The new Kia Rio – Korean manufacturer’s global best-selling model – will make its global debut on 29 September 2016 in Paris, at the 2016 Mondial de l’Automobile, commonly known as the Paris Motor Show. The fourth generation B-segment Rio will be manufactured at Kia’s Sohari manufacturing facility in Korea, and will go on sale globally during the first quarter of 2017.
The Rio’s new exterior and interior design change was led by Kia’s design centres in Germany and California, in collaboration their domestic design base in Namyang, Korea.
Upfront the Rio sports Kia’s ‘tiger-nose’ grille, now thinner and wider with a gloss black grille cover; newly-designed bi-function headlights, with U-shaped LED daytime running lights; relocated front fog light and a longer bonnet featuring bracket-shaped creases that run from the base of the A-pillars to the grille and headlights.
A more stable stance is achieved with a long bonnet and longer front overhang, a 10 mm longer wheelbase (up to 2,580 mm), a thinner, more upright C-pillar, and a shorter rear overhang. Overall, the new car is 15 mm longer than its predecessor, at 4,065 mm in length, and 5 mm lower (now 1,450 mm tall).
The rear section is now more upright as well, with a near-vertical rear windscreen and a shorter overhang featuring a more sculpted set of rear lamps with arrow-shaped LEDs.
In Europe, the 5-door Rio will be available in a choice of eight exterior colours and a choice of three aluminium alloy wheel designs, ranging from 15-inch to 17-inch in diameter.
As for the interiors, the dashboard is more driver-centric thanks to it being angled towards the driver and at the centre of the dashboard is a ‘floating’ HMI (human-machine interface), with fewer hard buttons, more ergonomic, concave switches and rotator dials below to control the heating and ventilation.
The new Rio is available with a choice of black or grey cloth seat upholstery, or with black or grey faux leather. A ‘Red Pack’ for the Rio gives buyers black with red artificial leather-trimmed seats throughout the cabin.
New technologies include keyless entry and ignition, heated seats and steering wheel, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, and automatic headlamps. The new model is also available with Automatic Cruise Control, with a speed limiter, and Rear Park Assist with a rear view camera.
The Rio’s 10 mm-longer wheelbase and 15mm-longer body contribute to larger cabin and boot dimensions. Leg room grows to 1,120 mm in the front and 770 mm in the rear, while the new model offers more shoulder room than most other cars in its class – 1,375 mm in the front and 1,355 in the rear. Despite being 5 mm shorter front and rear headroom (1,021 mm and 966 mm respectively) are among the best in the B-segment.
Furthermore, thinner C-pillars – reduced in width by 87 mm – and relocated door mirrors (moved up to the base of the A-pillar) help minimise the size of the driver’s blind spots and improve all-round visibility.
The Rio is fitted as standard with split-folding rear seats and a tyre mobility kit under the boot floor. Buyers can specify an optional spare wheel. The fuel tank, which is located under the rear bench, is 45 litres in size, two litres larger than the earlier model. The Rio is also claimed to have the largest boot capacities (325 litres) in its class i.e. an increase of 37 litres.
The new Kia Rio will be powered by a range of petrol and diesel engines, one of which will be Kia’s latest three-cylinder 1.0-litre T-GDI (turbo gasoline direct injection) engines – introduced first time in the upgraded Kia cee’d – producing between 98 bhp at 4,500 rpm and 172 Nm torque from 1,500 to 4,000 rpm. The higher-powered 118 bhp engine produces the same torque output across the same band of engine speeds, while power is accessible at a higher 6,000 rpm peak. Both engines are expected to deliver sub-100 g/km CO2 emissions (NEDC, combined). The Rio’s Idle Stop & Go (ISG) system will see emissions reduced even further, pending homologation.
Kia will offer more traditional powertrains in the form of a naturally-aspirated 1.25-litre and 1.4-litre MPI (multi-point injection) petrol engines. The 82 bhp 1.25-litre engine produces its peak power at 6,000 rpm and 122 Nm torque at 4,000 rpm; the 1.4-litre produces 90 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 132 Nm torque at 4,000 rpm. Both motors are expected to deliver CO2 emissions of under 120 g/km, Pending final homologation tests.
Some markets will also receive a 1.4-litre diesel engine, producing either 69 or 88 bhp with which Kia engineers are targeting CO2 emissions under 90 g/km with ISG.
All engines apply power to the front wheels, either through a five-speed manual transmission for 1.25-litre and 98 bhp 1.0-litre T-GDI gasoline engines; or a six-speed manual transmission for the 1.4-litre gasoline engine, the higher-output 118 ps 1.0-litre T-GDI engine, and both 1.4-litre diesel engines.
Targeting a five-star Euro NCAP crash safety rating when fitted with optional ADAS technology, the Rio will be the first car in the B-segment to feature Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian recognition. The Rio’s AEB system uses a long-range radar detection system to detect potential collisions with other vehicles or pedestrians and helps bring the car to a halt. AEB is paired with a Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS). The new Rio is also fitted with six airbags throughout the cabin, as well as ISOFIX child-seat tether and anchor points for front and rear passenger seats.
The Rio is built on a high-strength steel body that sits on fully-independent MacPherson strut front suspension and a torsion beam rear axle with revised spring and damper set-up than before. As part of package you will also have as standard with Kia’s Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) to ensure stability under braking and cornering, detecting a loss in traction and using ESC to help the driver keep the car on course.
At the centre of the dashboard is the new infotainment system, housing Kia’s latest HMI (human-machine interface). The new Rio is available with a ‘floating’ 5.0-inch touchscreen audio system with six speakers. Buyers can also specify a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment and navigation system, with Kia Connected Services powered by TomTom®, as well asAndroid Auto™ and Apple CarPlay™ for full smartphone integration.
The Kia Connected Services connectivity package offers live traffic updates, speed camera locations and alerts, local point-of-interest search and weather forecasts. Available in cars equipped with navigation Kia’s Connected Services will be available free of charge for European buyers for seven years after the car’s purchase. The Rio’s Android Auto™ system is designed to work with Android phones running 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher as for Apple CarPlay™, will enable full Siri voice control to control the phone’s various functions will be compatible with iPhone 5 or newer. The Kia Rio will be the first car in the B-segment to be equipped with USB ports in the front and rear, both will have data and recharge capabilities.
The kind of specs, trims and extras have not been announced for the Rio that will make it to Middle Eastern shores. But keep watching this space for the latest updates.
