It's a rare instance when I find the sedan variant of a car more attractive than the hatchback, but that's the case with the 2012 Kia Rio SX Sedan, this week's review vehicle. I think the lines flow better on the sedan version compared to the
Rio EX hatchback I reviewed in December. With that being said, the SX also has the more attractive and distinctive 18" wheels and tires.
This car is loaded: Nav, heated seats, backup camera, sport suspension, six-speed auto, and a lot more, and it's just a tick over $20K—sounds like a good deal to me. Plus, with 30 city and 40 highway MPG, it's frugal. Initial impressions are that it has more personality than the Rio EX, and it's quite posh for what it is. I really like the looks a lot. More later.
Stay tuned.
3 comments:
Love the car. Just don't like the fact that one can't get the higher end EX & top of the line SX with a 6-speed manual. The only tranny option is the failomatic. The bottom LX model give you a 6-speed manual, but you don't get much else. I rather have a Nissan Versa S at that point for far cheaper instead. Not a good move on Kia's behalf. This is mainly the reason why I'm leaning toward a Hyundai Accent SE hatch. I can get it with a 6-speed manual.
Regarding sedan/hatch looks, I agree with you. A hatch almost always looks/feels better than the sedan, especially in some cases like the current Fiesta. But which model do you prefer for the latest Focus? The sedan looks like a bit like a Volvo or A4 but the hatch has some fussy details, so with decent wheels I think the sedan actually looks better. What do you think?
The roofline really seems to work on the Rio sedan, but the hatch has that chunky European look and I wonder about the sedan's rear headroom and trunk access being compromised by that swooping rear window. Maybe Kia should've skipped the sedan and done a coupe with the same roofline instead.
@24limes: The new Focus hatch has really grown on me, and seems to be selling quite well. IMO the color and wheel selections on it are more crucial than the body style for the Focus - it has some really nice wheels, some horrible ones, some that are meh and some that work with certain colors and not others, more than any other current car I can think of.
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