Review: 2012 Kia Rio EX: A new level of maturity for Kia’s smallest hatchback

2012 Kia Rio EX on a crisp fall day in Oregon. The Rio's styling is simple and clean.

I remember the first time I ever saw the Kia Rio. No, not the all-new 2012 Rio, the 2001 Kia Rio: It was chartreuse in color, somewhat ungainly, and powered by a 1.5-liter engine that didn’t make 100 hp. It was basic transportation. The 2012 Kia Rio has come light years from what the first-gen Rio was, and has improved quite a bit over the previous model. The model has matured, and it’s now set to take on the best of the best in the b-segment. Competition is getting fiercer by the month in the subcompact segment, and Kia has certainly upped its game with its latest subcompact.

Driven: The 2012 Kia Rio EX Five Door

I was in Austin, TX for the launch of the new 2012 Kia Rio and Soul, and I had the opportunity to spend some time driving both cars. First, I got to drive a '12 Rio EX five-door. (Stay tuned for thoughts on the 2012 Soul.)

The car I drove had the six-speed automatic (with Active Eco System) and the 1.6-liter gasoline direct injection engine, which makes 138 horsepower. Edgy and enthusiastic, solid and sporty, the Rio has come a long way since its original debut in 2001, and should give its competitors a run for their money.

2012 Kia Rio bows at Geneva

Here are official photos of the 2012 Kia Rio. I must say, I think it's hot looking! It kind of has a European look to it, ala VW Golf/Audi A3. However, it's still different. I've read some comments that some think it looks a bit like a Fiesta, too.

There will be a number of four-cylinder powertrains: a 1.25-liter making 83 hp and 87 ft./lbs. of torque; a 1.4-liter making 108 hp and 100 ft./lbs. of torque (likely the engine we'd get in the U.S.), and two diesel engines—a 1.1-liter three banger, and a 1.4-liter. All will get a six-speed manual (sans the 1.25 liter, which gets a five-speed); the 1.4-liter gas burner will get a four-speed auto option, too.

Whatever you want to compare it to, I think it looks fantastic. Yet another possible hit by the continuously upcoming Korean manufacturer.

2012 Kia Rio debuts at New York Auto Show

I've posted up photos of the 2012 Kia Rio before, but now we've got specifics. Like the '12 Kia Soul and '12 Hyundai Accent, the Rio will get the company's 1.6-liter gasoline direct injection (GDI) powerplant, good for 138 hp and 123 ft./lbs. of torque. Fuel economy will be 30 city, 40 highway. A six-speed manual and automatic will be available.

No curb weight was given, but the wheelbase extends to a lengthy (for a subcompact) 101.2 inches. The overall length is 153.9 inches, which is only one inch longer than the current model. This tells me Kia has pushed the wheels to the corners, which probably helps handling, but typically looks better, too.

The '12 Rio will be available as a sedan and hatchback, just like before. I find both extremely attractive; possibly the best looking '12 subcompact cars I've  seen yet. Really dig the '12 Rio5.

2012 Kia Rio and Soul: Overview

Last week, I attended 2012 Kia Rio and Soul launch, held at Travaasa Resort in Austin, TX. Here I test drove the new Rio five-door and refreshed Soul, learned about Kia’s newest technologies, heard where the company was headed for in the future, and what they were presently accomplishing.

Kia says within the last three years, it has been the fastest growing car brand in the US. Their vehicle sales have risen over 50% (year to date) vs. last year, they’ve had 13 consecutive months of record sales, and have 16 years of increased US market shares—pretty impressive.

Review: 2012 Kia Rio SX sedan: The top-of-the-line trim plus a trunk

Kia’s new-for-2012 Rio has been a hit. Sales are up and overall the car is a big improvement over the previous generation in nearly every respect. We reviewed the 2012 Rio EX hatchback in December. But we recently got a chance to spend a week with the just-released, top-of-the-line SX model, this time in sedan form.

In the driveway: 2012 Kia Rio EX

Subcompact Culture attended the launch of the 2012 Kia Rio back in October. There, Mercedes (my wife and fellow contributor) talked about the host of new features and gave some initial driving impressions. Well, now we'll have the mid-level Rio EX for a week (and I'll finally get to drive it, too).

In the driveway: 2012 Kia Rio SX Sedan

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.

2012 Kia Rio images

The Kia Rio has been the Korean automaker's subcompact offering since 2000. Redesigned in 2006, the Rio is getting a bit long in the tooth, and sales have reflected this. However, the 2012 Rio will likely catapult the car into the small car spotlight as it's set to compete with the best of the best in the market. These images have been released ahead of the upcoming Geneva Auto Show.

Powerplants will range from a 1.1-liter diesel for Europe to larger gas powerplants for the U.S. I've read that it could be the 1.6-liter direct-injection Hyundai four-cylinder making 138 horsepower/123 ft./lbs. of torque.

The third-generation Rio will be two inches longer, one inch wider, and a half-inch lower than the current generation.

I happen to think the car looks fantastic, and bet it will be a major contender in the rapidly growing and increasingly competitive U.S. subcompact market.

Driven: 2012 Kia Soul! (Exclaim)

The second part of my trip to Austin, TX was to test drive the refreshed 2012 Kia Soul. Although the Soul was introduced in 2010, the ’12 model gets some updated goodies, as well as two new engines. The car I drove, the Soul! (exclaim), included a new six-speed automatic (with Active Eco System), the 2.0-liter DOHC CVVT four-cylinder engine, 18” alloys, and a whole ton of personality. The Soul is quite possibly the most funky-looking and engaging small car in the Kia line-up, so I knew I was in for a treat. Away we go!

Car and Driver compares the latest subcompacts with somewhat surprising results.

The folks over at Car and Driver has posted their six-car comparison that includes the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Accent, Nissan Versa, Kia Rio, and Chevrolet Sonic. All but the Fit are 2012 models. The results of the comparison are a bit surprising, too.

Autoblog drives the 2012 Kia Rio

The first drives of the 2012 Kia Rio are starting to come out. Autoblog just released its impressions of the Korean subcompact, and they look good. I'm really looking forward to driving one.

As I've mentioned in the past, I really like the looks. It's edgy, modern, and should get 40MPG highway, by the way.

Anyway, here's the link to their review.

Kia Rio to go racing

Well look who's going racing. Kia already has a Forte race car, which by the way, won the GRAND-AM Championship in the Street Tuner Class this year. Now Kia is gearing up its all-new 2012 Rio for the track, too. Kia is actually partnering with Kinetic Motorsports who will offer racers the necessary upgrades to turn an off-the-lot Rio into a race-ready subcompact. I wouldn't be surprised to see a factory-backed car, either. Hey, it could happen, and it did with Toyota's Yaris.

August 2011 subcompact sales

August: Not so great for subcompacts as a whole. There were only five models there were up August 2011 vs. August 2010: The Ford Fiesta continues to be very popular with sales up 76% vs. this time last year. Suzuki (a personal favorite of mine) was up 38% vs. this time last year, as well as a healthy 12% overall, which the company needs. Hyundai's new Accent is proving popular, as is the new 2012 Nissan Versa. Honda's two-seat sports hybrid, the CR-Z, also had a jump in sales vs. this time last year.

And that's it for the good news.

The big loser this month was the Kia Rio, which is unsurprising, since the current models are in short supply and the all-new 2012 Rio is set to arrive on dealer lots soon. Ditto that with the Toyota Yaris.

Of the models not yet out for a year yet, Nissan's funky Juke is still selling strong, as is the Italian darling, Fiat 500. Next month Mazda will likely cross the 10,000 sales threshold with its Mazda2.

Make/Model	Aug. '11 vs. Aug. '10	Units Aug. '11	YTD '11 vs. '10	YTD sold '11
Ford Fiesta	+76.0%	5833	+592.4%	53258
Suzuki SX4	+38.0%	1181	+12.0%	8418
Hyundai Accent	+37.6%	5289	+3.9%	36245
Nissan Versa	+14.9%	5289	-14.2%	59811
Honda CR-Z	+3.2%	745	+1281.5%	9635
Kia Soul	-1.9%	6885	+64.8%	78003
Smart ForTwo	-9.6%	405	-21.6%	3417
MINI Cooper/S Convertible	-18.1%	434	-25.4%	3548
MINI Cooper/S Clubman	-19.7%	464	-15.3%	5056
Scion xD	-24.5%	750	-1.8%	6621
Chevrolet Aveo	-35.4%	2596	-5.3%	27211
Nissan Cube	-37.2%	598	-26.6%	13212
Honda Fit	-40.2%	3959	+19.0%	43234
MINI Cooper/S Hardtop	-52.7%	1569	-29.4%	18961
Toyota Yaris	-63.1%	1112	-51.2%	14192
Kia Rio	-68.5%	658	-29.4%	13602
Nissan Juke	--	3464	--	24149
Fiat 500	--	3106	--	11088
Mazda2	--	1387	--	9899
MINI Crossover	--	642	--	10071

LINK
August 2010 subcompact sales

The Small Cars of the 2009 LA Auto Show

By Sean Murphy

The LA Auto Show wraps up this weekend after two weeks of big reveals for small cars. I had the opportunity to get to the show twice in a week to cover all the new cars and big news coming out of LA this year.

