Kia Rio 2018: New silhouette saucy

Photo courtesy Rio

Jacques Welcome

Sunday, 3 September 2017, 19:04

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Sunday, 3 September 2017, 19:04

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She is pretty, well-built and well-equipped. Fun to drive, it does not cost millions to purchase and consume little fuel. This is the new Kia Rio, a favourite in Québec for over 15 years.

This city car has made its debut at the Mondial de l’automobile in Paris in September 2016. It has, however, had to wait a year before it arrives at us. This car, which is the second most sold in the world of the automobile manufacturer Korean Kia is the Rio, a popular model in Quebec.

This subcompact car figure in the canadian list of Kia since the year 2000, which makes it the most ” old ” model of the brand here. In 17 years, Canadians have purchased more than 163, 000 and 42 % of these small cars were sold in la Belle Province.

And this, people of Kia Canada have understood that, since the Rio 2018, which ushered in its fourth generation, comes with heated front seats and, for the height of comfort, a leather steering wheel is also heated. You read that correctly : a steering wheel and heated seats, and this, even in Rio, the most humble : the LX, available from 14 995 $. Ironically, the buyer of a Mercedes-Benz C 300 4Matic 2018 worth 44 700 $ must pay an additional $ 250 for having a heated steering wheel !

The Rio hatchback (which we tested) is the first version that is offered by the canadian dealers of the brand, but the sedan will follow shortly. This new feature displays forms rethought rather discrete. An elegant silhouette outlined jointly by the specialists of the design centers, Kia Germany and California, who have worked in close collaboration with the engineers responsible for the development of the platform at Namyang, in Korea.

At first glance, one recognizes the affiliation to the mark by this grille ” nose tiger “, signature now feature of Kia products. Tiny, this grille is flanked by headlamps to the distinctive design, with daytime running lights to LED in a U-shape, at least on the different Rio EX models with the base price exceeding $ 20,000 per year. The rear part of this car has a bezel that is much less inclined. In addition, a straight line cutting the sidewall of the body extends from the grille, missing the headlights, at the top of the door and up to the rear lights to give more volume to a body that would otherwise be too sober. On version the more richly equipped, the EX-Sport (22 045 $ and more), the rear lights are equipped with LEDS, which adopt a new light signature in the form of arrows. Rather original.

With a longer hood, a door-to-fake before lying down and a door to the rear overhang shortened, his profile has changed a lot. These changes are reflected in its new dimensions, as compared to the Rio 2017 hatchback, its body has gained 15 mm and the wheelbase of the chassis 10 mm.

Photo courtesy Rio

The tailgate discovers an opening enlarged on which the threshold has also been lowered to facilitate the loading of the package.

INSIDE TECHNO

The new interior adopts a modern look with shapes more elaborate, ranging from the width of the dashboard into the interior door trim. The effect makes the interior more homogeneous than in the old model.

Some of the trim and decorative black gloss finish surround the central part of the dashboard, that has been slightly curved towards the driver for better ergonomics. It is both practical and chic. Of course, one notes the appearance, in the center of the dashboard, a touch screen of 5.0 ” in the LX-and 7.0-inch in the other versions. This floating screen (” levitating ” say its designers) is used for the infotainment system which integrates, in EX versions, the Android Auto and CarPlay of Apple. It is framed by two vertical bands of snaps, two small rotary controls for the adjustment of the sound and the tuning, and, further down, two big knobs rotating for ventilation and heating. This design is simple, intuitive and, therefore, easy to use.

The interior space is generous and can accommodate four adults of average size with a comfort fit. The space for the rear legroom has also increased from 790 to 850 mm. As for the trunk, which is naturally transformable, thanks to the fold down in a 60/40 (serial) of the rear seat, its useful volume was increased slightly. But it is important to know that the opening uncovered by the hatch has been enlarged (+71 mm) and lowered (-26 mm), which facilitates the loading of bulky packages. The useful volume of maximum (928 L), finally, is comparable to that of the trunk of the Nissan Micra (819) and Versa Note (1 084 (L), then it is superior to that of a Ford Fiesta (720 L), but also lower than that of a Toyota Yaris hatchback (1180 L). Of course, the radius of the sub-compact hatchback, nothing beats the trunk of the Honda Fit (1492 L) in terms of logeabilité and processing capacity.

