Both variants include a stereo system with USB and auxiliary ports that produces commendable sound. The car also inherits hands-free Bluetooth technology. The essentials for every techno-savvy driver, wouldn’t you say?
Charming cruiser
The best part of all this is that the economini is a nice drive. The power steering is precise, if a little light. The brakes are easy to measure out, the suspension isn’t too dry and, especially, doesn’t tolerate excessive rolling.
The front seats are comfortable, but not too formfitting. The rear seats are suitable for two children. Two being the magic word here, because three people in back would find it a bit of a squeeze and wouldn’t be too impressed on road trips. The relatively low belt line ensures decent visibility; parking is made easier and you don’t need a rear-view camera (and the premium it entails).
The Rio may be small, but its trunk is nonetheless as spacious (within 3 litres) as that of the longer Honda Civic DX (4.5 metres v. 4.2!). It presents a nice wide opening and a relatively low sill, lower than that of a Nissan Versa sedan. And if you fold down the 60/40 split rear seats, you can load up cumbersome objects. So although it’s not as versatile as a Rio5 hatchback, the Rio sedan handles bulky luggage fairly well.
Compact or Subcompact
When thinking of buying a Rio Convenience, there is one question that needs to be asked: are you better off with this relatively well-equipped subcompact car or a simpler, base version of a compact sedan such as the Civic DX? The cheaper sales price of the latter bears consideration.
However, the diminutive size of an economini like the Rio might be the deciding factor for some buyers, like city dwellers who have to hunt down an elusive parking space in a car-clogged downtown core every day. These drivers may also be attracted by the power of negotiation they’ll have over this model when the 2012 Rio joins the fray…
Charming cruiser
The best part of all this is that the economini is a nice drive. The power steering is precise, if a little light. The brakes are easy to measure out, the suspension isn’t too dry and, especially, doesn’t tolerate excessive rolling.
The front seats are comfortable, but not too formfitting. The rear seats are suitable for two children. Two being the magic word here, because three people in back would find it a bit of a squeeze and wouldn’t be too impressed on road trips. The relatively low belt line ensures decent visibility; parking is made easier and you don’t need a rear-view camera (and the premium it entails).
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| The trunk features a wide opening and a relatively low sill, so you won’t have trouble loading bulky items. (Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com) |
The Rio may be small, but its trunk is nonetheless as spacious (within 3 litres) as that of the longer Honda Civic DX (4.5 metres v. 4.2!). It presents a nice wide opening and a relatively low sill, lower than that of a Nissan Versa sedan. And if you fold down the 60/40 split rear seats, you can load up cumbersome objects. So although it’s not as versatile as a Rio5 hatchback, the Rio sedan handles bulky luggage fairly well.
Compact or Subcompact
When thinking of buying a Rio Convenience, there is one question that needs to be asked: are you better off with this relatively well-equipped subcompact car or a simpler, base version of a compact sedan such as the Civic DX? The cheaper sales price of the latter bears consideration.
However, the diminutive size of an economini like the Rio might be the deciding factor for some buyers, like city dwellers who have to hunt down an elusive parking space in a car-clogged downtown core every day. These drivers may also be attracted by the power of negotiation they’ll have over this model when the 2012 Rio joins the fray…
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