Ford Fiesta
Of course the biggest of the small news is the reveal of the US-spec Ford Fiesta. The highly anticipated Ford Fiesta, sporting a 1.6 liter engine and 40 MPG will include the new PowerShift electronic dual clutch automatic transmission. This will allow the Fiesta to be lighter than a typical automatic transmission car and has a sealed internal lubrication so it is maintenance free.

The Ford booth was packed with Fiestas in all trim levels and colors and even a few tuned and dressed up ones. Even though the Ford reps had no details on this H&R car it did look good with 18" wheels, lowered and with a vented hood. Ford even had a Fiesta Passport game that sent you around their booth looking for different fun things to do and then you had to make your way around to all the Fiesta's to collect stamps. My price was a $5 dollar Best Buy gift card and a Fiesta Keychain.

Mazda2
The new Mazda2 was announced for the US market without specifics. It is known that the car is based on the same architecture as the Ford Fiesta but the engine and driving dynamics being specifically built to Mazda’s "Zoom Zoom" quality. I asked Mazda if there were any further details, especially on the MazdaSpeed2 they had showing but all I was told is that it will be on sale summer of 2010 as a 2011 model and it will be a couple months (Detroit Auto Show maybe) that we will hear word on specs and pricing.

Chevrolet Cruze
Chevrolet had its big debut of the US Chevy Cruze compact car that will be replacing the Chevy Cobalt next year. With choices of a 1.8 liter or turbocharged 1.4 liter producing about the same power but with the 1.4L getting about 40 MPG. Chevy was also big on pushing the Volt with a large display, theme song and dancers. What Chevy was not big on was discussing the Aveo replacement. What information I did get was the Chevy Spark will be built by Daewoo and will not get to our shores until at least 2012 as a 2013 model. There will be changes made to the car, but what they are not certain of.

Kia Rio
As far as model refreshes go, the Kia Rio will be getting an updated appearance with the new corporate grill and removal of the black plastic trim from around the car. Mechanically the car will be the same, but you can expect some new interior upgrades to go along with the Rio's new attire.

Mitsubishi Colt
The big winner of the show for big news on small cars goes to Mitsubishi with its announcement of the Colt here in the USA. The EVO-nosed Colt is a current global car for Mitsubishi and will be up against a tough and growing crowd of B-Segment cars like the Ford Fiesta, Mazda2, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa, and Honda Fit. No details have been given yet, but Mitsubishi did say that we can expect a manual or CVT transmission and a MIVEC engine. A turbocharged Ralliart version is sold in Japan and would be the fastest B-segment on the market if introduced.

Suzuki
As for Suzuki and the Swift, lets just say I was told "Yeah we think it might make it to the US sometime. Hey did you see the new Kizashi?" Thanks Suzuki, glad to see you are looking out for the fastest growing car segment in the US by not giving us the best subcompact sold everywhere else in the world. Well, let's hope it does indeed come to the US sooner than later.

March 2012 subcompact sales

March proved to be a mixed bag for subcompacts. The Kia Rio proved to be the biggest seller, with sales up more than 117%. The mechanical twin, the Hyundai Accent, also sold well, as did the Nissan Versa, Kia Soul, Suzuki SX4, and Toyota Yaris. The Juke was up slightly, too.

The biggest loser, yet again, was the lowly Nissan Cube; its sales down more than 69% from last year. The Mazda2 stumbled this month, but is still up healthily for 2012.

In terms of YTD sales, Nissan's Versa is still at the top. MINI's Cooper/S Convertible—a niche vehicle—sold the fewest units.

It should be noted that Chevrolet's Sonic is selling quite well for its first year. Also, Fiat moved quite a few 500s in March, too. With the recent spike in gas prices, I wouldn't be surprised to see numbers up in the next couple of months, however. Onto the big board!

Make/Model	Mar. '12 vs. Feb.'11	Units, Mar. '12	YTD Mar. '12 vs. Mar. '11	YTD
Kia Rio	+117.8%	4509	+119.1%	10703
Hyundai Accent	+45.3%	8337	+27.6%	18484
Nissan Versa	+40.7%	15587	+16.0%	35195
Kia Soul	+35.7%	13607	+47.7%	32574
Suzuki SX4	+28.0%	1368	+18.0%	3341
Toyota Yaris	+25.6%	3547	+53.8%	10169
Nissan Juke	+1.9%	4165	-7.1%	9442
Scion xD	-0.8%	1080	+1.1%	2550
MNI Cooper/S Hardtop	-7.4%	2817	+5.4%	6828
MINI Cooper/S Convertible	-8.2%	493	-3.5%	982
MINI Cooper Countryman	-8.7%	1579	+25.2%	4132
Ford Fiesta	-33.6%	6502	-23.6%	15522
MINI Cooper/S Clubman	-36.1%	497	-19.3%	1248
Honda Fit	-36.8%	4559	-20.9%	12625
Mazda2	-38.7%	1533	+88.7%	7264
Honda CR-Z	-69.3%	536	-63.8%	1365
Nissan Cube	-69.4%	929	-70.1%	2077
Chevrolet Sonic	--	8251	--	21863
Fiat 500	--	3712	--	8850
Scion iQ	--	1285	--	2523
Smart ForTwo	--	999	--	2264
MINI Coupe	--	336	--	736
MINI Roadster	--	144	--	254

Numbers reflect sales in the United States.

Cars with manual windows, mirrors, and locks

Today we say farewell to our 2012 Nissan Versa 1.6 S sedan review vehicle. This Spartan car proved to be good in many respects, although basic. No power windows, now power locks, no power mirrors, etc. Frankly, I didn’t know there were any cars left on the U.S. market without these three power items. This prompted me to see which other new vehicles are available without power features:

Chevrolet Sonic: Manual windows and mirrors (LS)

Chevrolet Spark: Manual windows and locks (LS)

Ford Fiesta: Manual windows and locks (S)

Honda Civic: Manual windows (DX)

Jeep Patriot: Manual windows and mirrors (Sport)

Kia Rio: Manual windows, mirrors, and locks (LX)

Kia Soul: Manual mirrors (Base)

Kia Forte: Manual windows, mirrors, and locks (LX)

Nissan Versa: Manual windows, mirrors, and locks (1.6 S)

Smart ForTwo: Manual windows and mirrors (Pure)

Toyota Yaris: Manual windows and mirrors (LE)

I think I hit almost all of them. Are there any 2012 or 2013 models that I missed? If so, let me know. Are you in a different country that the U.S.? Which cars don't have power locks, windows, or doors where you are?

September 2012 subcompact sales

Some mega gains by the top three month-over-month sellers for September, 2012. The Rio up quadruple digits vs. last year. It should be noted that supplies were low in September, 2011 due to the new Rio arriving then. Ditto that with Veloster, as it had just been introduce. The Smart ForTwo, however, is a mystery, but it is putting up some big gains. That being said, several others had a good September. The Kia Soul is still the best-selling subcompact out there.

The biggest loser, again, is Honda's CR-Z. However, after briefly talking to Honda's PR representative, apparently both CR-Z and Fit would be selling better, but they are simply not cranking out both models, since they're both made in Japan, and both have to struggle with the high dollar-to-yen ratio. It was odd to see the Nissan Versa in the bottom, too. However, year-to-date sales remain very strong. The slowest seller overall has been the ultra-niche MINI Cooper/S Convertible.

Onto the big board!

Make/Model	Sep. '12 vs. Sep '11	Units, Sep '12	YTD Sep '12 vs. Sep '11	YTD
Kia Rio	+1568.9%	3171	+137.9%	32815
Hyundai Veloster	+269.6%	3020	+3297.8%	28338
Smart ForTwo	+119.6%	1030	+508.7%	7311
MINI Countryman	+65.9%	2002	+35.1%	15345
Fiat 500	+51.0%	4176	+136.0%	32742
Kia Soul	+42.0%	9467	+18.7%	93356
Scion xD	+40.4%	942	+15.5%	8425
Nissan Cube	+17.0%	515	-57.4%	5812
Suzuki SX4	+1.0%	NA	+2.0%	NA
Ford Fiesta	-1.1%	3929	-24.0%	43484
Honda Fit	-1.6%	4664	-19.6%	38578
Nissan Juke	-3.5%	3195	+2.3%	28096
MINI Cooper/S Hardtop	-4.6%	1796	+2.4%	21343
Hyundai Accent	-4.6%	4313	+26.2%	51438
MINI Cooper /S Clubman	-9.5%	417	-23.0%	4249
Mazda2	-20.9%	756	+17.3%	12795
Toyota Yaris	-30.2%	1118	+50.8%	23818
MINI Cooper/S Convertible	-31.5%	306	-5.1%	3792
Nissan Versa	-32.1%	8016	+19.5%	85572
Honda CR-Z	-37.6%	335	-66.0%	3461
Chevrolet Sonic	--	7525	--	64746
Chevrolet Spark	--	2223	--	6313
Scion iQ	--	683	--	6872
MINI Roadster	--	194	--	1596
MINI Coupe	--	184	--	2206

Numbers reflect sales in the United States.

April 2012 subcompact sales

From the numbers below, it looks like April, 2012 was a mixed bag for the smallest of the small cars. Although the usual suspects were up at the top, there have been a few cars that seem to be in a slump, such as the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2 (which has done well YTD vs. 2011).

The big winner was Toyota's redesigned-for-2012 Yaris with sales up over 115% vs. April, 2011.

The big loser this month, Honda's two-seater hybrid, the CR-Z, which moved a paltry 334 units for a whopping drop of 81.6% vs. this same time last year. In what appears to be continual slump, Nissan's funky Cube, which now going on eight straight months of sales drops of more than -60% vs. the same time last year. Yikes.

Chevy's Sonic continues to sell very well; Fiat's 500 looks healthy, too. And yes, the Scion iQ has now outsold the Smart ForTwo for two consecutive months. On to the big board!

Make/Model	Apr. '12 vs. Apr.'11	Units, Apr. '12	YTD Apr. '12 vs. Apr. '11	YTD
Toyota Yaris	+115.1%	4274	+68.0%	14443
Kia Rio	+55.6%	4006	+97.2%	14709
Hyundai Accent	+40.3%	6160	+30.1%	24644
Nissan Versa	+30.0%	8335	+18.5%	43530
Kia Soul	+2.5%	10716	+33.1%	43290
MINI Cooper/S Convertible	-7.8%	521	-5.1%	1503
MINI Countryman	-10.3%	1533	+13.1%	5665
Nissan Juke	-12.0%	2887	-8.3%	12329
Suzuki SX4	-15.0%	854	+9.0%	4195
MINI Cooper/S Hardtop	-22.2%	2621	-4.0%	9843
Mazda2	-23.4%	1048	+59.3%	8312
Scion xD	-24.0%	916	-7.0%	3466
MINI Cooper/S Clubman	-36.9%	508	-25.3%	1756
Ford Fiesta	-43.9%	5135	-29.9%	20657
Honda Fit	-60.5%	3202	-32.9%	15827
Nissan Cube	-66.9%	573	-69.5%	2650
Honda CR-Z	-81.6%	334	-69.1%	1699
Chevrolet Sonic	--	6387	--	28250
Fiat 500	--	3849	--	12699
Scion iQ	--	962	--	3485
Smart ForTwo	--	764	--	3028
MINI Coupe	--	290	--	290
MINI Roadster	--	258	--	512

Numbers reflect sales in the United States.

November 2010 subcompact sales

This was a half-and-half month: Half the models were up, half were down compared to this time last year. The pack was lead by the Kia Soul, up 122.8% over this time last year. It also gets a mark in the "win" category for the biggest year-to-date change thus far.

The big loser this month was the Kia Rio, which was down more than 70% and only sold 966 units. It, like the Accent and Yaris, are both basically unchanged since their introductions in 2006 (2007 for the Yaris). All three will be revamped for 2012. No major story on the slowest seller of the year—the Smart ForTwo—which continues its downward spiral.

The two newcomers paint an interesting picture, though. The Fiesta, launched in June, is already outpacing a number of the more established models. The Mazda 2, released in July, has only sold 2,187 models (only 462 models were sold in November). Only the MINI Cooper Convertible and aforementioned Smart ForTwo sold slower.

Make/Model	Nov. '10 vs. Nov. '09	Units Sept. '10	YTD '10 vs. '09	YTD sold '10
Kia Soul	+122.8%	5,582	+110.9%	60,743
Chevrolet Aveo	+47.5%	3,262	+26.8%	44,586
MINI Cooper/S Hardtop	+25.1%	2,030	+4.7%	44,586
Nissan Versa	+21.1%	6,724	+17.6%	89,504
Honda Fit	+12.2%	4,180	-20.8%	49,494
Hyundai Accent	+5.8%	4,052	-23.1%	49,191
Suzuki SX4	+5.0%	1,140	-47.0%	10,380
Scion xD	-5.6%	810	-31.1%	9,286
MINI Cooper S/Clubman	-13.4%	459	-24.0%	7,640
MINI Cooper S/Convertible	-27.7%	297	+13.6%	6,594
Nissan Cube	-35.9%	1,003	+18.8%	21,883
Toyota Yaris	-42.0%	2,154	-37.4%	36,654
Smart ForTwo	-67.5%	211	-61.0%	5,357
Kia Rio	-72.4%	966	-23.0%	23,675
Ford Fiesta	--	3,473	--	18,061
Mazda2	--	462	--	2,187