New Rio SX brings sportiness to benchmark subcompact.

Introduction

Kia Rio was setting new standards for subcompacts even before last year's complete makeover. Now this roomy little car is better than ever. Rio has received Autobytel's 'Editor's Choice for Most Improved New Car,' and ranked highest for initial quality in the subcompact segment in the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Initial Quality Study. Rio has also been recognized as one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the market by both the Environmental Protection Agency and by J.D. Power. 

The '06 Rio that earned all that acclaim was offered as a practical sedan or as a more deluxe and sporty five-door hatchback called Rio5 SX. For '07, Kia has added an SX-trimmed sedan featuring all of the hatchback's sporty equipment: front fog lights, 15-inch alloy wheels, rear spoiler, metal-finish interior trim, metal pedals, black mesh sport fabric seat inserts and door panels, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, and red stitching and highlights throughout. 

All '07 Rios come with new shift knobs (manual and automatic), a chrome Kia logo on the steering wheel pad, and an illuminated ignition-switch surround. The SX models' 15-inch alloy wheels have been redesigned, and 16-inch rims are now available. SX models also feature new chrome accents on their instrument panel air vents. 

Rio competes against a wave of new subcompacts that includes the Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa, Honda Fit, and Chevrolet Aveo, along with Rio's corporate cousin, the Hyundai Accent. All of these cars are smaller than market-dominating compacts like the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, but many offer better fuel economy with little loss of interior space. Rio rates as high as 38 mpg on the highway, while delivering agile handling. And Rio comes standard with six airbags, a safety feature normally associated with expensive luxury cars, not subcompacts. 

Mechanically, there isn't much to distinguish a Rio from a Hyundai Accent. That's no bad thing, as both are state-of-the-art small cars. Rio is a bit more boldly styled than Accent, and the five-door variation is a Rio exclusive. Chassis tuning is a little different as well, with Accent biased toward ride comfort and Rio toward handling. 

The stigma attached to owning a small car in America is becoming a thing of the past and the latest iteration of the Kia Rio is among the reasons why that's happening. 

Lineup

The Kia Rio sedan and five-door hatchback are powered by the same 110-hp, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. It's a sophisticated, modern engine, complete with dual overhead camshafts and variable valve timing. Safety features for all models include front seatbelt pre-tensioners along with six airbags: dual frontal, front seat side-impact and full-coverage side-impact curtain. 

The Rio sedan is still available as a very basic base model or in more mainstream LX trim. New for '07 is the sporty SX. The Rio5 five-door hatchback remains available exclusively in SX trim. 

The base Rio sedan ($10,770) comes strictly with a manual transmission, wind-up windows, and manual door locks. Tires are 175/70's on 14-inch steel rims. There's no radio or air conditioning, not even power steering. But it does come with a sporty mesh fabric on the seats, an eight-way adjustable driver's seat with a fold-down armrest, tachometer, rear defroster, dual 12V power outlets and a convenient shopping bag hook on the back of the front passenger seat. It also comes with the same six airbags and other safety features found on all Rio models. 

The Rio LX sedan ($12,695) is likely to be the most popular model as it adds air conditioning, power steering, and an AM/FM/CD audio system with four speakers; plus a tilt steering column and 60/40-split folding rear seat. Tires upgrade to 185/65R14 with full wheel covers. LX comes standard with the manual gearbox, but a four-speed automatic transmission is available ($850). LX buyers can also add a Power Package ($600) that includes power windows, power door locks with keyless remote, power heated outside mirrors and tweeter speakers; four-wheel antilock brakes ($400); and, new for '07, dealer-installed 14-inch wheels. The two remaining options on the list, a rear spoiler ($300) and carpeted floor mats ($85), are also available on the base model. 

The Rio5 SX hatchback ($13,750) and new SX sedan ($13,495) come with all the standard equipment of the LX, plus 195/55 tires on 15-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, metal-finish interior trim and metal pedals. The spoiler is standard and 16-inch wheels with 205/45 tires are available ($200); otherwise SX models offer the same list of options as LX. 

Walkaround

There is nothing wimpy looking about either of the Kia Rio models. The sedan has a solid looking front end with a strong nose and big headlights that give it a purposeful appearance. The crease along the side of the car below the big windows ends up wrapping around the trunk, giving the sedan more the look of a European sports sedan than that of a Korean econobox. 

All models come with hefty body-color side moldings that do not detract too badly as they align nicely with the wraparound edges of the front and rear bumpers. The fender flares actually look a shade too big on the base and LX models, which have skinnier tires. The fender flares fill out much better on the SX with its lower-profile tires and 15-inch wheels. 

