In Malaysia, we get the Kia Rio5 5-door hatchback as the Kia Rio, offered as a CBU unit from Korea. Powered by a 1.4 litre engine, the proposition that the car offers you seems to be a small get-around designed to be small enough to be easy to park, as well as having a frugal engine that won’t hurt your wallet.
Read my test drive report after the jump.
Most of the essentials that you’d expect from an import hatchback is there in this car. You get alloy rims, and a decent interior. Exterior and interior styling is decent, however some may not be able to get over the strange design in the rear lamp clusters, which has a transparent stripe that seems to continue from the shoulder line of the car, curving down as it flanks the rear hatch from both sides. However, there is one thing missing that is very surprising – airbags. Not even a single airbag for the driver.
The interior of the Kia Rio is well-designed, all switches and knobs are in proper easy to access. There is an MP3-capable CD player that looks quite after market, and is of a 1-DIN size fitted into a 2-DIN hole. You can use the other half of the 2-DIN hole to store your stuff, but it looks garish like an afterthought. The interior is specced out to have a sporty feel, with red stitching on the seats, steering wheel and gear shifter. The steering wheel feels of a high quality and feels good to hold. You can bring 4 people around in this car very comfortably, as long as the people in front are not too tall and have to push the seat too far back. Put in 5 people and it starts becoming a squeeze. The boot is sufficiently roomy. I managed to fit a box with a computer into it, along with miscellaneous other stuff like my laptop and camera bag. Comfort levels were sufficient, nothing to complain about from a car in this class. You hardly notice that the rear suspension is a torsion beam setup.
The engine is a 1.4 litre DOHC 16 valve engine, and it’s displacement is 1399cc, contrary to nazakia.com.my’s claim of 1309cc. Please take note Naza Kia, website QC is a simple thing to do. It puts out 94PS at 6,000rpm and 124.5Nm of torque at 4,700rpm. Throttle response was surprisingly good with this engine, and the Kia Rio felt very zippy in city driving without having to rev the engine very high. Very, very surprising indeed for a small displacement normally aspirated engine. However, it loses breath at high speed highway overtaking – this is expected of a car with this power of course, just taking note of it. Compared other cars of similiar displacement like the Satria Neo 1.3 (1,334cc) and Naza’s own 206 Bestari, they felt sluggish at slow speeds. The Neo 1.3 beats the Rio on the highway, and the 206 Bestari is just nowhere to be found, slow around the city as well as the highway.
Now you can see why I kept this short. This car is pretty much not relevant to the Malaysian carbuyer. It’s just too expensive for what it offers. The whole idea of it being a 1.4 litre was fuel economy, but never managing to get over 380km to a full tank isn’t exactly frugal. There is only ABS, and no airbags, contrary to Naza’s decision to remove ABS from the 206 Bestari manual because they said the market prefers airbags to ABS. Even foglamps have been omitted. The car is really not a bad car and has very good build quality which should clear some doubts about Korean assembly lines, but for RM79,970.10 I would expect so much more. It’s relevance can be re-considered if the price could come down through local assembly. It was even worse before this, priced at RM92k before the current drop in price. The Rio originally made it’s debut at a price of RM75k, went up to RM92k, and now back to RM80k. This mad fluctuating price would definitely affect the 2nd hand value of the Rio, and it’s mostly thanks to the the NAP’s Gazetted Price changes.
Perhaps even Naza have realised this and lost interest in this car, because the Naza Kia website does not list the price for this car, only the old Rio 1.3 stationwagon, plus some of the specs are wrong like the engine displacement.
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I think it’s too expensive for the size of the car, with that price ppl rather go for a vios or a city. so far it’s a decent car, just that the steering looks horrible.
Boring car. dull interior, dull exterior, grey grey grey grey ….. haigh….. rubbish.
nice european design though..guess bolehland ppl can;t b choosy over what is offered to them…and I'm the first to comment in this post..he he
Wonder when this model will be Naza-up … ;)
The twin brother of FL Getz.
Is there any 1.6 variant on sale?
buck up naza!!
dont tell me their web designers dont even have proper spec sheets…
This Rio is the best Rio ever.However, Korean car FC is high than other makes + little numbers of sparepart to get from kedai potong. High maintenance. Furthermore, our custom department slapped a 'fined' duty due to previously underdeclared Kias.
A good car but doesn't make it well due to our tax structure! Sigh!
kakakaka, the shortest test drive report I think :D
70k++ for nothing much…..what a waste of a car. Well, I've nvr had any expectation from Korean cars anyway, the fact remains that their cars are still inferior to the Japs. Yes, they're catching up, bt still nowhere in front of the race.
They are getting better at this game for sure compare to P1 but still yet to match the Japs, give another year or so, then watch out ppl! Remember that the japs use to produce cheap and nasty cars before they are where they are today. Cheers!
dude, i want to see how you fit into the car, please snap pictures with you in the car pleaseeeeeeee
very interesting points you made cyder.
you are comparing proton, a 20+ year old company to KIA, a 50+year old company, and now owned by hyundai. They have had time, and even more help to get to where they are today. I think its unfair of you in your statements to not even give proton a fair shot.
you also then go on to say that the japanese used to build cheap and nasty cars. Even the japanese took more than 30 odd years to lose the cheap and nasty tagline.
i wonder y naza doesnt offer d sedan version of d rio. seriously it looks way much better than d hatchback. seen a handful singapore registered kia rio sedan around in johore.
freakin expensive for a korean car…better get a swift…its 1.5 and fun to drive as well and its japanese
btw, for those of u planning to buy a korean car, plz reconsider coz they are known to have bad resale value…
Pretty cool car, but too pricey! Who would consider this over a vios or city? It's just silly…
What?!!! NO AIRBAG?!!! I don't expect this from a CBU Korean car!
