2017 Kia Rio Turbo Review – Video

This is the all-new, second-generation Kia Rio. Sounds like a Copacabana beach-conquering off-roader, but it’s actually the South Korean manufacturer’s latest contender in the supermini class.

It’s got a pretty good platform to build on; the previous Rio became Kia’s bestselling model worldwide in 2015, shifting an impression 435,000 units. That hasn’t stopped Kia throwing everything at this latest version, and with good reason. Depth of quality in the supermini market has never been so strong, and with recent and upcoming entries from the much-improved Nissan Micra, heavily revised Ford Fiesta and all-new Seat Ibiza, things are only set to get tougher.

To find out whether the Rio’s got the minerals to cope with the competition, we’re testing the forecast best-selling engine in the range: the 99bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol, in ‘3’ trim.

 

 

We’ve driven both 1.0-litre petrol engines – the 118bhp unit only available in the First Edition (a high-spec, limited-run launch model) and the lower powered 98bhp version – and both feel all but identical during typical driving. Much of this is down to both engines producing an identical 126lb ft torque output, with 0-60mph times differing by half a second.

While neither will set the world alight with their pace, performance is more than adequate for a car of this size. There’s plenty of go for town and motorway driving, while B-road overtakes are entirely possible providing you drop down down a gear or two with the easy-to-use five-speed manual gearbox.