Kia Rio

The Kia Rio is a subcompact car made by the South Korean company Kia Motors and introduced in late 2000 (2001 model year). In the company's lineup, it replaced the Kia Pride, whose production ceased in 2000. Other cars occupying a similar market niche as the Rio include the Toyota Vitz (Toyota Yaris or Echo in some markets), Chevrolet Aveo, and the Hyundai Accent. To a lesser extent, the Rio also competes with compact cars such as the Honda Civic and Mazda3.

Recent Changes

 * As part of the 2010 update, the Kia Rio adopts a 'H' shaped signature grille used in Soul, Forte and Sorrento models. More higher quality materials will be used in the cabin.

Styles and Major Options
Styles: Base, LX, SX, Rio5 LX, and Rio5 SX

Pricing
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Gas Mileage
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As seen on the FuelEconomy.gov website, the City/Highway MPG averages are as follows:

Engine and Transmission
Specifications, details, graphs, pictures and other information regarding the powertrain is placed in this section.

Performance
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If using information gathered from Road Test articles from a reputable automotive source, then please make sure to cite the quote.

Reliability
RECALL: In 2004, 27,000 Rios had to be recalled to repair the fuel line fault that could result in an engine fire.

When the RACV inspected the Kia Rio, many faults found were wear and tear items. Body and suspension noises are common and so too are oil leaks while the trim and fittings can become shabby over time. Yet, many examples had bad reputations being lemons particularly those who had high mileages.

Safety
The IIHS crash-tested a 2007 Kia Rio. Results were good for frontal impact, poor for side impact (despite standard side-curtain air bags) and marginal for rear impact.

Colors
Exterior Colors
 * Clear Silver (All models)
 * Clear White (All models)
 * Midnight Black (All models)
 * Cashmere Beige (LX)
 * Olive Grey (LX)
 * Polar Blue (LX)
 * Sapphire Blue (LX, SX)
 * Tropical Red (LX. SX)
 * Sunset Orange (SX)

Interior Colors
 * Beige (LX)
 * Grey

Main Competitors

 * Nissan Micra
 * Hyundai Getz
 * Mitsubishi Colt
 * Toyota Yaris
 * Honda Fit/Jazz
 * Tata Indica
 * Hyundai i20
 * Chevrolet Aveo

Hybrid Models
There will be a Kia Rio hybrid in 2009. This is significant because the Kia Rio will be the first South Korean-made hybrid car.

Unique Attributes
Based on popular car reviews sites, the 2006-2008 Kia Rio is one of the leading sub-compact cars in terms of fuel efficiency.

Of the cars surveyed by the RACV, the 2001-2005 Kia Rio is the cheapest light car to run on a weekly basis.

Interior
This section should include information on the interior's design, build quality, ergonomics, space (head and legroom, front and rear), features, stowage compartments and overall comfortability and livability. Add pictures wherever applicable and keep information in a third-person point of view.

Resale Values
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Criticisms
"You may have seen The Fly II, where a scientist attempts to teleport a dog. In one of the most gruesome scenes I've seen, it arrives inside-out. Well, the Rio is uglier than that. Small wonder Kia's importer in Britain is sponsoring the Pedestrian Association's Walking Bus scheme. Parents take it in turns to walk a "bus" for kids to school. After three days in the Rio, my kids thought it was a brilliant idea to walk instead. Even though their school is 30 km away and it was blowing a gale off the Canadian tundra." Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear

"This car has been defeated by a hill." Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear

Second Generation (2006–present)
The first generation was replaced for 2006. The new Rio is based on a redesigned platform shared with the Hyundai Accent. The engine was upgraded to a 110 hp 1.6L DOHC 4 cylinder also shared with the Hyundai Accent. Other changes include a thorough cosmetic update, an increase in exterior size and interior volume, more standard safety features, and replacement of the Rio Cinco with a 5-door hatchback, now called Rio5 in the US. The 2006 sedan offers two trim levels while the Rio5 offers a single trim level equivalent to the better of the two sedan trim levels. New vanity features in the higher trim levels such as a leather-covered steering wheel suggest that Kia intends to move the Rio upmarket. Just as in the first generation, in Europe (including the UK), only the five-door hatchback version is offered.

For the first time, the 2006 Rio received an award from the automotive press, the "Editors' Choice Award for Most Improved New Car" from Autobytel.

In Australia, Kia offered a 1.4 litre option in 2007. It costs $14,990 AUD ($1,000 cheaper from a base model 1.6L).

First Generation/Origins (2001–2005)
The first-generation Rio was available as a five-door wagon in Europe and in most other markets as either a five-door wagon or a four-door sedan.

The wagon version was sold as the Rio Cinco (cinco: five in Spanish) in the USA, Rio RX-V (V: five in Roman numerals) in Canada, Rio Look in Chile, and simply Rio in the United Kingdom (as the sedan version was not offered there).

The first-generation Rio offered only one engine for each year in the USA: a 96 hp 1.5 L DOHC 4-cylinder from 2001 through 2002, then a larger version of the same engine, a 1.6 L DOHC 4-cylinder rated at 105 hp, from 2003 through 2005. All years offered a choice of a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic. An alternative of a 1.3 L SOHC 4-cylinder or a diesel engine was offered in other countries.

The USA version offered a single trim level each for the sedan and the wagon. The wagon came with standard power steering and a tachometer, which were optional on the sedan.

Safety features were basic, consisting of seat belts and airbags for the driver and front-seat passengers. ABS was available as an option for entry-line cars but fitted by default for top of the range models (i.e. Rio LX, in the UK).

Rio received a mild redesign for the 2003 model year including upgrades in engine, suspension, and brakes and other improvements with new styling outside including a different grille and headlights and inside a new instrument panel and console.

Worldwide
In the Korean market the Rio is sold as the Kia Pride.

Design quirks and oddities
Refer to any pop-culture tidbits about the vehicle in this section.

Awards
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