2022 Kia Rio Hatchback Automatic Review

2022 Kia Rio Hatchback Automatic Review - When you hear someone claim "Kia Rio," certain assumptions adhere to, chief among them a small size and an affordable price. The latest version of the Rio, upgraded for its fourth generation in the United States, strikes those marks with a sub-$ 15,000 beginning price and also neat dimensions. Exactly what you might not anticipate to find is refinement, class, and a generous helping of attributes. That's where the 2018 Rio provides on the Kia brand name's tagline, "The Power to Shock."

Equally as when it debuted in the early 2000s, the subcompact Rio continues to be the smallest Kia you can purchase in the States. It's readily available as a car or as the four-door hatchback evaluated below, and also it rides on a platform shown to the Europe-market Hyundai i20 along with the upcoming Kia Stonic and also Hyundai Kona subcompact crossovers.


Unlike earlier Rios, though, the newest ranks amongst the much better automobiles to drive in its sector. While its basic framework arrangement of a strut-type front suspension and a torsion-beam rear axle hasn't changed, the brand-new Rio's damper adjusting brings a newfound composure to the flight top quality, while a stiffer framework aids the Kia absorb impacts like an extra expensive car. There is very little enthusiasm to be found in the numb guiding, though, and the Rio isn't really fairly as sprightly as rivals such as the Honda Fit. However the Kia is substantially extra positioned compared to the tinny and buzzy Honda; we 'd pick it over a Fit for a lengthy trip.


2022 Kia Rio Hatchback Automatic Review

This even more refined temperament matches well with the Kia's newly upmarket designing. Layout flair is not new to the nameplate, as the previous-generation Rio was unique enough, but the brand-new one makes strides in its maturity. Its exterior is perhaps much less strong, but it is handsomely proportioned as well as perfectly specificed, with a stylish quantity of chrome trim on the high-level EX. There's something Germanic about the brand-new Rio's deliberate, squared-off lines, as well as the thick C-pillar appears like a clear nod to that apotheosis of hatchback design, the Volkswagen Golf.
The Rio's interior additionally is a practical, high-quality affair. Our EX-SPOUSE test car was equipped with the $500 Release Version bundle that included showy red accents to the dashboard as well as seats, but apart from that, the cockpit console as well as dash prioritize function over form. The tachometer and speedometer flank a main LCD screen presenting trip-computer information, while a large 7.0-inch touchscreen controls the facility pile. Apple CarPlay and also Android Automobile are included on the EX-SPOUSE model, although they're not on lower trim levels with their 5.0-inch display screens. The EX likewise is the only Rio that has automated emergency braking, a safety and security attribute found on simply a pick couple of subcompacts.


2022 Kia Rio Hatchback Automatic Review



Aft of the pleasurable front cabin, things worsen. The back seat is tight on legroom and clearance; although livable by 2 adults, the Rio's rear seats cannot compare the rear quarters discovered in the Fit, which is a master of space performance. The Honda likewise shames the Kia's cargo-hauling ability-- which of nearly all other subcompact hatchbacks-- with its capacious cargo hold (approximately 53 cubic feet of space) and flat-folding rear seats. The Kia offers the very same 17 cubic feet of area aft of the back seats as the Honda, yet folding the Rio's seat broadens that to only 33 cubes, as well as the 60/40 split seatbacks do not exist flat.


The Rio's 1.6-liter direct-injected inline-four is greatly the same as the engine located in the previous design. Whatever adjusting updates Kia has made to the engine and also the six-speed transmission are most definitely working, however, as the little four-banger moved the new Rio to 60 mph in 8.5 secs-- a full second quicker compared to the last automatic-transmission Rio hatchback we evaluated. That's despite the fact that the engine is rated at 8 fewer horsepower and 4 less lb-ft of torque compared to before, for total amounts of 130 hp as well as 119 lb-ft.

Kia additionally claims higher fuel economic situation from this changed engine, and the Rio hit a remarkable 39 mpg in our 75-mph freeway fuel-economy examination, outmatching its EPA quote by 2 mpg. Thinking about how hefty our appropriate feet are around right here, our total average of 28 mpg with the Rio is similarly reputable.

We do desire Kia would make the base Rio's six-speed manual transmission offered in other trim degrees. It's offered only on the removed LX version, which passes up many creature conveniences that it is among the few brand-new automobiles still marketed with crank windows. The mid-level Rio S inhabits an extra habitable room with its reasonable load of tools, consisting of a backup video camera, keyless access, cruise control, and Bluetooth. And also the S sets you back $17,295, which is a lot less expensive than our crammed $20,225 EX-SPOUSE examination vehicle. (The much less desirable car is $300 less costly than the comparable hatchback.).

The Rio begins to lose some allure once it enters into that higher cost range, as several substantially larger and also a lot more attractive hatchbacks-- such as the Honda Civic (base cost $20,775) and also the Mazda 3 ($ 20,220)-- are offered for similar loan. But, specifically in its more cost effective reduced trim degrees, the new Rio presents an eye-catching total package that impresses with its proficient owning dynamics and probably the most polished ride discovered in the subcompact segment. It's time to associate some new ideas with the Kia Rio.

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