NCTD: 2008 Kia Rio

By: New Car Test Drive Staff
Photo Credit: Kia

Overview

The Kia Rio is a good choice for budget-minded buyers who want good fuel economy. A subcompact, the Rio competes against the Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa, Honda Fit, Chevrolet Aveo, and Hyundai Accent. These are all relatively new vehicles that offer better fuel economy with little loss of interior space to compact cars such as the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic.

Rio comes in a four-door sedan and Rio5 five-door hatchback versions. Last redesigned for the 2006 model year, the Rio lineup has been expanded over the past two years and now includes three trim levels for the two body styles. The Rio sedan is available as a very basic base model, as the more mainstream LX, or as the sporty SX. The Rio5 five-door hatchback comes in LX and SX trim.

These are roomy cars. The hatchback offers lots of cargo space. Rio comes standard with six airbags, a safety feature normally associated with expensive luxury cars, not subcompacts. The Rio offers agile handling, particularly the top models with their upgraded wheels and tires.

The Rio gets an EPA-rated City/Highway 27/32 miles per gallon. All models are powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder, a sophisticated, modern engine, with dual overhead camshafts and variable valve timing rated at 110 horsepower.