FIRST DRIVE ~ 2012 Kia Rio5 Hatchback

FALL CITY, Wa.: Kia continues to add or replace models at a dizzying pace, the latest being the 2012 Rio5 five-door sub-compact hatchback.

Since January 2010 Kia has introduce nine vehicles. That will increase to 10 early next year with the arrival of the Rio four-door sedan.

And it won’t stop there. Kia has a brace of vehicles in the pipeline throughout the coming year.

The Rio, like the Optima, is a bread and butter car for Kia. Thus Rio is one model they have to get right.

The 2012 Rio5 is offered in five trims with starting prices beginning respectively with the LX ($14,095), LX+ ($15,595), LX ECO (17,695), EX ($16,995) and EX Luxury ($20,295).

Driving the front wheels is a 1.6-litre gasoline direct injection (GDI) inline four-cylinder engine with a standard six-speed manual or optional six-speed automatic transmission. 

Achieving what is claimed a class-leading 138 hp (123 lb/ft of torque) it has a fuel rating of 6.6/4.9L/100 km city/highway for the manual and 6.8/4.9L/100 km city/highway for the automatic. That highway figure translates to 58 mpg.

It is the first sub-compact to offer Idle Stop and Go (ISG) technology as an option on the LX model where the engine turns off when the vehicle is not in motion such as at a stoplight or in traffic. 

The engine restarts automatically when the driver lifts off the brake pedal, resulting in lower levels of fuel consumption and emissions.

At the press launch we were told ISG, while it sounds simple, requires a lot of extra engineering and computerization such as a reinforced battery.

Another example is the starter motor. On a standard car the motor has a normal life span of 50,000-60,000 starts. The motor on an ISG car has to last for at least 350,000 starts.

Another gas saving technology item on the Rio5 with automatic transmission is the Active ECO system. Turned off and on by a button to the left of the steering wheel, when activated, it optimizes the engine and transmission for best fuel economy.

While it was conceived in Kia’s design studios in Irvine, Calif., the Rio5 has a very European look to it. That’s not surprising, as one of Kia’s major markets is Europe.

During the press launch, I followed one and, from the rear, it looked very much like a VW Golf especially with the very bold wheels similar to the Golf GTI.

From the side, however, that upward flowing character line first seen on the Optima sedan and Sportage CUV is clearly evident and is a design cue that continues to evolve.

The Rio rides on an all-new platform that is longer, wider and lower than the previous generation.

Suspension at the front is MacPherson struts, coil springs and a stabilizer bar with a torsion beam axle suspension in the rear.

Despite the $14,095 starting price, Rio’s chassis features a high-strength steel structure that includes an innovative “Halo Body” construction designed to help protect occupants in certain side impact and rollover collisions.

Standard safety features include six airbags (dual advanced front and front-seat mounted side as well as full-length side curtain), side-impact door beams, height-adjustable front seatbelts with pre-tensioners, three-point seatbelts for all seating positions and Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH). 

Also standard on all Rio trims for increased driver and passenger safety are Electronic Stability Control (ESC), four-wheel disc brake with Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) and Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), which coordinates the car's ESC and ABS to help the driver stay in control of the vehicle.

The base LX includes body-colour door handles and side mirrors and 15-inch steel wheels with 185/65R15 tires. Also standard is a rear spoiler which not only ads to the sporty design of the new Rio but also improves aerodynamics. 

To accentuate the premium look, side mirrors are attached to the door rather than the plastic triangle like so many others in the segment. 

Also standard are: power windows, driver’s seat height adjuster, map lights, illuminated vanity mirrors, trip computer, sliding centre console armrest and 60/40 split folding rear seats.

Tested here is the EX automatic with UVO infotainment system that starts life at $18,795. As driven, it has a window sticker price of $20,500 including a shipping fee of $1,455.

Not only does the Rio5 look European, it feels like it. With length a fraction over four metres and a wheelbase of 2.6 metres, the wheels really are out to the four corners of the car.

The wider the track, the better the stability in terms of pitch and yaw. Where you feel this is in sweeping corners of which there are hundreds in northern Washington State.

On the highway, the Rio5 is surprisingly quiet, one of the reasons being the outside mirrors mounted on the door not the A-pillar.

You have to keep an eye on the speedo as speed can creep up on you as my co-driver found out when he was stopped for speeding on the freeway.

I used the ECO button a few times. If you are travelling on highway speeds, there is a noticeable decline in power almost like gearing down without the noise.

Once you get to a desired highway speed, click on the cruise and the fuel saving begins, which is where I’d probably use it the most.

In town with the ECO on, acceleration is sluggish off that line, not slow mind you, but the computer is working overtime to adjust the need for speed with this need to optimize fuel consumption.

Every time I look around the latest model is larger than the vehicle it replaces and that is true of the 2012 Rio5.

The rear seat is now livable for adults while the view from the front seat is much better because of the sense of driver and passenger space created when the interior designers scooped out every square centimeter they could to make the Rio5 feel more roomy.

All in all, the new Rio5 is a major improvement over the out-going model and is a contender in the sub-compact segment to be taken seriously.

 

BODY STYLE: sub-compact hatchback.

DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, front-wheel-drive

ENGINE: 1.6-litre DOHC inline four-cylinder (138 hp, 123 lb/ft)

FUEL ECONOMY: 1.6-litre manual, 6.6/4.9L/100 km (43/58 mpg) city/highway; automatic, 6.8/4.9L/100 km (42/58 mpg) city/highway

CARGO VOLUME: 425 litres behind rear seat, 1,410 litres seat flat

PRICE: LX manual $14,095, LX auto $15,395; LX+ manual $15,595, LX+ auto, $16,895;, LX ECO, $17,695, EX manual, $16,995, EX manual UVO, $17,495, EX auto, $18,295, EX auto UVO, $18,795 and EX Luxury, $20,295.