Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
I would have test driven if they'd had a manual, but the automatic doesn't interest me in the least. I was impressed with the overall look and the interior. I gave my info to a salesman at both dealers so they could call when they got a manual in. One checked his incoming cars on order and said they have a red one coming in in 1-2 weeks, but no power package.
BTW, none of these cars had ABS either. I wonder why they offer ABS but none of the cars on lots have it? To keep the price down perhaps?
I've been shopping in the Civic/Mazda3 realm, but a lower car payment would suit me just fine. I look forward to driving a 5-speed Rio and the Hyundai Accent as well.
On the lack of sticks, I wonder if they think automatics will sell better because the mpg rating is higher? Also there's more markup on those.
Your link isn't working because there is a period at the end when you click it. Edit the message and take off the period and it will work.
thanks about the link. i thought i was going nuts lol
Hence, there's a big part of the reason I like and respect Kia Motors so much.
Do you like the factory stereo in there? Do you have enough headroom and legroom?
For $12,000 and side curtains and side airbags standard that's a great deal. Don't forget about the Long Haul Warranty, either. Oh, it does work for you, too. Just keep up on your maintenance and you'll be fine. Congratulations!
I will keep the '06 Kia Rio 4-door sedan on my futures list and continue to follow the Kia success story as they move ahead.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I have seriously added a 5-speed black '06 Kia Rio sedan, with A/C and competent factory stereo to my futures list. I wouldn't absolutely require power W/D/M's, either. I would need A/C and I wouldn't need ABS, unless all '06 Rio's get ABS standard.
I've added the black '06 Kia Rio sedan to my computer's background Windows page, eliminating the 2007 Toyota Yaris 4-door that had held that spot for several months.
The low Rio price (even if it ends up being $13,299 or so) before tax and license is also very attractive. I like the 2006 Hyundai Accent a lot, too, but I really like how Kia has prepared this '06 Rio for us. Very, very nice.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Just an observation.
Tempting....but if the Sephia I once rented (they had nothing else avaiable and I was anxious to try it out) is any indication of what to expect in a Rio, I'll pass. Worst car I ever drove. Has tainted me against Kia. So what's changed since then?
Hopefully Hyundai will steer clear of em. They've got a chance against the Japanese.
It's far removed from the Sephia. LOTS has changed since then. For one thing, Kia shares some platforms with Hyundai, and the '06 Rio is based on the same platform as the '06 Accent. Why not take a new Rio or Rio5 for a drive before assuming it's a piece of junk? You might be pleasantly surprised.
OMG I couldn't believe what I just read! I get sick and tired of people basing their oponion of Kia on the Sephia!!The Sephia has not been made since 2001!! It VERY obvious you have NOT kept up with automotive news. The Rio...or any Kia for that matter...are LIGHT YEARS far from a Sephia!!!! You say "I'll pass" yeah go ahead and "pass" on a great car! I bought one for my mother in 2002 (Rio Cinco) it has 30,000 TROUBLE FREE miles. I have a 2004 (Rio Cinco) that has 3,600 miles and it's so far very good. My local Kia dealer is GREAT. In fact they called me to see if I'm happy and said don't hesitate to let us know. This a PHONE CALL from the OWNER of the dealer and NOT a 'form letter." When I take either car in for routine maintenece (which is the ONLY reason) it not only comes back clean, put they washed, waxed and cleaned the interior. So don't knock Kia!
The Korean carmakers, except Daewoo, have made great strides in quality, design and performance in a short amount of time. They've gone from bottom of the barrel barely twenty years ago to being competitive with domestic and most Japanese cars while still offering a greater value than just about anything on the market.
I have tremendous respect for these guys.
Here's one reason. I went in for a low-cost, foreign-built Japanese alternative and I left the Kia lot with a well-built 1999 Kia Sephia 4-door sedan for a grand total of $7995 after a $2,000 manufacturer rebate. Yikes! The car was great, too.
Why would someone spend so much time talking about his car for years if there wasn't some truth to it? I know, that's not enough. Talk is cheap, you say. Well, I invite you to go test drive one. The thing is I loved my '99 Kia Sephia and it was one of the cars Kia built while they were in their so-called "weak-building" years. I don't think they were "weak-building" years. I got myself a great car for $7995. No A/C and no automatic windows and mirrors. But a more than competent little car that looked light years better than the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic. Ahh...you mean, it's actually important what a car looks like?
Ya better believe it's important what a car looks like. I compared the skin design integrity of the '99 Kia Sephia I bought to the same on a Civic or Corolla and there was no comparison. End of search. Kia won without a fight. Smart, educated car-builders who did it right.
