The Kia Rio made its debut in Malaysia last night at the Curve, coming two us in two guises – the EX and SX, both of which carry a confirmed On-The-Road with Insurance price tag of just RM73,888 and RM79,888 respectively.
Being Kia’s best-selling global model for 2012 (466,826 units sold in 2012 alone), this B-segment 5-door hatch from Korea may be small in size, but rest assured its simply packed with goodies that’ll help attract those under 35 who seek something with a trendy lifestyle, fuel economy and best of all – safety.
Under the hood of the Rio resides a 1.4L petrol engine, providing 107bhp at 6,300rpm and 140Nm of torque at 4,300rpm and a 4-speed auto gearbox with tip-tronic functionality gets coupled to the engine.
What can be found in the entry level Rio EX that’ll cost you RM73,888 (OTR + Ins) are Projector Headlamps, LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs), Electric Folding mirrors, LED Side repeaters, LED Rear Combination Lamps, Glove Box Cooling, bending lights, Bluetooth connectivity, ISOFIX Seat and best of all – 6-airbags (Front, side and Curtain), all within an a 5-star Euro NCAP aerodynamic body that has a respectable drag coefficient of just 0.32Cd, while it rolls on 16″ alloy rims wrapped by 195/55 Kumho Solus tyres.
However, when it comes to the range topping Rio SX that’ll require an additional RM6,000 on top of the EX will be the additional goodies you’ll get, starting with the front bumper fog lamps, sun roof, keyless entry system, Push Start button and Smart Key, supervision cluster with trip computer, Auto Defogger, rain sensing wipers a fully automatic air conditioner with cluster ionizer and stylish 17″ alloys wrapped by 205/45 ContiSportContact 3 rubbers.
Be it 16″ or 17″ alloy rims, they’ll be housing all four discs brakes at each corners which the front suspension sits on Macpherson Struts, the rear gets equipped with a torsion beam. But to help it remain stable around the bends, the RIO’s been blessed with ESC (Electronic Stability Control), EBD, (Electronic Brake-force Distribution), ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), TCS (Traction Control System), BAS (Brake Assist System), HAC (Hill-Star Assist System) and a VSM Program (Vehicle Stability Management).
Currently, the Rio is being offered in 5 colours being Deep Blue, Signal Red, Clear White and Bright Silver and finally the Electronic Blue shade, which is exclusively available only for the 1.4 SX variant while warranty comes in under the shade of a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty period.
