Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Wagons Kia Rio Kia Rio
605 messages, Last post on Nov 02, 2009 at 5:30 AM
You are in the Kia Rio Forum. Your Host is kcram
|
Replying to: b3nut (Mar 23, 2006 8:53 am) thanks for your support!! |
|
|
Replying to: b3nut (Mar 23, 2006 8:53 am) My local dealer here in Houston...Performance Kia...is great also. Everytime I get service (which is not very often) they wash and do a light detailing of the interior!
|
|
|
Replying to: chuck1959 (Mar 24, 2006 1:56 pm)  Seriously though...that's good to hear. It's nice to know that there are dealers with integrity out there. |
|
|
In 2000 I bought a new car and the choice was between the Toyota ECHO and the Kia Rio. The ECHO won because it had a better interior design and I felt the build quality of the Rio was not up to snuff. Having said that it was $3000 less bottom line and I cant ignore that. I saw the new Rio at a light the other day. It looked different. So today I went down to the dealer to have a closer look. First the positive. The car is definately better than before. Progress has definately been made. Is it up to Toyota standards? No but its in the ballpark. I would go further than that. The Rio 5 is much more what I want in terms of utility than anything offered by Toyota. It looked better to me in that respect than the new Yaris. Definately. Now for the downside. This car is MORE than the Yaris. Granted Toyota has a nasty habit of making you buy a car with more options than you want. That was a downside when I bought the ECHO and I have never forgotten it. I didnt actually BUY the Yaris so I cant say I know the bottom line for certain. But the cars are basically the same price. The $3000 price advantage is GONE for the Kia. Hmm. I read the "superior" Kia warranty and found it not to be so superior. The "ten year/100,000" warranty has some gotchas in it. It is not transferable. Not good. It is also a LIMITED powertrain only warranty. That word LIMITED means a lot and it only covers the powertrain, something I would not expect to fail in ten years in any case. So buying this car for the warranty is NOT a selling point. I was disappointed to see the mileage, in spite of the new VVT engine, is not as good as the Yaris. It also is larger at 1.6 liters to the Yaris' 1.5. In addition to that, the car weights more at 2450 pounds. Manufacturers have a nasty habit of making cars heavier and heavier and with bigger and bigger engines. Just look at the Civic! (and I would be buying a Civic for sure if it was like the 1989 version) Thats not a trend I approve of. So if I were in the market for a new car, would I buy the Rio? Probably not. While I like the body style better than the Yaris (and thats not a little point) the car costs more. And I dont believe the quality of the Rio is as good as the Yaris. Its not something I would take a chance on. Well....maybe I would. Its a much closer call this time. Much closer. Toyota definately has better competition for my money now. They better take note if they want my dollar next time. |
|
the hatchback is only available as a 3-door. The 5-door Yaris is kept away from American buyers, most likely to avoid cannibalizing sales from Toyota's Scion xA hatch. I wanted a 5-door hatch, and my wife hated the look of the xA, so the Rio5 got the nod. I don't think she'd have liked the Yaris or Fit either, for that matter, but it became moot since I needed to replace my ZX2 pronto week before last and the Yaris and Fit still aren't on the lot yet. The Yaris is a fine automobile, but whoever at Toyota started off on that center-mounted-speedometer silliness needs to be publicly flogged...they're infecting Nissan and Saturn with that aesthetic virus!  In all seriousness, that is a turn-off, even though I would have put up with it for the overall cool-factor (I thought) of the xA. Yes, the 10/100,000 warranty is powertrain-only, but the Kia also has a 5/60,000 bumper-to-bumper warranty as well, plus 5/60,000 24-hour roadside assistance. Yes, they'll deny a claim if the maintenance schedule is not followed properly. So will Toyota, as some Scion owners have discovered. I'm maintaining my Rio5 by the book, severe service schedule (3K oil changes, which I believe in anyway) at my dealer. I do find it curious that small cars are getting heavier and more powerful...it now takes a hybrid to nail the MPG that the old Civic hatches and CRX HF's used to get in the late 80's and early 90's!  Todd in Beerbratistan
|
|
| Friend of mine has a Yaris in Bristol, England. He likes the overall look but hates two things: he claims the car is sluggish, even more sluggish than his wifes 2000 Hyundai Accent, and he hates having the speedometer in the center. Well I told him to go for a Rio5 so he can't blame me! | |
|
Replying to: b3nut (Mar 28, 2006 11:37 am) Really? I have a 2002 Rio Cinco and have NEVER been denied. My dealership never inquired about the maintenace schedule. |
|
|
|
|
who haven't traded in yet. I may not for many months so following how the 2006 Kia Rio's are doing performance-wise is going to be most enlightening. I still think after reading about the new small cars that Kia has stepped up to the plate with these new Rio's. Heavy doesn't bother me. In fact, heavy can help in collisions. I have read proof of that in accounts on the net of accidents in which the Kia drivers fared well. Now, I know, accidents have all kinds of variables to them, so one must use their discretion with comments like this, but I happen to think there's something to them. One that comes to mind happened on a Chicago expressway in 2002. A lady in a Kia Optima was sandwiched between two semi's and lived to tell about it! The top of her Optima was sheered off completely by one of the truck's trailers! She ducked decisively, yes. Mileage is a concern in looking at the new Rio's, though. I think that it should be above 30mpg somewhere, averaged out. I get around 20 city, 24 highway in my Sportage 4x4 so getting into a new Rio would need to yield a gas savings to be a viable choice. As for the new Yaris, I like them and I'm actually researching the 4-door Yaris sedan a bit. Configured how I like it comes to $14,675, a reasonable price I think and I have even convinced myself that it looks differently enough than a new world order Corolla to warrant a closer look. But hearing sluggish tales is not good. One thing I would consider there is that sometimes automatic tranny's mull down the performance of the small engines. I will be getting a stick no matter what I trade for and whenever I trade in, that is a must. Keep the owner reports flowing in riomike and Wisconsin cheese. Oh, and the Long Haul is a great Warranty. I have never been denied a claim and most all have been for retrofits, TSB's and things that the service crew all know about and are proficient in. In both my '99 Sephia and my '01 Sportage all warranty items were done by the 20,000-mile mark and they all were handled quickly and done right the first time. Check engine light concerns seem to be an industry-wide concern and are irritating to a lot of folks but are not common only to Kia or Hyundai. They cross all brands. |
|
|
In latest Car & Driver out of 7 hatchbacks/subcompacts under 15K that were tested Rio5 came in third place! #7 Suzuki reno #6 Dodge Caliber #5 Hyundai Accent #4 Toyota Yaris #3 Kia Rio5 (#1 in my book!) #2 Nissan Versa #1 Honda Fit This just confirms that Kia is on the verge of world dominance! Proves that I am not mentally ill for suggesting to everybody I know that Rio5 is the best darn little car ever! BTW average MPG for last two weeks (1100 miles), 28.6 Thats with 2/3 highway driving and AC on at all times. Not too shabby! |
|
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2009 Kia Rio
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
