Allergies this year have been brutal. To all my fellow
hayfever sufferers, I feel your itchiness. It still amazes me how around this
time of year I can develop a hatred for grass. So after blowing my nose red and
gauging my eyes out, I have to reflect my anger on something.
Owning the original Kia Rio was a like having allergies: the
wheezing engine, the snotty gear change, the itchy tires scrabbling for grip
and the exhausting lack of power steering. When introduced to North America
back in 2001 it was billed as the cheapest car one could buy. And at $11,995 it
was certainly affordable, but all the price did was help further cheapen Kia’s
already cheap image. And that’s a problem.
I remember testing a Kia Sportage a couple of years ago and
whenever I brought it up, people’s face scrunched. It was as if they were
allergic to the brand. “Yeah, but it’s a Kia.” They would sneeze.
“Yeah, but it’s beautiful.” I would reply.
All the new Kias are. Step one in the brand’s return to
grace is design. They hired an ex-Audi designer, Peter Schreyer, who has
transformed the look of the entire lineup. So good are his designs, he even
made their minivans look good.
In the case of the latest Rio 5-door hatch, we have
something really special. It looks solid, as if it was carved out of one hunk
of metal. Good design comes from subtleties, not huge design flourishes: The
eyeliner in the form of the reflector in the front headlights, the barely
discernable character line across the side and the way the LED taillights are
perfectly integrated into the back.
The interior is also solid in both construction and design.
The climate control buttons look like giant toggle switches and the buttons
that flank the radio’s UVO screen appear as if they are floating. It’s a really
nice place to spend your time, especially in the upper SX models. There you get
such big car accoutrements like a heated leather steering wheel, and dot matrix
screen in the speedometer. It all makes the car feel like it costs more than it
does.
Since I’m on this solid theme, it feels solid on the road
too. The sports tuned suspension is set up firm and the tires are grippy
providing secure and stable cornering. However that meanss the
The car is much happier on the highway. There it settles
down for the long haul. The six speed automatic shifts ever so smoothly through
the gears. On one particular day, I drove over 5 hours back and forth between
Hope and Richmond and at the end of it all I didn’t feel sore or tired.
That’s kind of strange for a subcompact car. Usually they’re
lively and eager to dance in the mean city streets. But the Rio just won’t have
any of it. It behaves like a car much bigger and more mature.
Drinks like one too. Over the week I had it, driving
predominantly on the freeway, I was only able to achieve 8 L/100km. For a car
of this size, it’s quite thirsty. Especially when you compare it to the Fit I
had earlier that was able to achieve 6.2 L/100km. That is a sizable gulf.
Certainly the 1.6 Litre DOHC engine has all the right specs:
direct injection, 138 hp and 123 lb-ft of torque. The problem is that the power
is located high in the rev band. So, even if you floor it from a stop, you’re
waiting to get any accelerating done. And by that point you’ll hear the engine
note, which isn’t actually a note, rather a buzzing noise that just gets
louder.
When compared to the original Rio of my youth, this new one
is a humungous step up, as you can probably tell from the photos. But now it’s
no longer the cheapest car you can buy. Nissan has taken that trophy to a whole
new low. In fact when it comes to entry price in the class, the Rio is
relatively high. A basic one will set you back $16,030.
So the allergies haven’t quite gone away for the Kia Rio.
Rather some over the counter 24-hour antihistamine has been used. It helps, a
lot, but a sneeze will always sneak through. Let’s be clear though, Kia is on
the right path and allergy season is almost over.
2015 Kia Rio5 SX
She may be petite and
pretty, but she sure is a heavy drinker ««.5
Price as tested (Base Price): $22,430 ($16,030) inc. Freight + PDI
Engine: 1.6 Litre Direct Injection 4-cylinder
Power: 138 hp @
6300rpm Torque: 123 lb-ft @ 4850 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed Automatic Transmission (6-speed Manual
available)
Fuel Consumption NRCan (city|hwy|combined): 7.3 | 6.1 | 6.8 L/100km
No comments:
Post a Comment