The KIA Rio is back and offers some bolder, more attractive features thanks to a design update. The Kia Rio continues to offers great value at a very keen price.
By SHAWN DONOVAN BRETT
Exterior design updates for Rio’s mid-life refresh have been kept to a minimum, with the bulk of the design enhancements concentrated at the front of the car. Rio retains its iconic ‘tiger-nose’ grille, narrowed for a more focused appearance.
The updated design extends further than just aesthetics, which includes the inherent safety design of its body shell, which comprises 51% Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) to give Rio the structural integrity required to keep occupants safe in case of an accident. AHSS is used to reinforce the A- and B-pillars, side sills, the roof structure, engine bay and floor pan in order to also aid the more effective distribution of impact forces.
The general build quality on offer in the cabin of the Kia Rio really does surpass your expectations of an affordable hatchback, with good quality finishes, ample space and an overall presence of consumer focused effort on offer from the Korean motor house.
Interior enhancements have been kept to the minimum, and the Rio’s user-friendly interior ergonomics remain intact, making intuitive use of all major functions a cinch. The main update is an upgrade of the colour touchscreen interface from 7-inches to 8-inches – which is now also standard across the Rio range.
In fact, the most notable revisions of the Rio range have occurred on the entry-level LS grade. Apart from the colour touchscreen infotainment system, the Rio LS models now also gain 15-inch alloy wheels, replacing the previous model’s steel wheels with plastic wheel covers.
KIA Motors South Africa has opted to retain the familiar and popular powerplants that have done duty in the Rio since its launch in 2017. As such, Rio is still available with a choice between 1.25-litre and 1.4-litre MPI (multi-point injection) petrol engines.
www.kia.co.za
