2001 - 2002 Kia Rio Pre-Owned Review

The metal that the design is made up of is a little on the tinny side, expected in this class of car, but despite this

The Rio's 96 horsepower 1.5-litre 4-cylinder surprised me with its peppy performance and fairly smooth idle. (Photo: Kia Canada)

the first generation Rio sedan achieved a 4 rating (the best being 5) for driver and passenger safety in the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash tests. Specifically the crash test number 4 indicates the Rio has a 10 to 20 percent chance for serious injury in front- and side-impact collisions or rollovers. A 5 suggests a 10 percent chance for serious injuries or less.

So the Rio is a safe car, and should offer better than average reliability, but what's it like to drive? In a previous test drive of a new 2002 model, I stated that the Rio's 96 horsepower 1.5-litre 4-cylinder surprised me with its peppy performance and fairly smooth idle when the optional 4-speed automatic transmission was in park. When shifted into drive at a full stop, a slight vibration occurred. I felt the shifts were fairly smooth thanks to a variable force solenoid. Personally

Despite the lack of a fully independent suspension, the Rio manages tigh corners admirably. (Photo: Kia Canada)

I'd opt for the standard 5-speed manual transmission, which on another test proved to be quite well suited to the engine. In the end the Rio's 970 kg (2,134 lb) curb weight helped it to perform fairly well overall, with its 7.7 L/100 km city and 5.8 L/100 km highway fuel economy, an important factor with today's inflationary fuel prices, winning me over.

I also felt the little Kia was a fairly decent handling car despite the lack of a fully independent suspension. Instead, independent struts are up front and a torsion beam is in the rear. Handling is further hampered due to skinny, low-friction tires, specified to increase fuel economy. Just the same the Rio managed tight corners when new with only moderate body lean and delivered a reasonable highway ride.