All-New Kia Rio

The super sleek Kia Rio has all the practicality without compromising on the ‘fun factor’. With an attractive design, pleasing drive and all the latest mod-cons, the Kia Rio is the epitome of the ‘hot hatch’.

At the front, the Rio wears the latest evolution of Kia’s ‘tiger-nose’ grille, now thinner in height and wider across the front of the car, with a gloss black grille cover. The grille is integrated with the newly-designed bi-function headlights, more sculpted for a sharper look, and featuring a new U-shaped LED daytime running light signature.

The Rio’s lengthened, more balanced stance is achieved with a long bonnet and longer front overhang, a 10 mm longer wheelbase (up to 2,580 mm), a thinner, more upright C-pillar, and a shorter rear overhang. Overall, the new car is 15 mm longer than its predecessor, at 4,065 mm in length, and 5 mm lower (now 1,450 mm tall). Straight, clearly-defined lines run down the full length of the car’s shoulder and along its doors, further stretching the appearance of the car for a more confident look.

The new Kia Rio features a modern new cabin, with more sculptural forms and a more ergonomic layout than its predecessor. The interior has also been designed to accommodate the Rio’s new range of technologies. The Rio will have the most spacious cabin and one of the highest boot capacities (325 litres) of any car in its class, with practicality a key focus for the Rio’s development and engineering teams.

COMPARE RIO ENGINES

The engineers have undertaken extensive work to enhance comfort and driver enjoyment so that when you take the Rio out for a spin, and you’ll fall in love. The rigid front suspension struts and raised torsion beam improve stability; revised springs and shock absorbers to improve compliance and comfort; vertical rear shock absorbers and front shock absorbers with advanced new valve technology for more consistent responses; and a repositioned power steering gearbox which results in improved feel when the steering wheel is in the straight-ahead position. The overall effect is more immediate handling responses and greater confidence for the driver.

Much of the improvement is due to a stiffer body shell, which is made of 51 per cent advanced high-strength steel compared with 33 per cent in the outgoing car.

The stiffer the body shell, the less the suspension has to compensate for flexing under load. Advanced high-strength steels also contribute towards weight reduction, as vital sections of the body construction do not need to be as thick.

The new engines showcase Kia's advanced engine technology capabilities through downsizing, turbocharging, direct fuel injection and weight reduction, and feature a number of detailed engineering solutions to minimise throttle lag – the delay between the driver pressing the accelerator and the turbocharger delivering boost – and reduce internal friction.