Photo courtesy Rio

The interior of the Rio 2018 can be distinguished by its new touch screen ” floating “, but also by the aesthetic over-worked the dashboard and interior door trim.

MECHANICAL KNOWN

Under the new dress of the Rio, there is a mechanical known. This is the four-cylinder 1.6 L GDI direct-injection, which inspired the Rio 2017. For version 2018, it produces 7 hp less and its torque peaks at 119 lb-ft rather than 123, but always at maximum rpm to 4850 rpm. These differences are however of no consequence on the acceleration and the times, which remain suitable for the urban use for which it is intended to use this car. Some drivers will even find this small engine rather nervous. In addition, the average consumption of 7.6 L/100 km that we found at the end of our test (performed with a version with automatic transmission) are similar to the dimensions of rival Rio.

The brake has plenty of bite to it, at least on EX versions (some of those we have tried) since they are equipped with four-wheel disc brakes. Because, for 2018, Kia has chosen to equip the Rio LX input range of rear brake drum, so that the version 2017 of this model had discs. Another detail to note, models LX and EX 2018, which are fitted with 15 ” wheels, provide a smoother ride than the EX Sport. The rims of 17 ” this last may well be beautiful, but the tire size the more bass that they are wearing are unnecessarily firm. What’s more, these wheels will be more expensive to put on winter tires.

Assembly at the mexican plant of Pasqueria, where Kia also produces a Strong, compact car, from may 2016, the Rio 2018 continues to be among the purchases attractive of its class, as it is with one of the best warranty programs in the industry.

The sedan : in September

Photo courtesy Rio

Sedan Kia Rio 2018.

As for the model it replaces, Kia Rio 2018 will not be offered only in five-doors. A sedan for traditional look, will arrive at dealers of the brand in mid-September.

As the five-door, this variant will be available in versions LX, EX and EX Sport. His body, which is slightly longer than the five-doors (4385 mm against 4065), essentially offers the same roominess. We do note that a small difference at the level of its rear seats, which offer up to 14 mm less clearance for the head. A difference that is not really significant.

As for the trunk, by its useful volume of 387 L, it makes this sedan that is comparable to its rivals : the sedans Ford Fiesta (362 L), Hyundai Accent (387 L), Chevrolet Sonic (422 L) and Toyota Yaris (382 L). And of course, in the three versions of the sedan, the rear bench seat with fold down split 60/40 allowing the need to lengthen the loading surface.

The Rio sedan shares the four-cylinder 130-hp five-door. At the time of publishing this article, the manufacturer has not yet announced its price.

Technical data sheet

Base price

14 995 $ (LX); 16 595 $ (LX+); 20 945 $ (EX); 22 045 $ (EX Sport); 23 745 $ (EX Tech Navi).

Transport and preparation

1560 $

Powertrain

L4 DOHC, 1.6 L, 130 hp at 6300 rpm, 119 lb-ft at 4850 rpm. Gearbox 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic. Front-wheel drive.

Features

Independent Suspension to the front wheels; a torsion beam at the rear. Disc brake for front wheel; drum brakes (LX) or discs (EX and EX-Sport) to the rear wheels. Anti-lock braking system series. Tires : P185/65R15 (LX and EX); P205/45R17 (EX Sport).

Ratings

Wheelbase : 2580 mm; length : 4065 mm; width : 1725 mm; height : 1450 mm. Weight : 1201-1278 kg. Tank capacity : 45 litres. Trunk Volume : 493-928 L. average Consumption (test; PVA) : 7.6 L/100 km.

Competition

Chevrolet Sonic, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Micra, Nissan Versa Note, Toyota Prius c, Toyota Yaris

Strengths

• Motor nervous
• Interior Design successful
• Safe practice (Rio 5-doors)

Weak Points

• Rear brakes drum (Rio LX)
• Tires, 17-inch, less comfortable
• Rear visibility reduced