of the 1.4- litre version capable of 44.1mpg in mixed driving.

The first thing you notice about the Rio’s drive is how smooth the engine feels and how quiet and comforting it is as you make your way through traffic or head out on an open road.

There’s decent acceleration, too, but it must be said that the rival Fiesta feels sharper.

The new Rio is longer, wider and lower than the model it replaces, with a coupé-like roofline and a 70mm greater wheelbase. All of this ensures it appears dynamic and sporty while offering occupants more room than the previous Rio.

The exterior design is a complete departure from the more functional approach taken with the last-generation Rio and takes as a starting point similar features to those seen on the new Picanto. You can see the new Kia family starting to grow, just as we saw the Ford Focus, Fiestra, Ka cars adopt similar characteristics to each other.

In side profile, a forwardleaning wedge and coupé-like roofline give the car the same dynamic, sporty stance as the new Picanto and Sportage.

The interior is clean and sophisticated, the choice of materials and the fit and finish giving the new Rio the look and feel of a refined, premium product. Signature Kia features like the three-cylinder instrument cluster blend with new ideas such as toggle switches on the centre stack to control some secondary functions.

There’s more legroom inside, thanks to a 70mm increase in the wheelbase, the cabin is also 25mm wider than in the previous model.

The Rio has four trim grades, badged ‘1’, ‘1 Air’, ‘2’ and ‘3’.

Even on entry level ‘1’, standard features include daytime running lights, bodycoloured bumpers, door handles and door mirrors, speed-variable front wipers, headlamp levelling, front electric windows and 15-inch steel wheels. Bluetooth is also standard on the petrol entry model, and on all versions with other trim grades.

The ‘1’ Air grade is for buyers who want the comfort of air conditioning without upgrading to level ‘2’.

Level ‘2’ is distinguished by 16-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights and a chrome radiator grille surround. Inside, there is premium black cloth upholstery, rear electric windows, a cooling glovebox, electrically-adjustable heated and folding door mirrors with side repeaters, leather trim on the steering wheel and gearshift and a centre console armrest.

The level ‘3’ specification adds 17-inch alloys with lowprofile tyres, privacy glass, LED daytime running and rear combination lamps, automatic air conditioning with auto de-fog, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, automatic projection-type headlights, heated front seats and six speakers instead of four.

And every new Rio, as with all Kias, is covered by the best warranty in the business, extending to seven years or 100,000 miles on parts and labour.

Fact file

PRICE: £13,095 (range from £10,595).

ENGINE: 1.4-litre petrol.

TRANSMISSION: sixspeed manual.

PERFORMANCE: 0 to 60mph in 11.1 seconds; top speed 113mph.

ECONOMY: 51.4mpg combined.

CO2 RATING: 128g/km.