   2012 Kia Rio EX Sedan (top photo by James Bergeron). Click image to enlarge |
The Rio’s six-speed stick shift is a surprisingly nice one to use (I have some history with Hyundai and Kia manual transmissions, not all of which is positive). Shift action is light and accurate, and the clutch pedal, while offering little tactile indication of the clutch’s engagement point, is easy to use and very forgiving. This would be a good car on which to teach a novice driver to use a manual transmission. For experienced drivers, nicely-spaced gas and brake pedals allow easy heel-and-toe downshifting. My only complaint is an ergonomic one: the shift throws are long (something I don’t mind in and of itself) and the shifter is positioned too far back, so every shift into second, fourth or sixth jammed my right elbow into my seatback (at least it’s soft) or the console lid (not so soft). Shortcomings aside, I prefer the Rio’s stick shift to its automatic, whose indecisive nature bugs me.
The Rio’s 1.6L four-cylinder makes a healthy 136 horsepower; its 123 lb-ft of torque peaks at a high 4,850 rpm, but much of that is available from about 2,500 rpm. Not much happens below that. It gets noisy closer to its 6,500 redline, but goes there fairly smoothly. The Rio’s throttle displayed the same on/off tendency I’ve noted in our long-term Hyundai Genesis Coupe. At lower speeds – I notice it most around 40 km/h – the car will either coast on a closed throttle, or accelerate gently at the slightest touch of the right foot, but refuses to simply cruise along at a constant speed.
Natural Resources Canada’s fuel consumption estimates for the Rio are 6.6 L/100 km in the city and 4.9 L/100 km in highway driving. The best I saw was 7.8 in just over 300 km, almost a third of which was highway driving at an average of about 110 km/h. I keep expecting better from this car, given its (apparently wildly optimistic) ratings.
The steering is light and doesn’t offer a lot of road feel, but the Rio tracks a straight line on the highway without the need for constant corrections. Brake pedal feel is quite good.
Engine and road noise levels are notable at highway speeds; that’s not uncommon in little cars, but it’s more striking given how refined this car can be in city driving. The engine is essentially inaudible from idle anywhere up to about 2,500 rpm, which is as quickly as the engine will spin if you follow the upshift indicator’s (in the instrument cluster) fuel-saving advice. The rest of the Rio moves quietly down city streets too, with the only significant sounds being the clunky-clompy noises the suspension transmits into the cabin over poor-quality road surfaces. At 100 km/h, sixth gear spins the engine at about 2,600 rpm.
