Topic: Test Drive: 2012 Kia Rio Sedan

[Autos_Editor]

The Kia Rio is one of the most well-rounded cars in the subcompact class, says Chris Chase.

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[Rupert]

I had the previous Accent for going on 6 years and was very happy with that car. This time around I think the Reo is indeed better looking and I too like the no nonsense dash...especially the larger central spacing speedo. The Accent I had rode very well for a small car and tracked well also and also noticed it was affected very little by side winds for some reason. Anyway certainly a decent contender here. Highway road noise would be something to compare.

[SaskSpecV]

Nice review Chris.  I particularly like your assertion about the 16" wheels and how it impacted ride quality, compared with your previous experience in the same car with 15" wheels - that's the type of insight I want to read in a car review, not a regurgitation of the spec sheet!

And 7.8 L/100km  - not good, not good at all...  And it wasn't even Mike driving it like he stole it!

[dkaz]

Yup, I'm averaging 7.1L/100km in my Mazda 3 Skyactiv.

[keithb]

Had the hatchback version as a rental for a few days and nice rig with one exception - height of the passenger seat. Way too low to the point where it would be a deal breaker and removes the vehicle from consideration for replacement for my 2006 Yaris. There have been some comments on this on a few blogs so hopeful it might get Kia's attention.

[dragonfly]

 Keith, I have a 2011 Sonata, and the passenger seat is low also..I suppose that's so tall people can fit in as well as short folks...Much to the chagrin of the shorter people who are peeking over the dash like garden gnomes...However..It's certainly no deal breaker...(I rarely use the passenger seat to drive)  hehe...Funny...I've had the car for two and a half years now, and just the other day my wife commented on it..
  Having sat in that seat a few times, I'd say it's a minor issue (I'm 5-9)...  Thanks for a nice review of a fine little car...Jack

[dirtyjeffer]

fuel economy of 7.8 seems a bit high, especially if most of it was on the highway, but i'm not sure of the mileage on the car (nor the nature of driving it)...if i take the highway run home (400 series), that route is generally high 5s at 115-120 km/hr...as well, 100 km/hr with the 6 speed auto has the engine turning just over 2000 rpm (i think about 2150 if memory serves me correct...2500 rpm is bang on 70 mph ( almost 113 km/hr)...the 17" tires on my car exhibit the same result over large bumps, but are quite good for handling on "decent roads"...older pavement is quite noisy, but fresh(er) asphalt is silent...that likely has a lot to do with the tires, as i recall replacing a set of Pirelli tires on one of our previous Focus' with a nice set of Michelins and the noise reduction was quite significant (without really much of a penalty on handling).

[Gamefreak]

The EPA's rating is equivalent to 7.8L/100km city, and 5.9L/100km highway.  I'm starting believe that all of Hyundai's and Kia's NRCan city ratings are achievable only 6-8 months of the year with a good dose of freeway driving, and the NRCan highway ratings are only achievable under 55mph.  My Elantra (manual) also runs at 2500rpm at 70mph.

[dkaz]

My sister-in-law averages 8L/100km in her Rio5 SX, pretty much all city driving.

NRCan highway rating is achievable at 105km/h with A/C off, 95-100km/h with A/C on.

[dirtyjeffer]

The EPA's rating is equivalent to 7.8L/100km city, and 5.9L/100km highway.  I'm starting believe that all of Hyundai's and Kia's NRCan city ratings are achievable only 6-8 months of the year with a good dose of freeway driving, and the NRCan highway ratings are only achievable under 55mph.  My Elantra (manual) also runs at 2500rpm at 70mph.

highway fuel economy ratings are basically done at about 80 km/hr...if i put the cruise on at 80 km/hr while driving on level ground, my gauge feeds back 4.6-4.8L/100kms...the "ratings" are accurate, but the ratings are not really indicative of how we drive...that is the "problem".

[Hammy]

The height of the passenger seat is a bit of an issue in the Optima as well.  Could have easily been remedied with a height adjustment, but there is none to be found. 

[Patrick_D1]

The EPA's rating is equivalent to 7.8L/100km city, and 5.9L/100km highway.  I'm starting believe that all of Hyundai's and Kia's NRCan city ratings are achievable only 6-8 months of the year with a good dose of freeway driving, and the NRCan highway ratings are only achievable under 55mph.  My Elantra (manual) also runs at 2500rpm at 70mph.

highway fuel economy ratings are basically done at about 80 km/hr...if i put the cruise on at 80 km/hr while driving on level ground, my gauge feeds back 4.6-4.8L/100kms...the "ratings" are accurate, but the ratings are not really indicative of how we drive...that is the "problem".

This. The NR Can highway cycle test is done with a warm engine, has no stops, and goes for 16 km/13 minutes at an average speed of 77 km/h with a maximum speed achieved of 97 km/h. Sure, it's apples-to-apples among different models, but don't expect this to easily translate into real-world driving.

[dkaz]

This is the old EPA method. They then take the ratings and up it by I think 22% to allow for real world factors, which would make sense, a car traveling 100km/h uses roughly 22% more fuel than someone travelling 77km/h.

[chrischasescars]

Even considering the EPA's more realistic estimates (which I forgot to include in this review...), I still find the Rio's economy to be lackluster.

[dirtyjeffer]

Even considering the EPA's more realistic estimates (which I forgot to include in this review...), I still find the Rio's economy to be lackluster.

i get about 7 on average in my car...our previous Focus was low 9s...i wouldn't say the Rio5 is hybrid like, but i find it decent on gas...i didn't buy it because it was the most fuel efficient vehicle...i bought it because it checked all the right boxes and came with content you just can't get in most other small vehicles (certainly in this price range)...it just happens to be decent on gas as a bonus...FWIW, my fuel economy has improved with more mileage and my switch to ethanol free Premium fuel.