Despite significantly more carrying capacity (and identical passenger room), the Rio5 hatchback is 8.8 inches shorter than the sedan; for the record, it's an inch and a quarter shorter than even the Hyundai Accent Coupe. We think that gives the Rio hatch a trim and sporty look. Rio5 looks taller than the Rio sedan but it is actually the same overall height. It's a couple of inches lower in height than the Scion xA, and a bit lower than the Chevrolet Aveo, its closest rivals. The rear of the Rio5 is distinctive with backup lights that wrap around the taillights and almost look like part of the body. The C-pillar curves down to the taillights and the tailgate has full width glass, making the rear view more attractive than on many hatchbacks. 

Interior

The interior of the 2007 Kia Rio represents a big improvement over the older, pre-2006 models. This latest Rio has a nicely contoured dashboard with a generous binnacle over the instrument panel, which includes a tachometer even on the base model. The radio is well positioned in the center stack with large buttons and knobs for changing stations or volume. Three big knobs for the climate control are mounted on a bulge in the center that brings them closer to the driver's hands. A chrome Kia logo, added to the steering wheel center for '07, brightens what as a bit of a dull spot in last year's model. 

The seats are on the soft side and don't offer the lateral support we'd expect on a sports sedan. Those of us with larger frames, however, will not fault Kia for that. Rear seat legroom is better than the numbers suggest, because passengers can place their feet under the front seats thanks to the generous open space below them. 

Big storage pockets in all four doors, along with a reasonable size glovebox, provide places to stash stuff. A slot in the center stack can hold parking passes or toll tickets. The rear seatback folds down in a 60/40 split for added versatility in all but the base model. At 92.2 cubic feet, subcompact Rio's total passenger volume edges past the popular compact Honda Civic (90.9) and Toyota Corolla (90.3). In practical terms, they are all pretty close. 

The Rio5 has a total cargo carrying a capacity of almost 50 cubic feet with the seats folded down, which is substantially more than in other hatchbacks of this size. Even with the rear seat open for passenger's the remaining 15.8 cubic feet of trunk space seems to belong to a much bigger car. The sedan's trunk measures 11.9 cubic feet, still not bad for the class. 

Minor touches make the SX models a bit nicer. Metal pedals and a leather wrapped steering wheel and gearshift knob carry over from last year. New for '07 is red stitching in the leather, chrome accents on the HVAC vents, and new fabrics on the seats and doors. Both SX models will appeal to driving enthusiasts. 

Driving Impression

After driving three varieties of the Kia Rio on highways and freeways around Seattle, we came away impressed. 

We spent time in an LX automatic and a Rio5 SX manual. We enjoyed shifting the manual as it definitely makes for a more sporty experience. However, the LX with the automatic transmission was no slouch. Cars in this class traditionally suffer a big performance and fuel economy hit with an automatic, but the new Rio confirms that modern transmissions have largely addressed these deficiencies. In fact, the automatic Rio rates slightly better EPA mileage on the highway, with 38mpg against the manual's 35. EPA estimates for city driving are more what you might expect, at 29 mpg for the automatic and 32 for the manual. 

Kia claims it is making its cars more sporty and athletic than the Hyundai Accent, the Rio's sibling. There's nothing exceptional about Rio's MacPherson strut front suspension or twist-beam rear axle, but Kia says they both designed for long wheel travel, a characteristic long favored by European automakers for combining a comfortable ride with responsive handling. The Rio is far from being a sporty car, but the SX handled nimbly without too much body lean or sloppy motion. The LX, with its skinner 14-inch tires, was not quite as secure, although most drivers would not complain. 

The power steering, which stiffens up as the engine speed increases, felt taught with just the right amount of feel dialed in. We did not try a base model, which comes without power steering. 

Standard-issue brakes are 10.1-inch discs up front and 8.0-inch drums in the rear. Order the optional ABS and, in addition to the four-channel anti-lock system, rear brakes upgrade to 10.3-inch solid discs. 

Summary

Unlike subcompacts of the past, the 2007 Kia Rio is a car you can be happy living with. We found the Rio5 SX the most enjoyable with its combination of hatchback versatility and sporty/luxury touches. All Rios come with a comprehensive set of passive safety features. Even the base model includes six airbags. It also includes a generous five-year/60,000 mile warranty coupled with a 10-year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. 

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent John Rettie is based in Santa Barbara. 

Model Lineup

Kia Rio sedan ($10,770); sedan LX ($12,695); sedan SX ($13,495); Rio5 SX ($13,750);. 

Assembled In

Hwasung, South Korea. 

Options As Tested

Power Package ($600) includes power windows, power door locks w/keyless remote, power heated outside mirrors, tweeter speakers; carpeted floor mats ($85).