BTW-there is no scientific research available on the Internet or even your local bookstore (or even your favorite local newspaper)that can substantiate any way that Kia Motors was improved by Hyundai Motors. Sure, they share some architecture now. Stop, for a second. I bought my '99 Sephia and it ran great. Perfect? Nope. Was the HYundai Elantra of 1999 perfect? Nope.
Now, it is true that Kia had some serious financial difficulties in 1998 and it was cool that big bro Hyundai came to their rescue. But, then again, it could have been Ford, or Chrysler. Who can put anything together and publish it that details exactly what Hyundai has done that improved Kia so much? Technical, car building details, men. Not rhetoric.
Ya ain't gonna find too much in them that hills. These guys are good and they know exactly what they're doing. Don't get me wrong, I like Hyundai a lot. The Hyundai Tiburon is the finest looking car made by any car manufacturer anywhere on earth. It absolutely rocks like the Guess Who and Foghat. So I'm not being antagonistic here. ASMOF it would only enlighten us all if anyone can come up with anything more than simple platform sharing.
All in all there's no stoppping either Kia or Hyundai now. I knew back in 1998 that Kia would not sink like the Titianic. Too much talent and too much brawn and too much fine automobile to just shoo into the Nevada desert or the Ozark Mountains.
Sit back, crack open a flavored, diet soda and watch the domestic makers flail and these two S.Korean automakers surge. After a brief look at Scion I am back in the Saddle again and into an extended jam with Kia. Rock on!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
When i owned my 04 kia rio, my husband could not stretch his leg all the way out causing him to ride the clutch alot without meaning to. (hes 6'2) With this 06, (which was one of the reasons i really bought it) he can actually stretch his legs out. Not all the way still, but alot more and he has more room to move around. It seems like they're making the rios more of a family sedan than just an A-B car. which is great. As for the headroom i never really noticed having a problem with that in the 04 or 06.
I mean, nowadays with the prices of cars, im really satisfied with the 06. specially since i only paid 12,000 for it. im sure if i would have went to buy a honda civic(which i have nothing against)with the same features, it probably would have been alot more. :shades:
As for the airbags, they also have a safety feature for children (or in my case my dog). If someone is sitting in the passenger seat under 70 lbs,a light comes up above the radio indicating that the passanger airbag is off. This is for if a child is sitting in the front, which they shouldnt be anyways, the airbag does not go off to cause further damage in case of an accident. :sick:
The '06 Kia Rio sounds great and when I go to shop for a car that may be the one I get. The black color looks good on the new Rio.
The back seat is for our dogs so it looks like they'll get plenty of room plus they'll be able to look out the rear Rio windows just fine.
Keep us up-to-date on any new happenings with your '06 Kia Rio sedan, OK? I really like the new Rio look. Kia has it nailed down well on the styling. I love that high beltline in the rear-it really has the European look to it. These Rio's are selling like hotcakes in Europe for Kia and so are the new Kia Picanto's, their new microcar.
We'd have to decide on the larger Sportage or the smaller Rio but the better gas mileage of the Rio has me interested.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
The Rio5 I saw is a 5-speed manual and it is loaded, the sticker says around $14,195. It has the 5-spoke alloys and that swoosh at the rear end of the Rio5 on both sides( taillights)looks really impressive. The Rio5 is fully loaded with airbag protection, too. I'll be checking their lot often for updates.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Courtesy of Kia Motors America
I like the Midnight Black version of the '06 Kia Rio sedan, although I prefer the Kia factory 5-spoke alloy wheels that are offered. Getting the alloys at deal time wouldn't be totally necessary, though. Wheels can always be switched out later.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Interior was an adjustment cuz its really light. But i still like it. I saw the darker interior and didnt like it at all.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
I would take the dark interior, but would look at a lighter color interior along with the dark and then make my decision which one I like best.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
So, I have my eye on the Rio5 in Tropical Red. The only option it has is carpeted mats. It has a spoiler on back, and a windshield wiper in back as well.
Your input on the shoulder room has left me with warm and fuzzy feelings about it. Our '01 Kia Sportage 4x4 is fine but I would like the 32-35 mpg for mini-trips exploring our new home, Idaho. I may talk to the dealer soon. What's cool is that they're only about 1 1/2 miles from our home. Robert Allen Kia also sells Mercedes-Benz along with Kia's here in Pocatello, Idaho. What a combination, huh!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Now although this message comes from some time ago, keep in mind that the Sephia was built atop a modified Mazda 323 and 626 platform. I used to own one and was not a bad car, but recently had it totalled and purchased a 2006 Rio. The car although with a smaller, supposedly less powerful engine than the 124hp in the Sephia is a WORLD away in the architecture. I miss the Sephia in that I only had 2 pymts left but do not at all because of the driving experience of the Rio. Little vibration at high speeds (85-100mph) which I normally do in anything I drive and excellent acceleration.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/reviews/healey/2005-11-24-rio_x.htm
As I said several weeks ago, if the price (sans dest and tax) of the Rio5 WITH the power pack is somewhere from between $11-12k, then KIA's in the game. But if they try to get $14k+ for them, all of a sudden the competition pool gets ALOT deeper.
