Test drive Kia Rio hatchback 2005 - 2008 hatchback

Hello and goodbye

When something known, well, well, everything is suddenly familiar, unexpectedly changes, you can’t say right away, for the better or for the worse. True, in the automotive world, any such transformation can be measured exactly. In banknotes.


Focuses with changing clothes
I have one old acquaintance. He works in a serious state office, which is not far from the Lubyanka metro. But do not be scared, he is a very sweet and modest person. Dresses also very modestly. I guess why. To be inconspicuous is nothing more than a professional habit.
 

And he travels on the hatchback Rio Tom, the Kaliningrad assembly. The body is painted in the most inconspicuous color dark gray. However, even the blue or bright red Rio attracts not much more than others. For a fighter with spies, the option is optimal.
 

But the Koreans released a completely new Rio. With his predecessor, he is related only to the emblem. And what I am absolutely sure of my friend will never buy this car. Even if he really likes such a kia. A painfully noticeable car surroundings pay attention to it immediately.
 

For me, it is not only more attractive than other Korean superminations, but also against the background of European ones will not be lost. And let the smile of his radiator lattice is very similar to the one that Mazda-3 has, and sharply defined wheel arches seemed to be peeping at the focus. The main thing is that there was no trace of the previous facelessness.
 

So, after all, it was conceived. Working on the design of the novelty, the Kia designers focused on the requests spoiled by the fanciful turns of the automotive fashion of European youth. No wonder: 40% of the exported kia are intended for Europe. In Slovakia, a plant is already being built, where they will begin to produce 300 thousand cars a year. Rio will also be assembled there, but for now, cars from Korea are being taken to us.
 



More or less?
Most European firms are trying to make the next generation model more than the previous one. But the Koreans acted exactly the opposite: the hatchback became a good quarter meter shorter. Do you think the salon is now closer because of this? It didn’t happen! Having become much less, Rio turned out significantly ... more. The wheelbase is 9 cm longer, the car became 5 cm higher and wider one and a half.
 

That is why it is now more convenient to sit in it. At the driver's seat, the range of longitudinal adjustment increased. True, I had never experienced discomfort at the wheel with my 186th growth of discomfort. But then, when landing behind them, the knees rested on the back of the chair, and now they do not even touch it. Yes, and it became more spacious in the shoulders. I am sure that on the back sofa, two adults of the average complexion together with the child will not get tired of a long trip.

 
   
The driver’s chair with a large range of adjustments, but the pillow is short

It has become more spacious on the back sofa, and sitting here is now much more convenient

Airbags, as before, are no more than two, but the passenger is now disconnected


Incidentally, the back of the sofa not only folds in parts, but also adjusted along the angle of inclination. True, she has only two provisions. But here you have another pleasant trifle of a driver's seat on cars with an automatic box, a convenient armrest appeared.
 

But what is a large base and lower length? That's right, short overhangs. So for the spacious salon Rio had to pay a small trunk. Its volume decreased by 180 liters and is now 270 liters. With the back of the rear seat, only 130 liters were taken away from their bags and stratumaches more lucky, leaving 1145. Nevertheless, by the standards of the class, these are completely normal numbers, more than that of the hetz, and approximately the same as the Peugeot-206 or Corses.
 



Rio turns ...
But all these boring calculations of liters and cubic decimeters will immediately go into the background as soon as you see what kind of rio are cool options for the interior decoration. The upholstery of seats and door panels happens with blue and red inserts. The steering wheel is sheathed with leather, and the central console, now slightly deployed to the driver, decorates the frame for aluminum.

 
However, stop. We seem to hurry a little. All this diversity plays with paints in an advertising booklet, but in the car ... No, you can, of course, get a cheerful upholstery and leather steering wheel, but only on the most expensive versions. And more affordable, apparently, are addressed to unbending optimists, whom gray, dark gray and black colors of the interior will not upset at all. Or in KIA it is believed that only wide silver -plated rims around the speedometer and tachometer and orange backlight will contribute to the life -affirming mood.
 

The decoration materials themselves, as before, are not distinguished by a noble origin. The seats, for example (though only at the hatchback), are sheathed in the net with a fabric exactly the same goes to the lining of sportswear. The athlete will probably like it. Only he should not be a very high front seat pillow seemed to me somewhat short. But it will be at the same time, especially since the appearance and spacious salon are not all that a new model can boast of.

 
  
Even in Rio more than $ 15,000, there may not be an electric mirror electric drive

The pocket in the door sheat is suitable for an umbrella or road maps
 
 
Under the floor of the trunk hides a full -size reserve with the necessary tool

The rear seat folds in parts, almost flush with the floor




A miracle of small volume
Our hero now has two engines, and both are completely new. The first motor, despite a modest 1.4 liter, is fraught with 97 horses, only one less than the previous 1.5-liter. But the other, with a working volume of 1.6 liters, is able to develop 112 liters. With. and is equipped with also variable phases of gas distribution. How a more powerful car is traveling, we will definitely tell in one of the closest numbers. In the meantime, we will share our impressions from Rio-1,4 with a machine gun.
 

That's a miracle that I did not expect. Unlike his 1.5-liter predecessor, this baby, even with such a seemingly modest weapons, is quite capable of showing his teeth. The motor confidently pulls from the bottoms, and the machine does not differ in the former thoughtfulness, and the four transmission subordinates to it change in a timely manner and without jerks. Which allows you to gain speed well, leaving behind numerous representatives of the domestic auto industry, and rebuild without any problems. On the country's suburban tracks, Kia also kept fellow, overtaking 100 km/h of trucks did not become a test of the nervous system for me, even with 120 km/h the car accelerated well.
 

By the way, the box is now also adaptive, and if it is slightly training, pressing it on the gas pedal more, it will change the program at higher speeds. Only in the load on the best dynamics you will get a fair amount of noise from the motor. In the first -generation Rio, the ears became hard at engine speeds of 3500 and higher, and now the sound begins to reach at 4500 rpm. Even the noise insulation of the hood and motor shield did not help. So I preferred not to experience drum membranes for strength, but to go more calmly.
 

Although the features of the chassis and settings of the steering have produced to be more active. True, the suspension is still, as a good accountant, counts every little thing on the road. But in the turns, the rolls of the body became much smaller, and most importantly, a reactive force appeared on the steering wheel. Why it became simply interesting to pass the turns by car. And the high -speed straight Rio with grown tracks and the base holds more confidently.
 



Magic David Copperfield
In a word, I liked this baby. Even despite the boring salon and cheap finishing materials. After all, he became more attractive, more spacious and learned to ride much more interesting. And then I looked at his price ... That's truly, transformation in the style of television magician No. 1.
 

Rio now costs more than all his Korean classmates and even some cars higher. Yes, they collect it in Korea, and not in Kaliningrad, but having paid $ 13,500, you will receive a 1.4 liter motor, one pillow of safety, steering wheel amplifier and wiring speakers. The previous generation car in the same configuration could be bought for $ 10,780. In my opinion, all the advantages of the new Rio do not justify the difference of $ 2720.
 

But the machine we drove was equipped with an automatic machine, ABS, two airbags and four electric windows and cost all $ 15 190. The updated chitz with the same motor and transmission, but much richer, is $ 800 ... cheaper. It is somehow not very believed that in such a situation there are many people who want to make friendship with Rio.
    
Swan, cancer and pike

Now three importers are engaged in the supply of Rio, from this configuration and prices in different car dealerships are significantly different. In some, for example, you will not find hatchbacks with a 1.6 liter engine or a car with this type of body. But, having studied all prices, we still determined some patterns.

Hatchback is now cheaper than sedan on an average of $ 100. For the most affordable modification, dealers ask $ 13,500. This means a 97-horsepower motor, a mechanical gearbox, one airbag, steering pillow and audio training. Do you want air conditioning, a second pillow, electric windows, central locking and mirrors with electric drive and heating? We'll have to pay more $ 1000. The automatic box costs $ 1100, and a more powerful engine of 1.6 liters of $ 1200. A set of ABS, fog heads, cast discs, a steering wheel and a salon with colored inserts will require an additional payment of $ 900.
 
PER

Attractive appearance, spacious interior, frisky engines, good handling
AGAINST

Hard suspension, low quality interior decoration, small trunk at the hatchback, high price
 
Kia Rio 1.4

common data
 
Body, number of places/doors
Hatchback, 5/5
 
Equipped mass, kg
1080
 
Length x width x height, mm
3990x1695x1470
 
Base, mm
2500
 
Front/back, mm track
1470/1460
 
Speed, km/h
168
 
Acceleration time 0100 km/h, with
14.5
 
Fuel consumption, l/100 highway/city
6.9/9.5
 

Engine
 
Location
Front transversely
 
Design
gasoline, 4-cylinder, in order
 
Working volume, SMZ
1399
 
Power, L.S. at rpm
97/6000
 
Torque, kgsm at rpm
12.8/4700
 

Chassis
 
Transmission
Automatic 4-speed
 
Suspension:
spring with telescopic shock absorbers
 
front
Independent type Mc_ferson with a reptile stabilizer
 
behind
Elastic transverse beam
 
Steering
rhealenic type with hydraulic power steering
 
Brakes
disk, in front ventilated
 
Tires
175/70 R14
 

Car
0.20 $/km
 
 
Andrey Koltun, photo of Maxim Goncharov
 
 

Source: Magazine buy a car [21/2005]