Test drive Kia Rio 5 doors since 2011 hatchback

Kia Rio. Social Democrat

Kia Rio. Price: from 459 900 p. On sale: since October 2011

October can be considered epoch -making for both KIA and Russian consumer. It is in October that sales of a new Korean state employee will start, with the advent of which competitors will have to be hard. The name is Kia Rio

Test pilot
Oleg Kalaushin, 42 years old, automobile journalist, driving experience 23 years old, personal car - Renault Logan

I admit honestly, I met this car for the first time in June. Something covered in fabric covers stood near one of the St. Petersburg shopping centers. However, surprisingly, there was no onlook near the car. I could not pass by such an event. The silhouette of the novelty, no matter how carefully it was draped, all one was visible. And this silhouette was damn similar to the silhouette of Hyundai Solaris who had already driven along our roads. There was no doubt: before me stood the new Kia Rio. It was only necessary to wait for the official presentation. And this day has come.

Here they are, handsome. Two rows of new Kia Rio are parked near one of Peter's floating restaurants. They are waiting ... They are waiting for the company of automobile and not very journalists saddle them, and already in the evening, after about 300 km of run, they will become the subject of hot discussion on the odometer of each car. But for now, in anticipation of the presentation, they are simply examined. You can’t say anything, the machine was clearly a success. Peter Schreyer and his team know their job. With his arrival at Kia, the exterior and the interior of these Korean cars changed beyond recognition. And now, when any of his creations passes by, there is a desire to enjoy what he saw, and not remake him. Although, of course, not everything is as perfect in the exterior as it could be. For a long time, having rejoiced with a colleague, we still agreed that the radiator grille could have several other honeycombs. It will be painfully troublesome to wash them, especially if you do not have a high -pressure apparatus at hand. Well, okay, everyone can offend the artist. As, however, everyone can choose for himself a car precisely in the configuration in which they want. Why am I if it is about the body? But what. Determining the machine according to the equipment, the marketers made sure that they looked somewhat different. So, for example, in the Comfort and Luxe trim levels, the turns repeaters are located in the wings, but in Prestige and Premium they are already attached in the mirrors. There are minor differences in the radiator grill. By the way, not everyone is available so beloved by our casting. But the 15th discs are already in the database.

But do not assume that in the basic configuration of RIO will be empty, like mandolin. We do not have a basic package, representatives of Kia Motors say, our configuration starts with a Comfort package. Well, perhaps this is right. After all, it is already sufficient to receive pleasure not only from the fact that you have become the owner of a new car, but also to taste some charms of life, such as air conditioning, two airbags, front and rear disc brakes, ABS and a system of preventing emergency braking. Yes, front windows are also present. Well, then more ... It makes no sense to list what the car in other trim levels can be equipped. The list is enough, right down to a non-clock access system. Let's just say: the new Kia Rio implies 4 levels of completion and 7 modifications. In general, there is where to walk around. But will the engines take place?

I drove my first hundred kilometers on RIO with a 1.4 -liter engine with a capacity of 107 hp. and a mechanical gearbox. Of course, I can’t say that I was amazed: such a machine could not boast of an enviable dynamics. But to say that the car is not going at all, I would not. You just need to clearly be aware that when purchasing a car with an engine 1.4, you should not expect speakers V6 from it. Looking ahead, I will say that the version with a 1.6-liter engine is not much more dynamic. The difference is a little more than a second. However, this should be expected with such an insignificant difference in horses: there are only 16 more there. Therefore, cars are also slightly different in fuel economy. But if we talk about cars with an automatic box, the difference between 1.4 and 1.6 is already noticeable.

And what about handling? It is no secret that the new Kia Rio was built on the same platform with Hyundai Solaris, and the latter, until recently, had claims precisely for this indicator. The reason for this was excessively soft shock absorbers. On Rio, as well as on subsequent Solaris, they were replaced by shock absorbers with other characteristics, and the behavior of the car has changed. In any case, the car does not suffer from excessive wolf in corners. But how well he goes in directions! Usually the organizers of dynamic presentations try to avoid bad roads. But not this time. One of the stages was laid precisely on such a disgusting asphalt that I personally would not fly like that in my car. But Rio is not his own in general, for the sake of the purity of the experiment. And I must say that if earlier, in this indicator, my beloved Logan was in the first place, now I can say that Rio on potholes is very good.

But not only the work of the suspension delighted me in this car. The salon doesn’t even smell of budgetary! Of course, usually to journalists for a test drive, cars are put up in fairly rich trim levels, but even if you remove a leather pad from the lids of the instruments and leave the air conditioning instead of climate control, the whole interior looks very solid. Moreover, solidity is expressed not only in the materials, but also in the approach to the little things, whether it is elegant central ducts or a shield of devices, whose arrows at the time of turning on the ignition run through dials in test mode. By the way, there can be two shields: the usual and so -called supervision. The latter is supplemented by a scale of engine temperature, optimal backlight and extended functionality of the on -board computer. As for the salon, the car itself is quite spacious. Seats are quite convenient. But the fact that the steering column is regulated only in the angle of inclination, perhaps someone will not really like it.

As for me, for example, I no longer liked the fact that a car with a trunk of 500 liters some of this volume is eaten by the hinges of the lids. And also the fact that this very lid can be opened either from the cabin, pulling the lever on the floor, or from the key. There are no buttons on the lid. Fortunately, the trunk is not opened, as usual, namely, it opens, fully providing convenient access. I note that if you wish, you can increase the trunk by folding the back of the second row of seats in a ratio of 60/40.

A few words about the adaptation of the car to Russian realities. The first thing that went to Kia Motors is to strengthen the anti -corrosion protection of the body. The battery also provided for the increased capacity. The engine starting is guaranteed at -35 ° C. Of the attributes of comfort, two -level heating of the front seats and the heating of the rest zone of the wipers. But then personally I have a question: why does the machine intended for operation in Russia lack the engine protection? No, she, of course, is, but she is plastic. Steel would be much more appropriate. And let the clearance of the car is 160 mm, all one can be attached to us literally out of the blue. And I did not like the rubber that is equipped with a car from the plant. It painfully weakly resists aquetlanation. And when changing the row, it is felt that the car on it is not very stable, especially in the rut.

We do not love
The corresponding connectors will allow the music lovers to get rid of the fire number of discs. Reasonable
A folding cup holder in a armrest. Carefully
The trunk loops when closing the latter eat a lot of useful liters. It's a shame

Driving
The car does not amaze with dynamics, but is quite capable of please the owner with predictability and sled comfort.
  
Salon
Worked out in detail, and also quite high quality assembled.
  
Comfort
According to this indicator, the machine is quite capable of comparing a higher class cars.

Safety
The minimum safety level includes two airbags and ABS

Price
Comparable with competitors.

Advantages and disadvantages
+ Dynamics, equipment level, disk brakes, noise insulation, 5 years of guarantee, a fairly high level of safety in the basic equipment
- plastic protection of the motor compartment

Specifications
Dimensions - 4370x1700x1470 mm
Engine-gasoline, 1396 cm3, 107 hp/6300 min-1, 135 nm/5000 min-1
Transmission - mechanical, 5 -speed
Dynamics - max 190 km/h; 11.5 s to 100 km/h
Fuel consumption - 5.9 l/100 km in mix. cycle
Competitors - Renault Logan, Hyundai Solaris, VW Polo Sedan, Chevrolet Aveo

Our opinion
In general, the new Kia Rio really liked it. Comfortable, convenient, quite dynamic and pretty pretty. The revolution in the market, given the prices similar to competitors, he, of course, will not produce. But they will definitely spoil their mood. Moreover, even in the minimum level of equipment, it is well equipped.

Author: Oleg Kalaushin
Photo: Igor Kuznetsov
 
 

Source: Magazine 5 wheel [October 2011]