Did you recently rush to buy a new vehicle before tariff-related price hikes? A reporter is looking to speak with shoppers who felt pressure to act quickly due to expected cost increases; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com for more details by 4/24.
2012 Kia Rio5: Real Time Fuel Economy (MPG).
So far with just under 1000 miles driven and a month and a half of ownership, the fuel economy on my 2012 Kia Rio5 is quite disappointing, 26 mpg city and 36 mpg highway. My 2011 Ford Fiesta (without) GDI got constant 33 mpg city and 41 mpg highway with A/C always on and the car driven hard. It was the (only) vehicle I ever owned where the actual mpg achieved was actually "higher" the the EPA Estimates. Hoping the Rio`s numbers will improve with more miles driven.
0
Comments
I too am experiencing similiar results with the my 2012 Rio5 SX using the onboard "Average Fuel Economy".
However, my commute to work is nothing but stop signs and and stop lights for 2 miles in a college town.
Whenever I get on the highway/interstate the MPG seems to hover around 45 on level road--I assume this using the bar graph for the live MPG monitor (which only has 3 numbers: 0, 30, and 60, and I have to guess where I fall in between).
One thing I have noticed, my car has a "Eco" mode and when I turn the Eco mode off I seem to get better gas milage and the car is more fun to drive.
For my next tank I will drive with Eco off. The tank after that will be Eco on and I will post the results. I will compare the results with the Carango App on my android.
I never expected to get the EPA City Average posted on the sticker considering my commute, but it is a bummer to hear your results compared to another car.
I am still pleased with my purchase because the Rio5 SX is a damn sexy car--best looking unmodified compact ever with a warranty to match.
That's very interesting because my friend as a 2011 Forte SX who made the same claim about his vehicle. Almost all of his driving is in the city and he claims to get better fuel economy with Eco Mode turned off. I find that hard to believe but you're the 2nd person I know who made that claim.
Let us know how your experiment turned out.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
My first full tank of gas without running in ECO mode 28MPG. Not exactly where I wanted to be, but close. I've always heard that you don't get true MPG data until the engine gets broke in (~1000 miles). I drive about 70% 30% city.
Just to clarify re the earlier tire discussion, here in Canada the LX (15" steelies) also does not have a spare tire, only the sealant kit. The EX (16" alloys) does have the doughnut, though.
PS: 2012 Kia Rio`s get a "Full Size" Emergency Spare Tire in Australia.
PSS: Hope either KIa or some other outfit offers a aftermarket center console with storage and armrest for the 2012 Kia Rio5 "LX" like was manufactured for the 2011 Ford Fiesta by Boomerang Industries.
The DRLs don't use the headlights on ours - there's a separate lens and bulb located just below the actual headlights. I can see from pictures that US cars have the same headlamp cluster, so if there's a bulb in there on yours and you can find a way to activate it, there you go.
Also, how do you like seats and ride of SX model?
I think the seats are comfortable. The ride is a bit stiff, but I like it.
Also, My rear speakers fade in and out, which I'm getting fixed during my 1,000 mile oil change.
As a side note, I do have the Eco button, and I will try to keep it off for my next mileage calculation.
I really doubt they'd do one big fat lie like this. But I don't know. I don't really feel like running the tank completely out from full to gauge exactly how many miles I'm able to do.
At 60 mph I was able to see 45+mpg on the read-out. Do I trust it? I think it's within 4-5 mpg, at least. If I could squeeze 30+ mpg out of a 2003 Malibu with a V6 and nearly 500 lbs heavier, there's no way this can't do better.
I see a lot of people complaining about mpg. I'm confused. Maybe sometime I'll drive until I run out of gas, and have a gas can on me to go to the nearest station to fill, just to see for sure.
Average: 33.00 mpg.
Worst: 22.67
Best 37.89
I'm sure that if I jumped directly on freeway, stuck to 65 mph and wasn't constantly running the air conditioning (113 degrees when I bought the car), I could hit 40-- but not in the real world. Moved from an 05 Malibu Maxx which could deliver 30+ in highway driving. Think this does about five better, OTOH-- I think it's remarkably composed on the highway for a sub compact.
Had two cars until last year-- got rid of an 07 Optima which didn't do as well around town as the Maxx, even though it had the four cylinder engine. The non-OHV GM 3.5 was a pretty good engine-- daughter's driving it now.
Kia's tend to get better with time. Didn't expect to hit 40 mpg, so not really too disappointed.
Mileage entered on Android app to two decimal places.
I loaded up almost 1gb of mp3s onto my jukebox and I thoroughly enjoy UVO and Sirius Satellite radio.
As for fuel economy, I think most people are confused and/or they're fooling themselves. How many of us actually spend 100% of our time driving on the highway? Very few, most of us COMBINE highway and city driving, and the latter kills fuel economy. Therefore, instead of that ideal 40 mpg highway number, KIA owners should focus on the EPA Combined Mileage rating which is 33 mpg.
My car consistently gets between 31 and 32 mpg in COMBINED driving so I'm happy. I recommend turning off the ECO button in city or hilly/mountainous driving as you will benefit with improved acceleration and better fuel economy. The only time I use ECO mode is on a flat highway. Remember, focus on that EPA 33 mpg Combined Rating.
I'm glad you agree with my overall assessment of the 2012 RIO SX model. However, I'm not quite sure what you disagree with. Hopefully you can clarify.
Do you disagree that the RIO EPA Combined rating is 33 mpg?
Do you disagree with my combined mileage results of 31-32 mpg?
Do you disagree with my comment that very few people spend 100% of the time on the highway and should use the EPA COMBINED rating as their guide?
Phil's entitled to his opinion but that EPA 33 mpg Combined Rating is available and known to all RIO buyers before they purchase the car. I saw it and knew before signing the contract that's the maximum I would get. I also knew that nobody gets the actual EPA numbers. My goal was to be reasonably close and I am, because I'm getting between 31-32 mpg in combined mileage driving.
I'm realistic and understand that I rarely spend a lot of time on the highway, probably around 45-50%. One of these days I'm going to fill up the tank and go for a long drive on the Interstate to see if I can get that magical 40 mpg number.
So unlike Phil, I'm pleased with my miles per gallon, and overall, I flat out love my 2012 RIO SX. I'm amazed that an economy car has so much going for it, an aerodynamic sleek look, cool technology, brisk acceleration, nimble handling, lots of comfort, backup camera, outside mirrors that fold in, UVO Voice controlled entertainment and phone Calls. Best of all, it costs me next to nothing when I fill up the tank.
Like any car, it also has a few minor flaws. But overall, I recommend the RIO SX model highly and think you would be making a mistake if you fail to put in on the list of cars you want to test drive.
Yes it does. My buddy and I each took a 2011 Ford Focus for test drives and both of us were stunned by the horrible acceleration of the new Focus. I had a 2002 Focus for ten years which I liked a lot but it was horrible on the highway because I couldn't pass a mini-van with it. In fact, it was dangerous when attempting to pass on a two lane highway.
I was really looking forward to buying the new Focus but I was emotionally crushed when I saw what Ford did with their automatic transmission to get that high mpg number. What good is high mileage if you don't have the power to accelerate and/or pass other cars on the Interstate?
If you don't believe me, check out this NY Times article:
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/reviewing-the-ford-focus/
Phil said, "I stand on the fact that I and most other 2012 Kia Rio owners feel that the Gas Mileage was misrepresented, period! "
The above statement is the crux of our disagreement. It's hard to imagine how or why Phil uses the word misrepresented. The EPA Combined mileage rating for the 2012 RIO is 33 mpg. Phil, is that true or false?
I'm getting between 31-32 mpg in Combined Driving. How in the world could anyone claim that's a misrepresentation?
I repeat, those who are looking to get 40 mpg are deceiving themselves and aren't being honest. The only way you're going to get close to that figure is driving 100% of the time on the highway. And as I stated earlier in this thread, almost nobody does that. Most people combine city stop & go driving with trips on the highway. That means they should be looking at the EPA COMBINED MILEAGE rating of 33 mpg.