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Incidentally, those side mouldings Kia puts on at the factory are very nice to have on from the start. I like that a lot. On both my 1999 Kia Sephia and my 2001 Kia Sportage 4x4 I've bought side moulding and put it on after I bought the vehicles. They have saved my Kia's from many, many door dents. Can't wait to see this new Rio in person and on the road.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
-Andrew L
-Andrew L
-Andrew L
Same with the Forenza. Only you get the automatic too.
But the Rio is a decent cheap car for people on a budget.
A better deal than an Echo...
Looked very distinctive with the Euro-esque plastic bumper guards and relatively tall from my vantage point. It also appeared quite bigger than the current model. Call around to your local dealers; I'm sure they're just now getting them in stock.
I was driving by a local Kia dealership here in Orange County California and noticed they had the new 2006 Kia Rio so I stopped and took a look. It was a 2006 Rio LX sedan in white with no option packages. The fit and paint job was pretty good. It had good room in front and back. The engine compartment was very well done and very clean with not a lot of clutter (kudos to the engineers). If there was any downfall to the car it was the interior. I was really disappointed with it. It looked plain and the plastics looked cheap. The plastics had a matte finish but it was completely hard plastic (similiar to plastic on a model airplane). I was expecting more I guess since my girlfriend has a 2005 Spectra EX which I consider the interior materials to be at or near the top for economy cars. Anyway, maybe I am expecting to0 much. The MSRP was 13905 which I thought was quite high since it had no power package.
Happy motoring.
You could probably get a second generation Rio in six months at or below dealer invoice.
Do you think I could have a power sunroof installed on the SX through the dealer upon purchase?
Many thanx. . .
Peace! :shades: )
I stopped by my nearest Kia dealer today. They had no '06 Rios, but the salesman checked and said they had one arriving early next week. He also gave me a brochure. The interior looks nicer than I expected, based on the pics in the brochure.
I dropped by the dealer today (it's just around the corner from my home) and I was able to sit in the one Rio sedan they've got on the lot, and examine it in the daylight.
The interior was the tu-tone beige/brown, and is styled fairly nice.
However..... after sitting in the car for at least 10 minutes and checking out all of the knobs, panels, etc., I can honestly and objectively say that it is no contest between the Spectra and Rio as far as interior tactile experience goes. The Rio's dash and door panels are all *hard* plastic that feels and looks really cheap when compared to the Spectra's padded dash and door panels. I *still* can't get over the fact that KIA put a slender armrest on the driver's seat, but NOT the passenger's. This odd little omission really screams CHEAP!!!! in my book. Sorry KIA. I've been a big supporter of most of your efforts of late, but this kind of quirky cost-saving short-cut illustrates that you have a few lessons to be learned, esp. about American tastes. I almost think that it would be better for there to be no armrest (ala Cobalt and xB) instead of just one. I guess I'm just a symmetry anal-retentive. :-)
The gauge cluster is smaller and cheaper looking, and the dash clock's a tiny little LCD (not LED) that's set back in and kind of hard to read. The glove box is nicely sized, much like the Spectra's.
The rear seat and package tray is MUCH closer (i.e.: smaller interior) when you turn around from the drivers seat and look directly into the back. The same movement in the Spectra however has you looking into a much more cavernous opening. I did crawl into the back and with the driver's seat all the way back I was still able to squeeze in (I'm 6' and 225 lbs). I just had to splay my knees aside a bit. I'd rate it as comfortable enough for an adult to ride across a good sized metro-area, but no farther. The Spectra's rear area is a much nice place for a medium-to-large sized adult to travel.
The doors have double seals (like the Spectra), so that bodes well for wind noise on the highway.
The outside paint looked good and was unique. It's called Olive gray (or something like that). It was smooth and had a nice metalflake to it.
The prop-rod on the hood was kind of surprise, in the fact that the rod's mounted to the hood and swings down to a hole in the fender. That's the first time I've ever seen something like that. It seemed to work just fine in any case.
