When I had my Jazz some 9 months ago, there was no other car in its class that made me think twice about getting it.
Nine months later and the all-new Kia Rio Hatchback came about, and, darn, she's gorgeous. The perfect song for it in my case is "Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang!" And really, if only this was around 9 months before, I would have considered picking the Rio over the Jazz. If only there were rumors about it I would have waited. But sadly, I have my Jazz and I can't afford having a 'kerida'. Hehehehe...
Really, the Rio is really a very well-designed car. From the aggressive front fascia over the swooping roof-line, to the sloping rear where it met the very beautiful set of tail lamps plus the stock 17-inchers wrapped with series 45 rubbers. A real gorgeous at the same time a major bad-a** car. The interior is not far back also. Albeit a very plasticky and basic design to the interior, it offers a wide range of amenities which you will only get in cars worth over a million pesos. Steering wheel controls are the first things that got my eye when I went inside. Then as you scan around, you will see the push button Start/Stop (a very major PLUS factor), then a very basic stereo but you can plug in your mp3 players into the 3.5mm jack or you can save your songs into a USB flash drive and access them through the USB port. Then the next thing I noticed was the shift lever and the little '+' and '-' signs on it. Now the is special. That feature is reserved on premium brands but I'm glad that Kia was willing to shell out dough for this extra just so the end-user of this car will feel a bit more special. Though it's not as comfortable as having paddle shifters as my Jazz but in my point of view, it's a huge PLUS. By the way, did I mention that the glove compartment can be used as a cooler. Kia must have hired a designer who want to have cold beer anytime and anywhere.
Now enough of that, I am really excited to use the Start button! So push the button it is. Upon starting the engine the instrument panel lighted up with a cool blue and red lighting. Wait a minute, has the engine started already? So I reached for the button again to start it up when the Kia salesman stopped me and said that the engine's running already. Yup, inside the cabin with the doors closed, you really can't hear the engine noise unless you concentrate enough but then all you're going to hear is a soft hum. Now that is good insulation. I just hope it continues down to road noise and bumps. Then off I go. Initially going easy on the pedals. I noticed that transition between gears is very smooth. No jerkiness at all. Road noise is very minimal and bumps are well handled. Steering is electric assist so I expected a very light steering resistance and I am correct. Though it is lighter than I would have preferred but it is just me. But steering is very direct and responsive. Suspension is a bit on the soft side which is good in our road condition but in tighter curves, you'll be longing for a stiffer set. Then I pushed the engine harder and it lurched forward though not as eager as I would have wanted it to. What I noticed though was that the transmission didn't downshift when I stepped on the gas. Anyway, a 1.4 engine is a 1.4. You don't expect to get a 2.0L performance from the engine. So considering, I'd say it is more than enough for daily driving. As for the tiptronic shifter, I noticed that the throw is short which is a good thing. The next thing I noted was that I cannot upshift when the RPM is below 2000 unlike with the Jazz where I could shift to a higher gear when I get to 1500 RPM. So I concluded that this car is for the race-minded people out there where you don't upshift until the RPM is well above 3000.
Economy is not final but assuming that a manual 1.4L Rio sedan is rated at 11km to the liter. I expect that FE of this baby is around 8-9 city, depending on how you drive. By the way, expect that FE will be much less on the first few weeks of owning this car. Not because that it needs breaking-in but more of you'll be wanting to play with that tiptronic gear lever.
So... after everything I have said, I give this baby an overall score of 8 out of 10.
Just an after thought... I am really considering trading-in my Jazz if only they'd be willing to appraise my 9 month old car at a higher rate. Anyhow, anyone want to buy my Jazz? Hehehehe...
A Little Too Late... Rio Hatchback
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