Kia Rio5
pocahontas
Member Posts: 802
"Kia will offer the lowest-priced station wagon in the world when the 2002 Rio Wagon goes on sale in the summer of 2001." Read the complete article here: 2002 Kia Rio Wagon. Sounds like a lot of car for the dollars. What do you think?
Thanks for your comments. ;-)
Pocahontas
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All in all, the wagon comes across as a fine little people & cargo hauler for the money. It looks classier than the sedan. I'd certainly consider buying one.
Pocahontas
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The cargo area is nicely finished and has a light mounted to the left trim panel that comes on when the hatch is opened. Also, this one had the optional cargo net. There is a standard pull out cargo cover that easily latches on the edges of the door frame. Also, under the carpeted floor covering is a mini spare and some room to put additional tools and disc emergency items. Again, very nicely done. Now comes the best part, with all the features of the top sedan plus the additional items I have mentioned, (as well as the added versatility and really great styling) the MSRP for this car, as equipped, is $12,194. Wow. An incredible price for a car in this class. Go price a Suzuki Esteem wagon or the Ford Focus wagon and see what I mean.
Pocahontas
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Would like to test drive one soon....
Since this thing is essentially a hatchback, would it be possible to double list it on the hatchback forum like the Mazda?
Saw it yesterday (St. Louis).
Since this is a cross between a wagon and a hatch would it be possible to co-post on the hatchback forum, like the Mazda Pro-5?
When our injury-prone second car bites the dust I may investigate the purchase of a Rio Wagon (or Toyota Echo) as a cheap commuter/mountain biking car. I'd love to read the experiences of those who've tested or bought the Rio Cinco.
Happy Motoring!
Pocahontas
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The Rio Wagon is near the top of my list as a second car (along with the Echo - which seems to be the official Car of Quebec Province).
autoknologist - if I may ask, what did you pay for yours? I'm very curious but I will certainly understand if you don't wish to share. Good luck with you new car!
$13500 out the door. So far, So good. On my first 2 measured tanks of gas, I got 32.6 and 33.0 mpg. Not to bad for a car that is not really broken in yet. I have been pleasantly surprised by the performance of the car so far. I have to pull a long grade of about 6-8 miles where the elevation goes from goes from 1900 ft to 3250 ft. So it is a long, steady climb. The RIO pulls it with no problem and I do not have to down shift even with A/C on!. I have had many cars that could not do this. One small criticism I do have is the small and fairly useless slide out cup holders. At least useless in the manual model. When you shift through the gears, if you have a drink in the holder bigger than a soda can, you hit it with your hand and the shifter. Other than that, I haven't found anything else to really complain about. Again, I have had a Toyota Echo. It was a good car. However, it was more money (and there has been price increases since I bought mine!), did not have the same features as the Rio and was not nearly as comfortable to drive (at least for me). Particular annoying was the Echo's tendency to be easily blown around by the wind. Due to its tall, boxy design and light weight, if there is a small cross wind, you will feel it as the car has to be constantly corrected to keep it going in a straight line. (Hoever,I do live in a windy area). Surprisingly, the RIO is barely affected by cross winds. Why is this? Not sure, really. But I believe it is because of the shape of the wagon(which are inherently more aerodynamic) and its lower profile. Nice surprise for me though. Good luck on whatever car you choose. I look forward to hearing what you picked and how you like it.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Inside the hatch there is just enough room for my 90lb dog. There is a nice pullover piece to hide your cargo.
I was impressed with the ride. The suspension was just right for this car, on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being very firm) it was about a 4.5. The steering was light and the car went where it was pointed. Brakes were ok, about average.
The engine pulled pretty good until you got to 4k rpm, then it seemed to work a lot harder, it also got a lot noisier in the cabin. I had the a/c on the whole time with just myself and the salesman in the car.
Now the bad part...the shifter(by the way I drove to 5-speed). During the whole test drive I had no clue if the car was in gear or not when I was changing gears. It has a very vague and rubbery feel to it and it wasn't that easy to get in gear. Also you cannot shift with the armrest down, unless you do it with your wrist at a 90 degree angle. There is a fixed pedal to rest your left foot when your not shifting. It was in the perfect spot.
Overall the car seemed put together pretty well, No squeaks or rattles and nice paint. If it wasn't for the shifter I would seriously consider this car.
Does anyone know if cruise control is available??
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Since the Cinco is listed as a hatch for the Canadian market, I still think it should be listed under both hatch and wagon topics.
My experience with driving a sedan last year was that the transmission feel (as in all Kias) was definitely sloppy/non-communicative. I don't remember this at all with my '88 Festiva. To me the platform really hasn't advanced that much in 13 years. Remember the Festiva as being more fun to drive.
The Cinco is getting into the same price range I paid for my Elantra GLS with 5 speed and group 2 (cruise and remote keying). I think I got a lot more car.
On the other hand the Cinco (especially in gold) looks a lot better to my eye than the Rio sedan.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
We're still considering the Cinco as a second car. Had a scare this week when I thought my old Mustang died. Turned out it just needed a starter. We're keeping the Stang for a while longer so it looks like the Rio goes back into a holding pattern. If anyone makes a Cinco test drive, please post your thoughts here.
I'm interested because a friend of my daughter is thinking about buying one. Frankly I was suprised when I drove one, cheap but appealing in a crude sort of way. Didn't like the shift linkage, however, just like all Kias I've tried (except for my Festiva).
We have been looking at the small car category including the Civic, Sentra, Corolla, Focus, Impreza. Being a proud owner of a 00 Subaru Outback and a believer in AWD (very handy in our snowy winter climate), I am predisposed to the Impreza Wagon.
My mother is not picky. She wants a good car(reliable), with some basic power options (ie. locks, windows and AC), that gets good mileage and most importantly, is comfortable to sit in. My mom has bad hips and she has found that most cars seats are designed to fit you snug, which places pressure on her hips and can be very painful. So far, the Corolla wins in this category because it seats are rather flat.
To my questions:
1. Are Power windows available?
2. The $13K you paid...is this Cdn or US? Do you have Cdn figures?
3. The seats, are they relatively flat, or are the contoured support to fit snug?
4. Maybe I missed it, but what does KIA offer in terms of warranty?
I must admit, I am a little hesitant to recommend a KIA. Perhaps its the stereotype of Korean cars having bad reliability....Can anyone share additional thoughts on the reliability of these cars?
Many thanks.
Again, thanks for taking the time.
Let me begin by identifying the cars she had on her short-list: the Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla, and Rio Wagon. With the economy the way it is, she just wants to get a good car and minimize costs. She plans to keep the car for 3 years then upgrade assuming they economy is better and they are more secure financially.
As much as she loved the new 2002 Impreza and the fact that it is AWD, demand is so high and supply so short that Subaru Canada is not offering any special financing, whereas both Toyota and Kia are offering good financing rates on 2002 models. Subaru can't keep them on the lot. Also, the Impreza is about C $3 K more than the Toyota and therefore about C $ 7 K more than the Kia. In terms of quality features etc. she loved the Impreza. Seat was a problem for her hips, but she was willing to overlook that (ie. use a cushion). But price was an overriding factor and therefore the Impreza is eliminated.
These are her impressions of the Rio:
Pros:
1. Get many stnd features for the price.
2. Car is decent looking and likes the wagon for space.
Cons:
1. Extremely noisey engine compared to the Corolla.
2. Seat is very uncomfortable for her.
3. Ride is too rough.
4. Found cabin smaller that the Corolla.
5 Concerns/risk about quality / reliability (even with best warranty, no-one wants to make numerous trips to the dealer) We know that this may turn out to be a great car; however, Kia's reliability history increases the risk of poor reliability, even with Hyundai taking over.
6. Related to 5 above, concerns about re-sale value ie. the risk that a good chunk of the $3K cost savings over the Corolla would be lost in re-sale value in three-years.
As a result, as good as the price is, she decided she simply would be unhappy with this vehicle due to noise, comfort and the risk (re: reliability and re-sale). Therefore, she eliminated the Rio from her short-list.
Down to the Corolla, I suggested she test-drive the new Elantra GT hatchback, which for the same price as the Corolla comes with more standard features.
Anyway, thanks for all the info and advice.
While you're there, please take a moment to say hello to other Kia Owners in our Kia Owners: Meet the Members discussion. Thanks for your participation. For future reference, look for a direct link to the Kia Owners Club in the Additional Resources on the left side of this page. Happy Motoring! ;-)
Revka
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Still no power windows, but it has power locks, a standard rear washer and wiper, a much improved drivers seat {I'm 6'2}.
If it's nearly as sturdy as that Festiva was, I'll understand the great warranty.
The other pizza drivers I moonlight with are amazed at how much car I got for my money.
I'm happy.
Also, I'm sure the participants in our Ford Festiva/Aspire discussion would appreciate your Festiva notes. Use your copy/paste so you don't have to re-write your message. Happy motoring!
Revka
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When I told him it was a KIA and cost 1/3 of the BMW price, his folks had lot's of questions.
30.2 MPG out & 32.3 mpg back.
It was happy doing 75 on the Interstate, but wanted to do it on the side roads too. It handled passing on the side roads pretty well. I hit 90 passing 2 semi's on a down slope.
For 2 "empty nesters" and a 64 lb Boxer,this is all the car we need for trips.
Sue loved the way it handles curves in Nebraska's Sandhills.
Once we added pillows in the rear leg wells, our Pooch was Happy with the back seat.
Revka
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2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
The engines in the '03 are the same that are used in Hyundai accents-Mists lic.