The engine compartment is roomy and looks very similar to the Spectra (the Rio's motor's a smaller 1.6L vs. the Spectra's 2.0L). There's an fibrous insulative matting on the firewall in the engine compartment, the first time I've ever seen something like that. The car started easily when I turned the key, and sounded okay for a little 4-cylinder when I revved it a couple of times.
The Rio also has a cable-operated trunk release down on the floor by the fuel filler door release. A nice touch, in lieu of the lack of the power lock package.
So..... based on the in-person review and the KBB.COM info below, I'd definitely have to stick with getting a Spectra, esp. as the even-better closing 2005 deals get presented.
The extra $$ for the Spectra5 would probably be a good investment if your heart's set on a 5-door hatch. Sit in both cars for yourself, and I think you'll see the perceived quality differences I describe here.
Now.... if the Rio5 with the power package can be had with incentives for $12,000 or under *out-the-door*, the $2,500-3,000 savings might just make a case for it. The gas I'm assuming the Rio5 will save also adds some weight to the "Pro" argument for the Rio.
I'm still planning on test driving the Rio5 when one comes in, so I'll report back with that experience sometime in the near future.
-SM
KBB.COM Comparison info:
2006 KIA Rio5
Power Package 535.00
Floor Mats 54.00
Total Dealer Invoice 14,749.00 (Includes above options)
MSRP 15,560.00 (Includes destination)
2005 KIA Spectra EX
Total Dealer Invoice: 16,085.00 (all options BUT ABS)
MSRP: 17,280.00 (W/O incentives, includes dest)
15,530.00 (With current $1,750 incentive, includes dest)
BTW, I recently sat in a $22k Mazda5 that also did not have an armrest for the front passenger, on the left. But it did have one for the driver. So it's not just Kia trying to save a few bucks here and there.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=107123?tid=edmunds.h..in- sideline.promo.2.*
I totally agree with your assestment of the Rio. Kia made a mistake on using hard plastics on the interior of the Rio and it feels so cheap from going from the Spectra to the Rio. I hope Hyundai used better quality plastics on its interior for the Accent.
Happpy motoring
When I bought my Aspire 10 years ago, a basic car with MT, a/c and no power anything (it wasn't even available on any model) had a sticker of about about $11k. The Rio is about the same price today and is a LOT nicer car.
Quit yer belly-achin' already. :P
I am going to take a look at the new Civic. I would think since they are pushing the price higher in the new Civic that it plastics should be much better. I would expect it to be as good as Mazda 3.
Happy motoring
I agree that the Rio appears to be plenty "good enough" for it's class. When you start looking at the other lower end cars like Aveos, etc. you can see that it's right in the hunt. It's a heck of a lot less goofy looking than the Aveo too! ;-)
I guess my point is that KIA has spoiled us Spectra owners by giving us an attractive and functional $17k car for $13-14k. Since KIA has the Rio currently listing for a price very close to the the Spectra (or in some cases higher!), it just seems like the Spectra is the better deal UNLESS the incentive spiffs start flying on the Rio, OR the spiffs go away on the Spectra.
As far as the plastics in the Rio go, it's the *lack* of a sheen that seems to jump out at me. The dash and door panel plastic has a very, very, flat finish. I agree with the folks on here saying that the dash doesn't need to be padded, BUT I know that *my* left elbow appreciates every bit of padding on the Spectra's driver's door armrest. The Rio's armrests are *completely* devoid of any padding whatsoever. My '83 Ford Escort (a long time ago in a Galaxy far, far away) even had padded drivers and passenger arm rests!
But.... I digress. I am in total agreement that the amount of standard features in these newer small cars is pretty amazing. I just wish that KIA would put the icing on the cake and add a few additional comfort and convenience finishing touches to the Rio.
And shame on Mazda for pulling the 1-armrest trick on the Mazda5. KIA might get away with it on a budget car like the Rio, but Mazda needs to make sure that they don't undermine the 'premium' image that they appear to be trying to cultivate on their other vehicles. I suspect that shortcuts like that are taken by Mazda in attempt to keep their Ford masters happy. Having spent 8 years in the contract IT trenches within Ford Motor, I have heard many laughable cost cutting stories from my superviors upon their return from the mind-numbing marathon meetings they would attend. (NOTE: I haven't been at Ford for 12 years, but I can only surmise that the same or worse situations occur today. My old contacts there said that I was very fortunate to have missed the "Ford 2000" musical chairs and infamous Jac Nasser "Sea of white faces" eras.)
Keep the Rio dialogue going everyone, and be sure to post your actual drive experiences up here as they occur.
-SM
That sure looks like nuttin' but injection molded plastic to me!
Once again, perhaps the design of the armrest and its placement will make the issue of padding moot. Time will tell....
-SM
(Note: Sometimes the photo above will show up, and remote linking will be blocked by Freeservers.com. So I apologize if you're getting the "REMOTE LINKING FORBIDDEN" graphic. Try back later, or go to http://www.kiario.com to see the graphic on KIA's website.)
It's the left side armrest on the door (not the center armrest) that people are complaining about with respect to padding. The door armrest isn't padded on the Suzuki Aerio SX, a car that has a lot of upscale features standard (including 6-disc changer in dash and a subwoofer). I thought that was odd and highly undesireable until I realized that my Ford Aspire didn't have any padding on the door armrest either. I guess I just don't spend a lot of time with my elbow on the armrest.
Never say never. Prior to selling my Ford Aspire this weekend, I had gotten into the habit of "short shifting" it, never allowing the engine to get louder than a muted growl (this is a 1.3L w/ 63 hp, mind you). Around town, this generally meant being in 5th gear by 25-30 mph (any slower and it would buck). When merging on the freeway, I used the same shift pattern except that I would leave it in fourth gear for that little big of acceleration needed at the end of the on-ramp. This car had nearly 120k miles and was almost all original (timing belt, plugs, wires and clutch replaced as normal maintenance), and I consistently got mid-30s mileage. If, on occasion, I did get exuberant, I could see the difference in mileage; I would only get low 30s.
Granted, technology has advanced in the 10 years since the Aspire was built, but I think anyone who thinks ATs provided optimum mileage for all drivers is kidding himself. Just look at the Suzuki boards and you can see where all the computer control gets you; the Forenza/Reno only have 126 hp and can still barely manage 30 mpg on the highway, and low 20s or even high teens around town. Never trust a computer chip to be smarter than a discerning human mind; they're only as smart as the programmer.
Mindagus:
I think that the following exerpted articles says it all from KIA's
perspective. I just think that they're following current trends and
technology, and as you suggest, they are gearing (pun intended) their manuals
towards the "having fun" crowd.
And don't get me wrong... I don't have an axe to grind against manuals.
My 5-speed 5.0 Mustang in the garage is proof of that! I just think
that for the average daily commuter, the points below are valid. I also
saw several mentions of increased driving safety with automatics due to
people having 2 less things to distract them while they're trying to eat
their breakfast and talk on their cell phones while also attempting to
drive.
-SM
Killing the stick-shift dinosaur
http://money.cnn.com/2002/12/17/pf/autos/shift_wars/
Stick shift saves gas!
Sure, if you drive the way they do in gas mileage tests. Now, let's be
really honest with ourselves here. Do you drive that way in real life?
If you wanted to drive like your grandmother, you'd have gotten the
automatic to begin with. The way people drive in the real world, stick
shift saves you nary a drop. In fact, you may actually be getting worse
mileage than you would have with the car doing the shifts for you.
With the advent of computer chips, automatics are much better at timing
those shifts than they used to be, says Kwapich, Just as with a manual
shift, if you don't drive like a fuel-hogging freak your transmission
won't either.
... and then there's this excerpt of an article on another forum:
Stick shift sticklers often defend their archaic rituals by arguing
that manual transmissions are more fuel-efficient. Not so. While EPA
numbers occasionally favor manual versions of a particular car, the
comparison is skewed by the testing process, differences in gear ratios, engine
tuning and vehicle option content. In real-world operation, manual cars
never get mileage as good as a comparable automatic. The manual's
mechanical efficiency advantage is always lost because drivers never shift
optimally for efficiency. Engines are invariably over-revved, either
through ignorance or the pursuit of aural pleasure. A properly sorted
automatic is always in the correct gear, never makes a mistake, and demands
infinitely less attention from the driver.
I found this comment about multi-link suspensions (like the Spectra's) on the web:
"Multi-link suspension:
Car manufacturers claim that this system gives even better road-holding properties, because all the various joints make the suspension almost infinitely adjustable."
Multi-link pic (left side):
The same article says this about the torsion beam rear axles:
"Torsion Beam suspension:
"These beam types are currently very popular because of their simplicity and low cost."
Torsion Beam pic:
Future buyers of the Rio... be sure you get a *great* deal on any 2006 you buy, and don't forget to check out what kind of deal you can a Spectra or Spectra5 on the lot!
I'm *really* interested in seeing someone posting on here their purchase price info on the first wave of 2006 Rios purchases.
-SM
I like the Rio too... that's why I've taken such an interest in it.
The purpose of my posts isn't to decry it as much as point out what I consider the major differences between it and the "next step" Spectra, which I happen to already own and have experience with.
For the uninformed who visit these forums, several of the things I have pointed out will not be immediately noticeable upon taking a short cursory test drive. The fact that the features I've discussed are not initially perceivable doesn't mean that they aren't there or that they aren't important.
-4-wheel disc brakes vs disc/drums,
-Multi-link rear suspension vs. flex torsion-beam
-Roomier and higher quality interior materials (seats, dash, door panels, etc.) vs. smaller and lesser quality hard-plastic surfaced interior
-Larger, name brand rubber (tires) vs. smaller, Korean (i.e. harder to replace in cases of defects) rubber
... these are the types of things that are noteworthy when comparing two vehicles IF their price tags are anywhere in the same neighborhood of each other.
I'm simply trying to let people know that if they're considering a 2006 Rio, then they need to make sure that they are getting it at a price considerably under what they can negotiate for a Spectra, because the Spectra is going to be the more enjoyable car long term, gas mileage not withstanding. The Rio will win hands down in that category.
Gas mileage coupled with my hope that the Rio5 will be TMV priced at $11,000 (or below) is what has piqued my interest in the Rio5.
I will probably wait until the crash ratings come out before I commit. I suspect that those and the incentive rebates will happen along about the same time (though the two items are completely unrelated).
-SM
1. Fuel Efficiency; the argument that accelerating like grandma is what causes the manual to save gas makes sense if you are going to be doing city driving. But if you are driving 40 miles on the highway each way to work odds are you are going to spend a fair bit of time cruising at speed; no shifting therefore the mechanical advantage of the manual should come into play. Further it ignores the fact that most automatics these days are geared so they are operating at lower RPMS for a given speed than the same model's manual. I would love to see a comparison of cars with the same actual gearing in terms of efficency.
2. More Power; Power may not be an issue if you have a V6 or a V8.. or even a 130-140 HP i4... but for buyers of Kias, Scion xAs, etc, it is an issue. I test drove an xA a year ago with an automatic and found it to be too slow for me to feel comfortable merging on the DC beltway (for the record, I currently drive a VW with 115 hp engine that weighs considerably more... so I am not a power fanatic).
3. Driver Attention: Try driving the Manual while talking on the cell phone or eating a burger...
R134 works well and is actually a little cooler under mild conditions But the problem is when the heat is on the standard R-12 condenser is undersized for the R134 especially if it is over charged. It is also [non-permissible content removed] in slow traffic as the condenser is now running very hot without forced wind cooling and the compressor discharge temps will go up as well as pressure. This adds more mechanical load and overheats valves in the compressor...Bad.
I believe a better solution is the use of natural hydrocarbon based refrigerant like FR-12 or hychill 12. These are flamable and are pure versions of LPG that is used for the BBQ. Performance increase is unbelievable as it runs cooler under the worst conditions of traffic crawl and compressors love it due to the unbelivably low head pressures.
It also leaks much slower and cost a absolute [non-permissible content removed] load less than R134. It can be dropped into a old car no problems. Top ups are no brainers and you dont need to try to locate all the leaks as its cheap,and leaks quite slowly in old cars. The risk of explosion is also quite low due to the fact that pressures are lower on the condenser and the total charge is 1/3 of that required for r12 as LPG is lighter in mass so there really is not much gas to leak out under the worst possible rupture.
any how if you dont want to change all the parts in your car ac and you are the type who like a good top up for 60 bux a season consider the better performing, cheaper and environmentally friendlier hydrocarbon refrigerant.
That doesn't matter at all to me, except from the standpoint of looks if I have alloy wheels. You do the vast majority of braking at the front of the car, any old thing in the back works fine for me.
-Multi-link rear suspension vs. flex torsion-beam
I actually prefer the flex-torsion beam from the stanpoint of simplicity
-Roomier and higher quality interior materials (seats, dash, door panels, etc.) vs. smaller and lesser quality hard-plastic surfaced interior
I understand the difference here. It makes *some* difference to me, but is not a show stopper. (But remember, I just sold a Ford Aspire; virtually the whole interior is molded plastic with no attempt to appear to be anything else.)
-Larger, name brand rubber (tires) vs. smaller, Korean (i.e. harder to replace in cases of defects) rubber
Again, going back to the Aspire, I moved from 165/70R13s to 175/70R13s to smooth out the ride a bit. I never had trouble finding tires of either size. I would probably do like I did with the Aspire: Drive the stock tires for about 30k miles, then replace with a higher quality set of something else.
It's good to know what one is getting, but for some of us it still doesn't matter. I would prefer better tires, but I could replace a whole set of tires and get the road hazard warranty for less than $200 on my Aspire. So that isn't a biggie.
If I go back and drive the Rio again, I'll take a harder look at the interior. To be honest, I didn't think the Spectra interior was all that great. It was okay, but not great. I probably need to compare the two.
IMHO, when I'm sitting in my Spectra it feels like I could easily be in a Honda Civic or a Toyota Corolla (which ARE the cars it was designed to compete head-to-head with).
I don't get that same feeling when I'm sitting in the new Rio. It's very acceptable and decent... it just doesn't impart that same "higher end" feeling to me.
Thus, the Rio *should* sell for considerably less than a Spectra. That is unless a "gas mileage" premium in the new car market materializes due to increase demand for fuel efficiency. With the leveling off and recent decreases in gas prices, that might not be happening at the same time the Rio hits the dealerships in full force. But.... this gas respite could be temporary, so I think that the overall timing of the new Rio release is still extremely timely for KIA.
-SM
Latest MPG stats for the new Honda Civic from another forum:
30/40 for the five-speed automatic.
30/38 on the stick!
Darn that sneaky 'ole Honda! What'er they trying to pull on us? :P
-SM
I can't speak to the Fit and the Yaris since I haven't seen them yet. But if the Scion is any indication of the Yaris (not saying it is one way or the other), I think the Rio will hold its own. I'm absolutely positive the price of the Rio will come down with rebates, especially since gas prices have come down as much as they have. Even for me, fuel economy isn't as much of a concern as it was a week or two ago.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick