Handsome man "Kia Rio": Responses of owners, advantages and disadvantages of the updated model

Kia's cars are becoming every yearall more mature and more prestigious, because if very recently, few people seriously took the "Koreans", now they can compete in quality and options with Japanese and German cars. In March 2011, at the Geneva auto show, the world first saw a new creation from Kia, which became the third generation in the Rio model line. And in May of the same year, the development of a special model for the Russian and Ukrainian market was announced, the production of which was launched on August 15, 2011 at the Hyundai plant in St. Petersburg. Attractive brightness of the exterior design, remarkable equipment and excellent ergonomics - all this characterizes the new "Kia Rio". Reviews of owners of this car will not allow you to doubt these speeches, because the car is really made reliably and in European beautiful.

Design

The model radically changed its appearancethanks to the designer genius of Peter Schreier. In the appearance of the new "Rio" is clearly traced the fact of borrowing ideas from the developers and designers of European cars, because of the soft and lenient representative of the past generation, "Rio" has become a strict and convincing car that also radiates sports aggression. The design of the updated Kia really turned out to be presentable: a predatory smile of the front lights, an impressive grille, spectacular rims, a pronounced lateral profile ... Add to all the catchy air intakes on the front fenders, daring fog lights and concave shapes of elegant doors - all these are undoubted advantages from the impetuous auto-flow "Kia Rio". The feedback from the owners confirms the impeccability of the appearance of the car, because most of them are proud of being behind the wheel of a real Korean handsome man. In general, the company did not stint on entertainment spectacle, but what about interior decoration?

Interior

For a budget segment car, our herolooks very, very good. This can indicate a smart salon, allowing its design to compete with representatives of the Golf-class. The set of devices flaunts the optronic illumination, some parts are flavored with chrome inserts, the seats are lined with dirt-repellent cloth, and the engine is started with a single button press. In general, the salon was awarded the highest praise for materials, because they not only look nice and expensive, but also are really reliable. The seat for the driver will be convenient for any owner: the seats and steering wheel are regulated in a sufficient range, the steering wheel is equipped with various commands for controlling the audio system, and in cold weather it is possible to include heated front seats. In general, the Koreans once again pleased us with a proven ergonomics and quality quality that will not leave indifferent the domestic car enthusiast. As for the optional set, it differs significantly from the 3 sets. The basic version of the developers equipped with air conditioning, a central lock, a decent audio system, electric front mirrors and an on-board computer. In general, it is quite decent for a car of this class, but we will talk about older complete sets later. You can not ignore the capacious trunk of 500 liters, which is enough for a long family trip or daily needs.

Engine line

According to dynamics, our Korean has no equal in the environment"classmates." The jump with which the Kia Rio is gaining speed does not really fit in with the image of a budget car. For our market, it comes only with gasoline engines, bypassing the popular in Europe and America "diesel". The line of engines is represented by only two variants: a 107-horsepower engine of 1.4 liters, and also a more powerful colleague, which contained 123 "horses" with a volume of 1.6 liters. For each of them designed 5-speed "mechanics" or a classic 4-speed "automatic". In the "Kia Rio" the engine confidently disperses the car from the very bottom and perfectly rotates to cut off. To achieve the coveted "hundred" car it takes 11-13 seconds, and fuel consumption varies between 6-6.5 liters with mixed driving. In general, the "Kia Rio" characteristics of the dynamics are quite impressive, which must be taken into account when choosing a future purchase.

Control

What really impresses the Korean sedan,so it's controllability, exchange rate stability and smooth running, with which the "Rio" is all right. The car is confident and stable on the track, and behaves quite predictably at the corners. Plus, more expensive versions can always hedge the driver with a stabilization system. Suspension confidently copes with the bumps of Russian roads, although sometimes it behaves a bit harsh. Do not penetrate foreign sounds and into the car salon, pleasing the passengers with calmness and comfort.

Packages

"Kia Rio" is available in 4 different trim levels: Comfort, Luxe, Prestige and Premium. About the basic version of Comfort, we have already mentioned above, and therefore now we will only specify its price - 499,900 rubles. Intermediate versions are equipped with additional accessories, auto-shutdown function, rear windows, front fog lights and some other trifles. Top model "Kia Rio", feedback from owners about which is exceptionally positive, will please the lucky owner of the Supervision dashboard, climate control, luggage compartment organizer, Bluetooth function and a more powerful audio system. The price for the maximum equipment will be 680 thousand rubles. In principle, for a class B car, the cost is quite high, but everyone has their own preferences.

Security

In this regard, Korean cars neverled the public, in this connection, the new "Rio" was obliged to continue the established tradition. According to crash tests EuroNCAP the car got 4 stars, which is quite enough for a car of this class. All Kia Rio complete sets are equipped with an immobilizer, an ABS system and two airbags. The top version is additionally equipped with side airbags and curtain airbags, ESC system, as well as the function of automatic locking of doors when driving.

Dimensions

The new Kia Rio has a fairly compactdimensions: for a sedan the length is equal 4370 mm, width - 1700 mm, height - 1470 mm. The wheelbase reaches 2570 mm, and the curb weight ranges from 1115 to 1218 kg. The drive of the car is only front, and the chassis design is quite simple, does not stand out against the background of its European and Japanese competitors. A separate mention deserves a 16-centimeter clearance of the novelty, which is so necessary for cars in our road conditions. From the above, it can be noted that the dimensions of the "Rio" is not very differentiated from other "classmates": it is no worse than them, but does not show any benchmark qualities.

Rivalry with Hyundai Solaris

Hyundai Motor Group, which owns brandsHyundai and Kia, made a real revolution in the long-gone 2012. It was she who proved that B-class cars can be not only cheap, but also well-equipped handsome. At once two models of the Korean concern were launched on the mass market: Hyundai Solaris and Kia Rio. Reviews of owners of both cars are only positive, they indicate practicality, verified ergonomics and comfort. Built on the same platform with similar technical characteristics, both models began to show impressive sales. However, according to the developers themselves, Kia Rio, unlike Solaris, is aimed at a younger audience. Yes, and the price of the base car was slightly higher (467,900 rubles against 499,900). However, here there is one nuance: "Rio" already in the minimal complete set is equipped much better, rather than Solaris. But with the same set of options, the price difference is not actually felt.