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Comments
Are you noticing a general uptrend yet riomike?
Todd in Beerbratistan
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
has 8000 miles. Would like to trade for 3000 plus T.T.L. Is this reasonable????Let me know what you think. I am a retired new car dealer and like anew car every 6 months or so.
IMO the Rio is a lesser car to the Spectra, but it's your money.
Of course the Rio is a lesser car than the Spectra, it's the lowest end of the line up! I get sick and tired of hear people trying to compare it to the Spectra! It's not meant to be like the Spectra.
Looks like Kia plans on aggressive gowth over the next few years. That is good for everyone.
Their products just keep getting better and better, and I wish them the best of success with their new US venture. Big 3, watch and learn.
Drove one again yesterday, had a chance to take it on the highway. Pretty darn smooth little car, especially for its class. It's a comfy fit too, I think I'll be happy with the little car.
Todd in Beerbratistan
You are also right that its comfy because as I mentioned before, I am 6'3 and have more than ample space in Rio5. Anyway the Optima was getting poor gas mileage and I dont like the feel of a heavy car. My in-laws like heavy cars becasue until it died last week they were driving a 1986 Cutlass Supreme. Compared to optima (which was very comfy as well) Rio5 is light and peppy and a pleasure to drive. No wonder it won a couple of most improved car awards for 2006.
Good luck Todd!!
Todd in Cheesecurdistan
We're holding onto our '01 Kia Sportage 4x4, it is just too handy to get rid of with eastern Idaho's snowy winters. It will work out great if we go off-road a tad in the spring and summer, too.
But I have kept the '06 Rio's and the '06 Scion xA on my potential futures list and will enjoy reading and learning aobut them as time goes on.
Do publish your driving experiences in here, b3nut, OK?
Excellent choice. BTW-the 2006 Kia Rio5 is one of Motor Trend's top 28 cars of 2006. It out-braked the Mitsu Eclipse and out-slalomed the 2006 Audi 3, IIRC!
I still may be heading the Rio5 direction later on!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
blue oval emblem over the KIA emblem on their sportage.
It will probably cause the Sportage to be (Found on road dead).
I just completed a quick road trip in mine, I had to drive to Michigan (from WI) over the weekend. Got plenty of break-in speed variations thanks to the always-erratic traffic, especially in Chicago. Even during break-in my highway mpg is over 30 so far. Let's see, first four fillups, roughly: 27.5, 33.2, 23.5 (city & stop'n'go), 30.4 (highway on the way back, with a bout of bad gridlock). Highway crusing varied between 55 and 80mph, and gravitated toward the upper end of that scale rather often. So far so good, I think...very pleasant car to take trips in. Had 6 miles on it when I pointed at it on the lot to indicate that I wanted it Thursday, and it's got around 800 miles on it today. I love driving it...it's a hoot! My dealer said Kia is working on an accessory cruise control and it should be out soon. That's a good thing, since this car LOVES to motor along at 80 like it's nothing...I don't want to see blue and red lights flashing through the back window... :surprise:
Todd in Beerbratistan
I do know the Rio in some countries has steering-wheel controls for the radio and for a phone, not sure if the wiring is present in the US-market Rios to make it feasible to add the switch pods after the fact. It would be fun to be able to "pimp" our US Rios with some of the Asian/European market goodies!
Todd in Beerbratistan
I would eventually get used to it, but, you know, audio controls on the wheels are only a so-so item to me.
It sounds like your new 2006 Kia Rio's are just fantastic little cruisers! I continue to be amazed at the intelligent design of my 2001 Kia Sportage 4x4. I have yet to blow a light bulb out yet, anywhere on the rig! I replaced the OEM Hankook SUV tires at 102,000 miles, and safety was really not an issue at tire-swap-out time!
I did have my alternator go out at the 88,000-mile mark while driving to hospital clinical training in Missouri in late 2004. Including towing a local mechanic fixed me up for about $330. Kind of high and it was a stranding breakdown, but hey, what does anyone expect from a rig?
This Sportage 4x4 handles the snow like it was built for the snow. Kia and Hyundai, I believe, have fully caught Toyota in quality and Kia and Hyundai resale values should now hold steady. Much like Matt Hasselback and the Seattle Seahawks will hold up in the 2006 season. Solid and strong and swift and sure. Now if the NFL will control the gambling aspect of the game (the Steelers were allowed to rob the Seahawks of the crown because of the nasty, awful pathetic bought-off refereeing). I've never, ever seen such one-sided calls in all my NFL viewing years. And I have watched all the Steeler's great teams, the Vikings of old, etc. Seattle was robbed of the Super Bowl title on February 5, 2006.
It's not so easy to rob a car maker of their right to be deemed the best. Watch Kia and Hyundai soar like falcons. Don't think Atlanta Falcons here, either! :P
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I DID call Kia corporate in California and they told me that since their dealerships are individually owned, there wasn't alot they could do about it. I've already filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the States Attorney. In the meantime, I'm putting miles on the car.
Aren't ALL dealerships individually owned, but still have to answer to the manufacter the represent.
Do keep calling them, though. And continue to file complaints against the dealer. I hate seeing a great up-and-coming carmaker saddled with bad dealers. I sure like my local dealer in Madison (Russ Darrow). Keep us posted on how you fare with it. Down with Evergreen! Boooo!
Todd in Beerbratistan
thanks for your support!!
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!
Seriously though...that's good to hear. It's nice to know that there are dealers with integrity out there.
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.
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! :surprise:
Todd in Beerbratistan
Really? I have a 2002 Rio Cinco and have NEVER been denied. My dealership never inquired about the maintenace schedule.
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.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
#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!
I did have an issue with my Rio5, it would run rough if the engine got wet driving in rain. Took it in, they found a cracked coil so they replaced the coil pack and spark plugs. Now she's all good. They jumped right on it and got me taken care of. I chalked it up to a supplier fluke...having worked in an automotive supplier I've seen oopses reach the customer...we had a switch come back from an end-user's Toyota once, boy did that ever cause some lectures!
Aside from a minor flukey niggle my Rio5's been superb, I'm really liking it.
Todd in Beerbratistan
2. If you regularly haul people bigger than small kids in back, the Spectra has much more rear seat room.
3. The Spectra is smoother and quieter, if that is important to you. The Rio will give you a bit better fuel economy.
4. The Spectra has cruise (available), the Rio does not. May be important if you drive on the highway a lot.
I am not trying to be petty here. But there is a good aftermarket cruise for the Rio available. I have it and it works well. However, I believe the 2006 Rio has it as an option now. I never understood why Kia never offered it until 2006. If your 2004 gave such good service why are you not considering replacing it with a NEW Rio. I would think new would be better than used.
I can't find any mention of cruise being an option on the 2006 Rio. If you find information to the contrary, I know you will tell us.
I agree that for the same price, new is better than used--for the same model of car.
Todd in Beerbratistan
Yes and I was one of those people! I did it when I bought my 2002 Rio Cinco and again in 2004 Rio Cinco.
I felt guilty because I pushed him for many years to get a Kia and after 20 years with Mercury he decided to join me in February. Anyway the dealer was nice and when he demanded they give him a fair amount back for the Spectra they offered him $12,700. Not bad considering he bought it 6 weeks earlier for $14,700. He drove off the lot with a new Rio5 (black) instead. He says that after 1 week of driving the Rio5 he does not regret his decision. He admits it has less power but he loves the peppy handling and suspension, body style, hatch and dark interior as opposed to the Spectras Beige interior which gets easily stained! He also likes the leather wrapped steering wheel and metal pedals and metal trim (as I do!). I'm glad it worked out well for him, I was worried he would never trust me again!
BTW Gunther Kia in Fort Lauderdale where I buy all my cars from has been sold out of Rio5 for 10 days now, my grandfather got the last one. My friend who works there says they have a waiting list of customers eager to buy one. They do have dozens of Spectras which the sales manager is willing to give away at cost. Kia better start shipping those cars in soon while they are still in high demand here, especially with that car and driver report that came out this month!
Russ Darrow Kia in Madison has been reordering Rios and Rio5's left and right, they keep around a couple dozen in stock, they're still selling 3-5 Spectras a week and they're selling 3 Rios for every Spectra! I think Kia has a hit with this one...
Todd in Beerbratistan
Enjoy that little pup!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick