Kia Rio

spectraman · September 2005

As far as the black moldings (bumper and door) on the new Rio go, I like them too. I've read a handful of complaints online about them, esp. the black/dark gray color.

I don't mind the color though, because my '88 Mustang 5.0 has a black molding that goes entirely around the car. The car is a candy apple red, so I think the two colors contrast nicely.

The same goes for the Rio. I think the molding will defintely look good on the red, blue, and orange colors. White is about the only color where there's maybe a bit too much contrast, but oh well.

And I agree on the size and placement being good too. I abhor door dings, and so far I've avoided them with my Spectra in the structures and lots I park in.... but it takes some work and intelligent parking to accomplish it. People can be complete morons when they pull in and just whip their doors open into your car. I once had my Acclaim swung into 2 days in a row while I was finishing up a radio segment before getting out of my car. Did I ever give those people the evil eye! :mad:

So... the Rio gets two thumbs up in the body molding category from me!

-SM

iluvmysephia1 · September 2005

to a store in NW Washington state once. It was windy, real windy, and I wanted to just pull up to the curb and get out and get a pop at a machine that was outside a supermarket. The wind blew a shopping cart into my '97 Ford Escort and it was not a soft collision, either. Big 'ole dent in my door, I don't remember if my insurance covered it or not, but I did have it repaired, it was a nasty dent.

I also like the placement of the '06 Rio's side mouldings, they are intelligently placed to actually stop dings. It's a nice feature of the car.

chuck1959 · September 2005

I had the same thing happen to me. Most likely your insurance didn't pay, mine didn't. They called it an "act of God" and denied the claim. I tried suing the grocery store but lost for the same reason. The judge it was merrily an "act of God" and the the store was not negligent.

billmchale · September 2005

1. Backy.. I suppose cruise control might be a reason for having shorter gearing on the Manual... but I didn't think the Rio offered cruise control? Or maybe it does in other markets. Still I would like the option of having a higher overdrive... even automatics don't kick down on every hill.. just the more significant ones.

2. Side moldings... I actually kind of like them.. adds an interesting visual element to the car. Is also kind of retro. Look at it this way.. No one in a late 80s early 90s BMW ever complained about the black molding on those cars and they are now classics

.

iluvmysephia1 · September 2005

my insurance didn't cover it. I just recalled my Kia salesman's face when he realized my '97 Escort had a big 'ole dent on the door he didn't see earlier when I was test driving the '99 Sephia! I traded the Escort in with that dent in the door-fortunately it didn't hurt me at trade-in time.

mindaugus · September 2005

I don't want to retread old news about the MPG numbers except to say they are discouraging. In a car this size you really expect an efficiency equivalent to the Echo. Even my girlfriends 97 Escort is listed at better MPG with a 110HP engine (yes I mean the MT), that has plenty of power. This is the 2006 model and I wish Rio took some more risks than packaging the same small car package that has been sold for 20 years now. On the outside the car looks good even with the Retro black side-moldings. I just feel I've seen this car before, except more boxy. What I'd like to see is soft touch plastics or an interior more like the Spectra since they want a premium price for this segment. Its a good stab but not revolutionary. Does make me curious to see what they do with the hybrid. It would be nice to have a choice of engines, with a diesel and a smaller displacement. I guess they think that wouldn't sell. I don't think this logic holds up, in the end. If you have a good package you could put in a lower displacement and have fun with it. MINI could do it, and Europe's been doing it for years. KIA does sell a diesel and a 1.5L in Europe by the way, giving other counties citizens options.

spectraman · September 2005

I keep popping by my KIA dealer hoping to see a shipment of 2006 Rios, but they only have the one little base level sedan sitting in the back corner of the lot.

I know that they've got a bunch of 2005's to get rid of, which NOT having the 2006's around will help do, BUT.... I really want to take a test drive, esp. in a Rio5.

What are the rest of you folks seeing on the dealer lots out there, as far as 2006 Rio inventory goes? Has anyone even seen a Rio5 anywhere yet?

-SM

bamacar · September 2005

My dealer had 5 last weekend. No Rio5s however; I wonder if any have been shipped yet. All of the RIOs were LXs, and just one had a manual transmission. None had any options such as the power package or ABS brakes.

spmrebel · September 2005

Thats the same out here in southern California. I have seen many 06 Rios but no Rio5 yet. A dealer is suppose to call me so I can take a test drive when a Rio5 shows up. I live practically next door to Kia North American headquarters. Maybe I will drive by this weekend to see if they have any Rio5s on their lot. I saw the 06 Rio on their lot about 2 months before the dealers had them.

Happy motoring

iluvmysephia1 · October 2005

on the lot in Pocatello, ID, this week. It was jet black and looked very good to me. A lot better body design than Rio's of old IMO. It was an automatic, though, and was selling for around $13,500. The solid side moulding built in from the factory looked good on it. This would be a good small car to have black as a color for. I like it's front end design, the grille and hood design meshes together in a crisp, smart new way. I also liked the rear end design. My concern with getting one of these would be it's small size, would there be ample room for our two small "kids", our two Pomeranians? My wife and I love the nice cabin room in our Sportage and I would guess we'll look at a new world order Kia Sportage when trade-in time rolls around again. The dogs have ample room in our present Sportsman. Not gonna be tradin' in for a good while yet...she's purrin' like a kitten, gentlemen!

I really like the way Kia is heading with all of their new models...they get better and better each model year IMHO. The Long Haul Warranty remains yet prices don't seem to climb. Ya gotta love that aspect of the Kia shopping experience. This new Rio will sell in large numbers in Europe-in fact, Kia says it already is selling like hotcakes there.

backy · October 2005

That may be why Kia designed the Rio with a European flavor. This is most apparent with the black moldings and also in the styling of the Rio5--very similar to some small hatches I've seen in Europe.

iluvmysephia1 · October 2005

exactly. I think we tend to think in terms of the U.S. market when we examine new cars. Of course, we're in America so it stands to reason we think of ourselves when we see a new rig. The thing is is Europe's roadways are thinner without the room we have here in the States. The new '06 Kia Rio 4-door sedan I saw last week in Idaho looked way better in person than seeing it on the net. The black looked great to me for some reason...I'm gonna look at more of them in person in the coming months. The price is sure right. If they can accelerate up to freeway speeds nicely I would be even more enthused with them. Wait a minute...I'm driving a '01 Kia Sportage right now! Not exactly a speed wagon either! Yeah, it'll be cool to see the Rio5 coming up here soon, too.

backy · October 2005

I just happened to see a black '06 Rio automatic today. It was after closing time at the dealer, but I was in the neighborhood so I went in to see if the Rios had arrived yet. I saw only one on the lot or in the showroom, the black sedan, and it had a SOLD sign on it. It did look good in black, and the tan interior was a nice complement. I thought the interior was well done for an inexpensive car. I happened to look at some '05 Accents a few minutes later and the Rio's interior looked much richer and more modern--and the Rio was only about $500 more, even with its side curtains. The fit and finish outside were excellent, also--shiny paint with no discernable orange peel, and narrow and even panel gaps. The wheel covers looked like alloys if you stood a few feet away, and even have the little covers over the lug nuts like some alloys do. Can't wait to go back next week and drive one--if they still have one. That dealer said they were only getting one for now, and maybe that was it!

iluvmysephia1 · October 2005

look small to you? Would it seem too small compared to driving a Kia Spectra or Hyundai Elantra around, if someone was used to those size of cars?

I was impressed with the '06 Rio's stature and exterior look in that black color. All I could think when looking at it at night was how it would be to drive it and would it be too small. Guess that's what test drives are for.

backy · October 2005

Depends on how much size/space you need. I don't need much, as long as I fit in the driver's seat and can hold an adult and three kids in a pinch. For around-town commuting, which is what I'd use it for 95% of the time, I think it would be fine. It's about a foot shorter than my Elantras, but I think most of that space is taken off the front and back, not the interior compartment. The rear leg space looks a little smaller than on my Elantras, but bear in mind that car is classified as a midsize by the EPA. The rear leg room looked sufficient for small adults or kids. As you say, that's what test drives (and sits) are for.

FWIW, I've owned some cars that were smaller than the Rio, including a '85 Civic S hatchback. I really enjoyed tossing that little car around, so driving a small car doesn't bother me as long as Kia got the crash protection right. I wouldn't buy a Rio until the crash test results are out--I got burned before by Hyundai, buying a brand-new design before the crash tests were released, so I won't make that mistake again.

iluvmysephia1 · October 2005

good point. It's cool for me to wait on '06 Kia Rio crash test results as I'm not in a rush to trade in just yet, anyway. These will be interesting crash results because if I'm not mistaken this is a brand new Kia Rio design. Also, these are the CVVT engines, too, that put out less emissions and get better gas mileage than their old Rio motors.

I'm thinking about putting the Rio 4-door sedan on my futures list, which also includes the 2006 Kia Spectra SX, 2006 Kia Spectra5, 2006 Kia Sportage and also the 2006 Scion xA and 2007 Toyota Echo/Yaris/Vitz. From all 6 of these cars will come my probable next car, but not until the '01 Sportage 4x4 gives me a strong reason to discard it.

Whatever my next rig ends up being it must have a 5-speed manual tranny in it.

backy · October 2005

Don't forget the Rio's first cousin, the Accent. Same platform but standard ABS.

iluvmysephia1 · October 2005

IIRC I liked the early look of the 2006 Hyundai Accent's body a tad better than the 2006 Kia Rio's body. I think with these small HyunKia cars it will come down to how they look in person and how they drive during test drives.

It will be hard to let go of the "sitting up higher" driving experience of the '01 Kia Sportage 4x4 and what I am thinking the sitting position will be on the 2006 Kia Sportage. I really like the job Kia did with the new Sportage and I really like the new Hyundai Tucson as well. Fantastic new designs and Kia has already won JD Power awards for the new Sportage and Amanti designs.

chuck1959 · October 2005

On August 9th my local dealer were all out of 2005 Rio's....sedans and wagons, They told me they were expecting 2006's in 2 weeks. As of today they have a few stripped sedans and a couple of LX's but no Cincos...whoops Rio 5s! LOL
I went there to buy a 2005 Rio Cinco Please don't anyone tell me I should have bought a Spectra instead! However it worked out great as they had a 2004 Rio Cinco with 1,917 VERFIED miles on it (I had it checked it out myself) Sure saved me a bundle!

idrankwhat · October 2005

I am a total sucker for hatchbacks, so I'm waiting for this Rio5 to get here ASAP. I need a car pretty quick. I mean within a couple of weeks. Any word, Kia people?

I saw the 06 Rio, and it definitely looked serviceable. The 5-door would just fit my needs more.

iluvmysephia1 · October 2005

due at American dealers, but I just saw a black 2006 Kia Rio 4-door sedan that looked impressive in person. Black worked well for it. Is the Kia Rio5 due at dealers in November? I want to look at them as well.

chuck1959 · October 2005

That's a big debate. Where is the Rio5?

spectraman · October 2005

I asked my sales guy at my KIA dealership last night if the Hyundai-KIA strike back in August may have impacted the availability of Rios. He said that he had heard that it had. The sales guy also said that the dealership's owner was just in Las Vegas at some kind of conference, and he reported back that Rios are flying off of other dealer's lots as fast as they trickle in. With the gas situation that's no surprise. Now if they could just get some inventory in!!!

The web says that KIA was planning on losing 10,569 units of production due to the strike. I couldn't find out if that number was ever confirmed or increased. I couldn't determine how that loss was spread across models either.

One interesting factoid I discovered while looking this up was that Hyundai only owns 38% of KIA. This means that KIA must still have some autonomous capabilities of its own. Interesting enough, that's about the same percentage of ownership as the Ford family has in voting shares (40%) in the Ford Motor Company.

-SM

spectraman · October 2005

Now... if only KIA can get them on the lots!!

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2005/nf2005106_7775_db016.htm

Excerpt:
"It has come to this: even Texans are having second thoughts about their big trucks. In Fort Worth, deep in the heart of truck country, the Mortiz Kia used-car lot is packed with big sport-utes and minivans that buyers have traded in for cars that look pint-size by comparison, including the Sportage small SUV and Spectra compact."

spectraman · October 2005

Geez... I hope this is a good move for KIA. We all know how successful Volkswagen of America's been lately!!! ;-)

http://www.autonews.com/news.cms?newsId=13504

Excerpt:

Automotive News / October 07, 2005

Peter Butterfield has left Kia Motors America, Inc. as president and CEO, the company said Friday. He has been replaced by J.H. Lee, who was senior executive vice president of Kia Motors Corp.

Volkswagen's former head of North America, Len Hunt, 50, will join Kia Motors America as its COO.

The details behind Butterfield's departure were not immediately available.

-SM

iluvmysephia1 · October 2005

I wonder what Mr.Butterfield is gonna do. Stay in automotive management or venture into another area?

The '06 Kia Rio's are probably just on the verge of hitting Kia sales lots all over America. Give it a few more days or a week or two more before getting too nervous about it.

That is interesting about Hyundai only owning 38% of Kia. This is a subject that I'd love to get more information on. I'd love it if a Kia and/or Hyundai worker, or people that work at each company, would write a book about what goes on in their neck of HyunKia. Inside the factories. I'd buy it in a second.

I have always read that Hyundai owns 51% of Kia. Kia owns the remainder, but not all. South Korean banks own a percentage of non-Hyundai/Kia share as well, as a result of some serious financial difficulty Kia had right around 1998. I was just starting to follow South Korean cars then and it was not sure if Kia would pull out of that mess. The devaluation of the Korean Won didn't help matters and a very troubled Korean economy made things tense at Kia Motors. Hyundai swallowing up Kia has helped Kia financially, yet it is my humble opinion that Kia Motors would have always kept afloat by virtue of their lessons learned with Mazda and Ford Motor Company through the 80's and 90's. Kia is South Korea's oldest car maker. Kia's engineering department is vey capable, and in 1998 I was quite sure that another, large car maker would find their talents irresistable and buy them out. Look what GM decided to do regarding Daewoo. That's a horse of another flavor for another day, though, I realize.

spectraman, were you following the trouble Kia was having back in 1998? What are your thoughts on that debacle? They have certainly come around and are going very strong exporting all over and building all over the world now. I'd say their future is so bright they best be wearin' some solid Burton Cummings-Randy Bachman shades from here on out. :shades: :shades:

spectraman · October 2005

Iluv:

Here's one recent reference to the percentage of ownership I found:

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.asp?Symbol=US:HMC&Feed=AP&Date=20050902&ID- - - =5068366

Hyundai, maker of the Sonata midsize sedan and the luxury Equus, has ambitions with Kia to become the world's sixth-largest carmaker by 2009. Hyundai owns 38.7 percent of Kia.

And here's an older reference I found from around 1998 which explains that 51% of KIA's stock had to be auctioned, and that Hyundai would also find some additional investors (to probably share some the stock with).

"The third largest producer, Kia Motors Corporation, was forced into bankruptcy and its creditors forced the sale of 51 percent of Kias stock at auction. No companies submitted bids during the two previous auction attempts.

On the third attempt, bids were submitted by three Korean auto companies, Hyundai Motor Company, Samsung Motor Inc., and Daewoo Motor Company, and one foreign company, Ford Motor Company. (Ford owns 9.4 percent of Kia and Fords 30 percent-owned Japanese affiliate, Mazda Motor Corporation, owns 7.5 percent of Kia.)

On October 19, 1998, Koreas largest auto company, Hyundai, was selected as the winning bidder by the panel overseeing the auction after they disqualified Ford's bid. Following the auction, a Ford Motor Company spokesman stated that the auction had been a fair one without prejudice against foreign participants.

Hyundais chairman announced that the company would seek additional foreign investors, including Ford, in Kia. The acquisition of Kia would give Hyundai control of over 60 percent of Koreas automobile market."

And no... I was not a big follower of either Hyundai or KIA until I bought my Spectra a year ago. I *did* have a friend that swore by his '86 Hyundai Excel though. It looked like a piece-of-junk, but it always started and got him where he wanted to go. That was the limit of my experience until I purchased.

Until last year, I was a combination Plymouth/Ford/Chevrolet owner. I guess KIA can claim me as a "conquest" sale.

-SM

iluvmysephia1 · October 2005

except that the article still leaves question as to the current percentage amount of Kia that Hyundai owns. I'd believe 38%, though. It fluctuates behind the scenes, ya know, and we never hear about it over here. I would love to get my hands on a novel by a Kia hardcore worker of some kind and some generation, young man or woman or old. Love to buy one of those.

I do know that I sure liked the looks of the 2006 Kia Rio sedan I saw in eastern Idaho last week. Those stamp-mouldings looked great on a black Rio sedan, that they did. Can't wait to see the 2006 Kia Rio5.

You seem to really love your Spectra sedan, spectraman. Are you gonna hold or look for another car in the coming year?

spectraman · October 2005

You seem to really love your Spectra sedan, spectraman. Are you gonna hold or look for another car in the coming year?

As old Kenny Rogers says in his song "The Gambler", I *know* when to hold'em! :-)

I plan on keeping the Spectra for at least 7-10 years, as long as it stays relatively problem free. It will probably become my oldest daughter's car when she start's driving in 3-4 years

My last daily driver (a '93 Plymouth Acclaim) was in our stable for 11.5 years and 126k miles. It was a great car, and still had a lot of life left in it. It was in mint shape, and I was still able to get $2k for it. The initial year of ownership for the Acclaim had a few trips to the dealership for annoying odds and ends, but it really was the most trouble free car I'd ever owned.

So far the Spectra beat the Plymouth (and all of our Fords) hands down for first year ownership problems. Time will tell how the long term situation plays out.

My wife's everyday vehicle's a Chevy Astro van, and I also have an older (but extremely good shape) Chevy pickup for towing my pop-up camper and snowmobiles. We're thinking of getting rid of the van and the pickup when my elderly father-in-law decides he doesn't need his 4x4 Chevy pickup.

My interest in a Rio5 would be for the wife to drive as a daily grocery and kid getter, and transportation to her part-time job. With gas pushing $3 a gallon, the Astro and the pickup aren't very economical for the daily short runs she does.

The one thing I tell myself though is that both are paid for, and even if I can pick up a Rio5 for $11k (which is becoming more unlikely as gas stays high), I'd be making payments on it.

Decisions, decisions!

-SM

iluvmysephia1 · October 2005

of the new 2006 Kia Rio, spectraman. Check out his impressions of the car at the link above!

backy · October 2005

I've done some calculations on pricing for the Rio5 vs. the '06 Elantra GLS 5-door, and what I come up with is that these two cars will be priced almost the same--about $16,000 US--for cars with power package, automatic (necessary for DW), and ABS. The major differences are:

* Rio5 has side curtains and side airbags, while the Elantra has only side air bags.
* Rio5 has alloys, fog lamps, and rear spoiler.
* Elantra has traction control, cruise control, and a moonroof.
* Elantra has more interior room, particularly rear leg room. Its cargo compartment has more surface area, but the Rio5's is taller.
* Rio gets better fuel economy, 29/38 vs. 24/32. (However, in the real world I get upper 20s around town and upper 30s on the highway with my automatic Elantra GT, so the Elantra's fuel economy is adequate for the few miles I drive.)
* Elantra has more power and torque, but weighs more than the Rio5--but Elantra still has a power/weight advantage.
* Elantra has interior niceties such as front center armrest with storage compartment, heated mirrors, adjustable lumbar support, padded door armrests (most other plastic trim is padded also), dual map lights, and sunglasses holder.

The other thing that might be a big factor in 2006 is that the all-new Elantra will be on its way next fall, so there could be good closeout deals on the '06s. What all this means to me is that the Rio5 looks less and less of an option for me. One thing that would be a big plus for the Rio5 is if it aces the NHTSA and IIHS crash tests, especially the IIHS side test where the Elantra did poorly. This is the car I would turn over to my daughter when she turns 18, and that she will probably learn how to drive with, so crash safety is important.

cougar7 · October 2005

we got a nice dealer here selling 05 Rios for $5988. IN oklahoma city

backy · October 2005

Are these the base Rios? The ones without A/C? In Oklahoma?? Better grab 'em while they're hot (literally)!

spectraman · October 2005

Drove by the dealership tonight.... no Rio5's yet again.

This time there were 2 additional new Rio sedans on the lot. In addition to the Olive Beige they've had for several weeks now, there's a Cashmere Beige (sort of a Gold), and a Tropical Red model.

The red exterior with the black interior looked good. The black interior is basically monochromatic though... thus it's a pretty dark place in there. That said, it still looks "higher rent" than the tan/beige interior to be sure. The seat cloth also has some extra accents woven in the cloth in the black interior. If you check out the http://www.kiario.com website, it is the black interior that is used for *all* of the interior shots. Coincidence?

The tu-tone tan interior looks "okay" in the Olive Beige model since it's tan/beige on a light green exterior. However........... the tan/beige interior in a Cashmere Beige exterior model clashes BIG time!

The Cashmere Beige is a *beautiful* color from the outside. It really is. But KIA's only offering two interior colors for the North American Rio. A tan/beige, and a black. The tan has an offbeat kind of "orangey" tinge to it. When you open the door the contrast/clashing between the "Cashmere Beige" exterior and "Beige" interior colors immediately jump out at you. KIA for 2007 needs to either lighten up the Beige interior a notch or two (to a yellow-tan vs. an orange-tan), or provide a third color such as a darker brown.

Nitpicky stuff.... I know. BUT the proper matching of interior to exterior color(s) should not be so prohibitively expensive that it is unobtainable in an automaker's lower-end models.

KIA needs to remember that color conscious buyers (aka: females) will more than likely make up a large percentage of purchasers of the Rio line. The importance of issues such as color matching should NEVER be underestimated when considering the success of an automobile model. Not in this day and age of global automobile hyper-competition.

-SM

cougar7 · October 2005

these are the ones with a/c power windows power locks auto trans. cd player etc.if you are gonna get one, get it fast because the 06s are there and i think they only got like 7 more left.

backy · October 2005

That's incredible! $5995 for a car with an invoice of just over $13,000 and after rebates of $12,300! So they lose about $6000 per vehicle. Something sounds too good to be true here.

bumpy · October 2005

$5995 (price includes all incentives and rebates, plus $3000 trade-in. Dealer retains all rebates and incentives. You will not get $3000 credit on your trade-in.)

backy · October 2005

Aha! So the real price is $8995, after (let me guess): military rebate, college graduate rebate, dealer loyalty rebate (available only to people who own another car purchased at that dealership), Kia loyalty rebate, and who knows what else. Plus I expect this is one of those dealers who has a non-negotiable "documentation fee" of something like $595, and probably a non-negotiable "advertising fee" too. I've seen these kinds of ads before in papers from other cities. I'm glad dealers in my state don't pull these kinds of tricks (not all of them, anyway).

spectraman · October 2005

$5995 (price includes all incentives and rebates, plus $3000 trade-in. Dealer retains all rebates and incentives. You will not get $3000 credit on your trade-in.)

I've seen this same advertising technique in our newspapers being used by a Chrysler/Dodge dealer. It is really one of the cheesiest schticks going.

Obviously the goal is to get you to stop and examine that particular dealer's ad. Whenever I see stuff like this, I immediately think: d-e-s-p-e-r-a-t-i-o-n

-SM

chuck1959 · October 2005

How do they figure in $3,000.00 trade-in before hand. IMO most people would want the rebate to be taken off the price of the car.

idrankwhat · October 2005

...to go with a 2005 Accent GT. The deal was just too sweet to pass up. I got everything I wanted and they added cruise control. Paid $1800 under invoice.

cougar7 · October 2005

because i went down to the dealership when i saw the commercial on tv and asked the salesmen and they really offered the car for about $6000, even though the true advertised price was $6988. i am not a Kia guy but if i was or if i just needed a car like the Rio i would have bought it. you have to believe me. if you want you can check out the dealership yourself. for a detailed description of the address go to bigredsports&imports.com. or i can tell you that it is in the city of Norman south of Oklahoma City on I-35.

cougar7 · October 2005

and also i appreciate if you can tell the gas prices in your area, i am just curious because here the prices are going down. right now it is $2.16 in OKC area and it has been going down for about 2 weeks.
thanks, cougar7

backy · October 2005

The URL was incorrect, but I did find the Web site for the dealership by searching on a certain search engine that starts with a "G". What I don't understand is how they can sell something they don't have. According to their online inventory, they have no 2005 Rios in stock. So if they did offer a 2005 Rio for $5995 at one time, they don't anymore.

allfiredup · October 2005

Has anyone driven an '06 Rio yet? Kia hasn't updated their site with the '06 info yet, but Edmunds has. It's a helluva lot of car for the money, particularly the LX. I was shopping for something in the Civic/Mazda3 range, but if the Rio meets my needs I sure wouldn't mind saving $5k!

Anyone have any experience with it yet?

backy · October 2005

If you look back a little ways you'll see driving impressions from multiple people, including me.

spectraman · October 2005

Now... the $64,000 question is..... WHERE DID THEY GET A RIO5 TO TEST????

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosconsumer/0510/19/F03-353600.htm

The article is summarized by this paragraph:

"Too bad we don't give half-stars in these reviews. Because I might be tempted to give Kia four and a half stars for the Rio5. They have now polished their reputation so much in the United States that they almost don't need to keep giving buyers extras like a 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty and free 24-hour roadside assistance. But they still do. . Intangibles like that are all part of the total value equation, and the Koreans do that almost better than anybody."

spectraman · October 2005

Here's a very detailed and informative review article on the Rio and Rio5.

http://www.autobytel.com/content/shared/articles/templates/index.cfm/article_page_order_in- - t/1/article_id_int/754

It paints the Rio5 in a favorable light, BUT... the shortcomings that are described (that I *know* aren't in the Spectra line) would make me think twice of purchasing a Rio5 if KIA tries holding the price line anywhere near the $15k mark that a Rio5 SX with power pack and automatic trans will list at.

I only paid $13,373 (not including tax and dest) for my Spectra EX just last year!

The Rio5 equipped as described above had *better* come in somewhere between $11-13k (not including tax and dest) to keep my interest.

-SM

kiadealerhater · October 2005

Has anyone seen a 2006 Rio with ABS for sale? It is very frustrating dealing with the Kia Dealers in the Dallas area. They say that the Rio's w/ ABS are sent up north.

backy · October 2005

Heck, I've only seen a grand total of TWO Rios in my town so far--both were automatics w/o ABS or power package. So they aren't getting up North yet either (at least not in my part of Minnesnowta). But it's early yet.

P.S. If you can wait a bit, the Rio's cousin the Accent will be out soon and it has ABS standard.

Kia Rio

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