Kia Rio 1.4D Review
The Rio is now a longer, lower, wider, better equipped and much better looking model - in a class where no fewer than 45 nameplates do battle. What we didn't know, until now, was how it performed.
We took to the road in the new transverse front drive 1.4-litre, 89bhp diesel Rio, which emits just 109g/km of CO2, and took a shorter drive in the 108bhp, 1.4-litre stop-start petrol version, whose emissions are hardly greater at 119 g/km.
Both cars confirmed that the Rio - 4405mm long, so one of the biggest and roomiest cars in is class - offers truly surprising big-car refinement: low wind and road noise, surprisingly little tyre noise over bumps, and very well suppressed engine noise.
The petrol model is by far the zippier, accelerating from 0-62 mph in 11.5 seconds to a 114mph top speed, whereas the diesel can only manage 14.4 seconds and 108mph, and feels surprisingly flat at around 2000 rpm, where most diesels are torquey.
Economy is the diesel's forte; it delivers a combined 68.9mpg against the 1.4 petrol engine's 55.4mpg, though there's even an even better economy option in the Rio range, a 1.1-litre diesel triple that sips just 88.3mpg in its most economical guise.
The Rio is generally fun to drive, stable in corners and - on 16-inch wheels at least - quiet over bumps. The steering is less impressive, a little vague at the straight-ahead, and having a feeling of 'stiction' either side of it, which you don't find in the best.
The Rio is available later this year.
Visit our Lakeside or Southend Showroom for more information about this exciting new car
