The Rio is the smallest vehicle made by Kia and it is also their most affordable. It comes in two body styles: a sedan or a hatchback. The available trim levels are base, LX and SX. The hatchback body style is available in LX and SSX trims only. All the models of the Rio have a 1.6-liter engine with 110-horsepower and five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic transmission.

Rio was introduced in 2000 and this sedan replaced KIA’s first generation Pride which is a rebadged version of KIA’s Avella and Ford’s Festival. Second generation of Rio was introduced in 2005 in Europe and in 2006 in North America. This sedan shares its redesigned platform with Hyundai Accent.

KIA Rio is known as New Pride in South Korean domestic market. This 2010 model is offered with redesigned exterior which is included with Tiger Nose Front grille. For 2010 model Rio was awarded with facelift for hatchback and sedan body type. This model shares its interior design with KIA Forte and KIA Soul. National based price of 2010 KIA Rio is around $ 11,695 which excludes destination charges.

For those who cannot afford the expensive models in the cars, the Kia Rio is a blessing in disguise for them. This car offers good functionality features in lesser prices in comparison with the cars of the other manufacturers. The standard features like lumbar support seats, remote mirrors and other related functions are provided in the K.Rio car models.

The Kia Rio serves the purpose of providing cheap, basic transportation. If you drive a lot and need an economical car, then the Rio is worth a look. Just don’t think that the car rises to the level of a Toyota, otherwise you will be sorely disappointed. You may get five or six good years out of the car before its value decreases to the point where it simply should be discarded.

The Kia Rio in the subcompact segment of the study took in 137 problems per 100 vehicles and this has brought the vehicle to the top of the list in its segment. Aside from the Kia Rio, the 2006 Kia Sedona which is a minivan also took one of the highest ranks in its segment. What makes this quite remarkable is that the Kia Sedona is just in its first year of production and of being in the market.