Kia Rio Buyer's guide review

Korean car manufacturers have significantly impacted the global automotive industry with their innovation, quality, reliability, and affordability. Leading the charge are companies like Kia Corporation and its subsidiary Hyundai Motor Group. Kia initially produced bicycles and motorcycles before evolving into a key player in the automotive market. Known for stylish designs, advanced technology, and reasonable pricing, Kia vehicles have gained a strong reputation worldwide. The Kia Rio is neither a rare nor popular car in Sri Lanka. There are a few body types namely; Sedan, 3-door hatchback, and 5-door hatchback. Today, we delve into the 2015 Sedan model car of Kia Rio.

Kia Rio has a 1.4-liter, inline 4-cylinder naturally aspirated engine which can produce a maximum horsepower of 109 along with a maximum torque of 137 Nm. As it has a relatively small engine, the engine bay is not packed. The car has a six-speed automatic transmission. Talking about fuel consumption, it consumes 1 liter of fuel for 11-12 kilometers in urban areas, and it can be managed around 15-16 kilometers per liter in outstations, depending on the driving style. There is a fuel tank of 43 liters which is sufficient compared to the fuel consumption.

There is a huge Kia badge embedded in the facelift. Compared to the other vehicles, Kia Rio has massive badges. There is a grill with 4 small air intakes, but it is not working 100%. Two chrome strips can be seen above and below the grill. An air vent is located down to the grill. A chrome accent could be seen around the fog lamps. There is a silver stripe above the fog lamps. To give a luxury look to the car, there is a silver accent. There are two clear LED headlights, which can give a good vision at night. The front bumper is finished with the same color as the car. Therefore, it is good to put on a sticker, as it is lower and the paint might get damaged from the dust. There is a considerable ground clearance of about 140 mm. As an average-height car, it gives a comfortable and stress-free driving experience.

Moving to the side, the tires have 15-inch alloy wheels with disc brakes on all four wheels. The front has an independent strut suspension system, and the back has a torsion beam suspension system. It absorbs bumps and gives a comfortable ride with the car. There is the winker mirrors option, but no body-lines can be seen on the side view. As the Kia Corporation is always focusing on reducing expenses and releasing vehicles at the lowest price possible, they have decreased several beauty options. The doors can be opened easily to a wide radius.

On the back of the car, there is another big Kia logo and the model of the car is mentioned on the side. To recognize the vehicle at night from any distance, there are massive rear lights. Below that, there are four rear sensors on the rear bumper. There is a change of color at the end of the rear bumper. It looks like a mat, but it is made out of plastic. To give a cleaner look to the back, there are no sporty exhausters, and the only exhaust is also hidden.

The boot can be easily opened with the inside controls at the driving seat or with the hold option in the key. But there is no handle as it opens automatically. There is a very clean boot space with the perfect practicality, which has a 388-liter storage capacity in the Sedan model. However, the boot space is reduced in the hatchback versions of the Kia Rio due to the reduction of boot length. As the boot lip is huge, some extra effort is needed to load and unload the carriages. There are two storage areas on the two sides to store the service kits and stuff. There is a storage area below the boot space to store the spare wheel which is a rare option in new cars.

Interior Design

The highlight of the interior of the Kia Rio is the brown accent given all over the interior by the manufacturers. It is much better and more colorful than a black interior. Talking about the options, there are the shutter controls and mirror controls on the driver’s door. The auto option is only available for the driver's shutter. There are buttons to control the headlights and parking sensors. The AC vents could be easily opened or closed or control the directions. There are buttons to control the fan speed, direction, and temperature. All the gauges are analog in the driver's console. But there's a small digital cluster that indicates the trip details and performance. Similar to the Japanese cars, the headlight controls are on the right of the steering wheel, and the wiper controls are to the left. There is a multifunction steering wheel. The trip details and others are controllable from the right-side buttons, and the media settings are controllable from the left-side buttons. Instead of an infotainment screen, Kia Rio has a media player with a radio, and CD player. Also, a phone can be connected via Bluetooth. There is an option to program the favorite channels into the buttons. One can easily navigate the radio stations, and control the Bluetooth tracks or the playing CDs.

There are two 12 V power outlets, which are very helpful when it comes to charging two phones at the same time. Apart from that there is also a USB input. It can be used to charge a third phone or connect an iPod to the media player. Kia Rio has an AUX input along with the other ports. There is a physical typical conventional gear knob with a good grip, as it is an automatic car. Parking, reverse, neutral, and drive options are available with an up-for-up, down-for-down gear layout rather than the up-for-down and down-for-up gear configuration for gear shifting. There are several storage areas in the vehicle. Below the AUX input, there is a space. The door bins are big enough to hold a water bottle, and some space left to keep the other things. There is a small space behind the gear lever to store coins or something like that, along with two cup holders to keep the drinks or water bottles. Instead of an armrest, there is an open storage area. The glove compartment is massive enough compared to the other cars. The passenger's side has the same space as the driver's side. Kia Rio has a six-speakers-layout, with speakers on the doors as well as on the A-pillar. There are no electric seat options, so the seats can be adjusted manually.

Talking about the rear interior, the brown accent has come to the backseats and the doors adding a good color pop. Although Kia Rio is not a luxury car, it is so elegant and more beautiful than the typical car interior. There are comfortable seats to sit back and enjoy the ride. Two storage areas can be seen at the back of the front two seats. Both door bins have a small space to hold a small water bottle. There is access to the open storage space between the front seats from the rear seats. The floor hump is very small such that the middle passenger wouldn't be disturbed. There is a free space behind the rear seats to keep a tissue box or some ornaments. There is no center armrest for the rear passengers, although Kia Rio is a sedan car. The rear seats directly open to the boot such that the passenger can

Coming with the driving of Kia Rio, it is very comfortable for long journeys. The side balls are tight, so the driver doesn't have to roll to take corners. The steering wheel has a good grip. The front visibility is great, but the rear visibility is slightly blocked by the backseats. The big side mirrors provide good visibility. The suspension absorbs the bounces very well. Not becoming a luxury car, the Kia Rio gives a good drive. With the handling, anyone can drive the car easily. Although the Sedan version is bigger than a hatchback car, it feels smaller from the inside. The car has dual airbags to save the front in a crash, but there are no curtain airbags. Although it is a less noticeable car, the Kia Rio is a very good option for its price point.

As of May 2024, the average Sri Lankan market price for Kia Rio lies around 2 million LKR depending on its condition. You can find the latest price with more details and cars of this model for sale from the following link Kia Rio Latest Price