We rented a Kia Rio while we were off in the Islands this year. I was not greatly impressed.
The car has a 1.6 liter GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) engine, coupled to a six-speed automatic gearbox. It is rated at 28/36 MPG. It has an "ECO" mode, proclaimed proudly by a button on the lower dash. I never took it out of ECO mode, so I don't know exactly what that controls.
Speaking of controls, the ones for the car were for the most part quite reasonable. The brakes worked well, were fairly progressive, and slowed us evenly. Switchgear is for the most part located where you expect it. The steering was a letdown, though. It was dead on-center and felt overboosted going off-center; you could feel the power assist kick in when you turned the wheel slightly. The transmission shifts nice and smoothly, and when I was driving it would keep the revs under 2000 quite easily.
Visibility is about as good as you expect from a modern car, with thick A-pillars. The C pillars are more obstructive than I realized, though, and can make backing up a challenge. (As the passenger door found out. Ouch!)
When I picked up the car, the average MPG was just over 20. The tires were at pretty low pressure, though I was unable to get to a gauge to check the exact pressure. I did fill them up, but there wasn't even a gauge on the fill hose I used...
After resetting the average FE, I was able to ratchet the economy up into the upper-30s, and even over 40 for a little while. By the time we returned the car, the average economy was right in the mid-30s. Not bad for lots of going up and down hill, plus running the A/C almost all the time. Plus several drives through moderate to heavy rain!
The tires were quite noisy at times, and the grip was not impressive. The engine also was prone to pinging (detonation) at moderate loads and low RPMs, which is right where I wanted to be accelerating! In theory, the car is spec'ed for regular-grade fuel, but it may have been happier with something more expensive. I'm glad I won't have to see how that pinging affects the long-term health of the engine.
All in all, I'd say that the Rio was capable, but unimpressive. It isn't very fun to drive, and the FE was fairly mediocre.
-soD
The car has a 1.6 liter GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) engine, coupled to a six-speed automatic gearbox. It is rated at 28/36 MPG. It has an "ECO" mode, proclaimed proudly by a button on the lower dash. I never took it out of ECO mode, so I don't know exactly what that controls.
Speaking of controls, the ones for the car were for the most part quite reasonable. The brakes worked well, were fairly progressive, and slowed us evenly. Switchgear is for the most part located where you expect it. The steering was a letdown, though. It was dead on-center and felt overboosted going off-center; you could feel the power assist kick in when you turned the wheel slightly. The transmission shifts nice and smoothly, and when I was driving it would keep the revs under 2000 quite easily.
Visibility is about as good as you expect from a modern car, with thick A-pillars. The C pillars are more obstructive than I realized, though, and can make backing up a challenge. (As the passenger door found out. Ouch!)
When I picked up the car, the average MPG was just over 20. The tires were at pretty low pressure, though I was unable to get to a gauge to check the exact pressure. I did fill them up, but there wasn't even a gauge on the fill hose I used...
After resetting the average FE, I was able to ratchet the economy up into the upper-30s, and even over 40 for a little while. By the time we returned the car, the average economy was right in the mid-30s. Not bad for lots of going up and down hill, plus running the A/C almost all the time. Plus several drives through moderate to heavy rain!
The tires were quite noisy at times, and the grip was not impressive. The engine also was prone to pinging (detonation) at moderate loads and low RPMs, which is right where I wanted to be accelerating! In theory, the car is spec'ed for regular-grade fuel, but it may have been happier with something more expensive. I'm glad I won't have to see how that pinging affects the long-term health of the engine.
All in all, I'd say that the Rio was capable, but unimpressive. It isn't very fun to drive, and the FE was fairly mediocre.
-soD
Kia Rio hatchback in HI
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