With the consistent reports of driveline harshness by the media, I'm also beginning to wonder if that might also be a deal breaker for some.
I wish KIA would also consider putting some Goodyear's on the RIOs too.... just like my Spectra. I've been *very* happy with the performance of my Goodyear Eagle LS's so far after 16k miles.
It seems like availability of Rios in the midwest has been a problem. My dealer (which is an exclusive KIA dealer) has had probably about 5 Rio sedans and 1 Rio5 in total cross their lot so far. It looks like they're not having any trouble selling the ones they've gotten so far, but that's a pretty pathetic amount of product they've received so far. I haven't visitied any other KIA dealers (they're too far away) to see if it's a dealer-specific condition or not. But I know my dealer must be just about ready to scream, since they sold out of their old Rio stock several weeks ago.
I'll be interested to see what the TMV values of Rios at dealerships are once their lots become fully stocked with several dozen units at any given time.
-SM
I'm really not sure what reviewers are talking about with the comments on "driveline harshness". I thought the Rio LX I drove, an automatic, was very smooth and quiet on the highway up to at least 70 mph and the autoshifter was unnoticeable in its operation. Maybe the 5-speed revs higher on the highway, hence more noise. The little engine does have a grunt when pushed, but c'mon, it's a low-end car with a small engine. If you want total isolation from all engine noise, go buy a Lexus.
2004 Rio Cinco:
Luggage Capacity: 24.8 cu. ft. (I'm assuming rear seat up) Maximum Cargo Capacity: 44 cu. ft.
2006 Rio5:
Luggage Capacity: 15.8 cu. ft. (I'm assuming rear seat up)Maximum Cargo Capacity: 50 cu. ft.
I am on my 2nd Kia and both have had a bit of a buzzy sound on acceleration, but you can push Kia's and they respond.
The only way I'm gonna find out how this car drives is to go test drive it. Healey's review just leaves me with a funky feeling inside that he just views Kia Motors as a bug on his Lexus' windshield. I would not take a car reviewer's word on any car that I was really interested in. I remain very interested in both the Rio5 and the Rio 4-door sedan by Kia for 2006. The Rio will be safe to drive, too, with all of those airbags. No power steering on the base models to save money. I don't think you'd need it in a car this small, anyway. My '99 Kia Sephia didn't have power steering and it didn't bother the enjoyment of driving the car at all.
The European styling of the '06 Kia Rio's has grown on me and I am just starting to prefer the Rio5 styling by just a tad over the sedan but it's not decided yet at all which one I'd go with. Meanwhile, the Sportage 4x4 heads into a southeastern Idaho winter which is supposed to turn snowy this weekend. Running like an absolute champ.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Who really goes by what a car writer says in relation to what they actually decide to buy? Not me.
I think Kia will sell shipload after shipload of these 2006 Rio sedans/Rio5's in Europe. They are selling shiploads of their new minicar Picanto in Europe as well.
Contemplate that for a second or two...Kia doesn't really need your buying dollar here in America. They'll get it anyway but they are selling strongly worldwide so what pithy American reviewers say about their cars really doesn't mean too much. All of the other reviews I've read on the 2006 Kia Rio's has been positive.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
It seemed unfair from the beginning because the Rio and Accent were automatics and the Scion was a 5-speed manual. Surprise, the Scion was faster!
The Kia and Hyundai both did 0-60 in 11.8 seconds, which I think is kinda slow for a modern econocar. Perhaps most potential buyers won't be bothered by that. The manual version should be more around the 10 second mark which is passable.
The review wasn't flattering, but wasn't altogether horrible either. They decided the Scion was the winner, but made at least a few positive remarks about the other two.
I look forward to a comparison by a professional car magazine that doesn't require one to take a bong hit before reading.
You may have seen the short review of the Rio/Rio5 in C/D's December issue. They were quite positive, noting the tasteful and comfortable interior, the muscular exterior, and the engine that is smoother and pulls strongly and willingly to redline. They didn't like the automatic much, which is interesting because I thought it worked very well on my test drive. Maybe they took steeper hills than I did.
Sounds like they liked the new Rio! I'm gonna have to get the December Car and Driver and read the review.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick