THIS week I’m in
the Kia Rio, which was recently named Continental Irish Car of the Year 2012.
From a list of 46 eligible cars Kia had two cars on
the short list for the Car of the Year, the Rio and Picanto. The Rio was named
Irish Small Car of the Year and went on to become the first Korean brand to win
the coveted overall award.
At the Irish launch of the Rio a few weeks back Kia
executives made no secret of the fact that the company is targeting the Toyota
Yaris with this new model.
Managing Director, James Brooks, admits that the Rio
is slightly more expensive than the Yaris, but he said that for an extra
?¬600
you get a lot more extras in the Rio.
I haven’t driven the Yaris, but the Rio is certainly
impressive if you are looking for a value for money motor. In the past few
years there has been a big switch to diesel models with low C02emissions, but
Brooks pointed out that there is now a switch back to petrol in the
‘B’ segment
or super minis. Diesels are more expensive and apparently the cost of replacing
oil filters in diesels is also a factor in the switch back.
I have never attended a car launch where the
manufacturers didn’t say that their new model was longer, wider, lighter than
the old model. And yes the same is true of the Rio, but the improvements are
only in millimetres; but I suppose all those millimetres do add up to give the
impression of more space.
When I drove a blue model at the launch in Kilkenny I
wasn’t that impressed. But then last week I got to drive a red version and it
looked gorgeous.
The red seemed to really show off the new style
headlamps and the lights at rear are also attractive. Colour definitely makes a
big difference in a car, especially in new ones.
I found this a very lively motor and my daughter, who
is my regular front seat passenger, had to remind me a few times to slow down.
There is plenty of room for five adults and while black is the dominant
interior colour the décor is lifted somewhat by a series of lines on the front
and back seats.
The boot is a decent size and it looks like space was
initially left for a spare wheel, but at some stage it was decided to opt for a
repair kit instead.
When they were first introduced to Ireland, Kia may
have irritated us by having the indicators on the
‘wrong side’ of the steering
wheel and they also had fiddly radio controls.
The Koreans obviously read the Irish reviews because
those issues are well sorted by now. Prices for the 1.2 petrol start at
?¬15,295
for the LX model, while the EX model will cost you
?¬16,495.
The 1.4 diesel version starts at
?¬17,895. One of Kia’s
strong selling points is their seven-year warranty. So, if you buy a Rio in
January you will be covered until 2019 and by then we hopefully will have
another Government-sponsored scrappage scheme.