The subcompact car from Kia Motors, Rio, was first introduced in the model year 2000 as 2001 model vehicle. It is a replacement model to the Kia Pride, which has been discontinued for 2000. The initial model came equipped with full fledged standard safety, comfort and convenience amenities. It is one of the less expensive subcompact cars in the world, offered in sedan and wagon models.
Kia Rio
First Generation (2000-2005)
The standard engine to the 2000 Kia Rio model is a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder version that produces 130 hp of power at 5,500 rpm and torque of 127 lb ft at 4000 rpm. The fuel tank in the engine has capacity to fill up to 60 liters of unleaded fuel. It I-4 engine has bore size of 86 mm, stroke of 86 mm and compression ratio of 9.2 and it comes with four valves per cylinder and double overhead cam. With the I-4 engine, the Rio model can achieve fuel economy of 20 miles per gallon in the city premises and 25 miles per gallon on the highway roads.
First Generation Rio
As far as the exterior dimensions of first generation Kia Rio are concerned, it has the wheel base of 2,360 mm, length of 3973 mm, width of 1730 mm and height of 1651 mm. The curb weight of the model is around 1410 kgs, while the gross weight is around 1881 kgs.
First generation Kia Rio comes equipped with fine exteriors like front and rear body color bumpers, softtop convertible roof, black paint, complex surface lens halogen bulb headlights, privacy tinted glass on cabin, underbody protection for fuel tank and for transfer case and windshield wipers with variable intermittent wipe.
Second Generation (2006-Present)
The Kia Rio is totally redesigned for 2006 and it is offered in two body styles, sedan and wagon. The wagon model is called as Cinco. The major competitors to the model include Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, Honda Civic and Kia Spectra.
2009 Kia Rio
The only engine available to the current generation Kia Rio is a 1.6 DOHC I-4 version that delivers 104 hp of power at 5800 rpm and torque of 104 lb ft at 4700 rpm. The available transmissions to the engine include 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic. With the powerful engine, the subcompact car can achieve fuel economy of 25 miles per gallon in the city premises and 31 miles per gallon on the highway roads.
The key features in the 2009 Kia Rio model include instrument controls and great fuel economy rates. On the other hand, it has low acceleration rates than other models in its class.