For that price, I will go for vios and city or maybe new RM65k CKD swift (not sure yet), all come with airbag, 1.5L, Japanese car, even it is CKD….
RM79k no airbag, 1.4L engine, korean made, very hard to attract people…
Ha, I haven't read a test report in Malaysia on any car that came to the conclusion 'it is not worth buying that car.' Really appreciate the honesty, a thanks to Paul. Feel that there are a number of cars tests in magazines and newspapers that should arrive at the same conclusion, but they don't. Wonder why, maybe the authors are just afraid?
About the car: I think the car looks quite okay from outside. But from the inside… the plastic looks supercheap to me. Almost horrible.
To AB: No, I don't prefer this Kia over Vios or City. I find all three not worth a buy. In other countries you can buy a used E-class in perfect condition for that money, it's just not worth it…
looks can deceive. the plastics are not bad, its just the shade of gray that makes it look cheap.
I have tested this car that belongs to a friend recently, fuel consumption is quite good, full tanks at 40L but the fuel warning lights will shine after about 35L. With 35L, it will makes about 380km. That's 1.1km/L in the city. On highway, it hits 1.25-1.3km/L.
Power is surprisingly good for a 1.4L engine but torque is so so for overtaking. My friend bought last time when Naza offered accessories (skirt, spoiler, fog lamp, 4 years warranty, tinted glass, etc) at $75k. I guess he gained a little since now the car is selling new at $80k.
Too bad no airbags at all. Braking is 1st class with 4 disc brakes, ABS and a big brake booster. Handling is easy, while cornering shows noticeable rolling due to higher platform. This car is quite, cant hear engine rumbling all time(like Protong) and very smooth on the highway.
Paintworks and interior looks fine to me. Plastic not really cheap looking (of course dont compare to Benz), can see/feel the thickness/quality under control. Think this car will not be Naza-ed so fast, because just launced in 2005 and targeted Europe market. Those that get Naza-ed will be cars that are near end of design life, e.g. Caren, Carnival, 206, Spectra, etc. Thanks to our NAP, we are driving this KIA RIO at Toyota Altis 1.8L price.
Forgot to mention, this car also have EBD besides ABS and Brake booster….
''Paul Tan said,
April 7, 2007 @ 12:29 am
looks can deceive. the plastics are not bad, its just the shade of gray that makes it look cheap.''
I agree with Paul, plastic is quite thick for this car, not like Protong filmsy filmsy brittle plastic.
Steering wheel is magnesium!
The constant complaining about the price of cars got old a long time back. Yes, you can get a used Merc E-class in certain countries for the price of a Vios/City/Rio but unless you live in those countries that point is irrelevant. Get used to the price of cars already, it's not going down in the current govt's lifetime.
Paul, Where are those Pretty CHicks as promised before?
Get them hire soon, Okay?
This car is actually built for low class people and the actual price is only RM30k so don't expect too much on it. What still wanna to add AIRBAG? The final price will become RM90K … Noway.
RM79K?? You can get a Hyundai Getz 1.6 with Driver Airbag and ABS cheaper than this. If not mistaken, this is the exact same engine on the new Hyundai Getz 1.4. The local one is only RM52K and it comes with airbag. Naza better get their pricing right.
unless thy do a saga merdeka promotion @ Rm26,999 example,u wont see many on the road !
bt seriously,its very well overpriced for wat u get….
Overpriced car, not worth it at all. For that money, Honda City drops the bomb. I went looking at a few Sorentos yesterday; the cabin build quality is really good, something I didn't expect from Kia, nice car. Funny thing is, when I checked the price at Naza's site, it says the car is selling from RM170k, and didn't mention anything about a turbo. Truth is, the Sorento is actually turbocharged, and new ones are only selling for about RM130k now. Guess Naza couldn't be bothered with their website.
Not a bad looking car either. but for uneconomical 1.4L,79K price tag and poor depreciation value, I'd settle for the Japs marques
''auctioncenter2u said,
April 7, 2007 @ 6:32 am
Paul, Where are those Pretty CHicks as promised before?
Get them hire soon, Okay?
This car is actually built for low class people and the actual price is only RM30k so don’t expect too much on it. What still wanna to add AIRBAG? The final price will become RM90K … Noway.''
Hahaha, then 80% of Malaysians are low class people, I just realised that. We drive the overpriced Protong, overpriced Kia, overpriced Hyundai, overpriced Perodua, etc…..Thanks to NAP by BN G, we became low class. The actual price of this car is about US$17k overseas.
european design for the exterior.. the interior still show inclination towards jap/korean styling.
the price might be expensive for what it really worth, but might be worth it if the driving experience is akin to real european car.
chris_the_germ said,
April 6, 2007 @ 11:22 pm
About the car: I think the car looks quite okay from outside. But from the inside… the plastic looks supercheap to me. Almost horrible.
To AB: No, I don’t prefer this Kia over Vios or City. I find all three not worth a buy. In other countries you can buy a used E-class in perfect condition for that money, it’s just not worth it…
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GOLD. That's what made me swear not buying any new cars in Malaysia if my budget is under RM400k. Well, seems i'll be sticking with 2nd buys for quite some time.
Just to proof my statement, my CEO recently bought a 2005 BMW 7 series, 1 year old, how much he saved? RM400,000+
Those who buy such cars new, had tresspassed the boundary of being a big spendour into being downright S-T-U-P-I-D
OK, some would say Kia Rio doesn't need any airbags becoz it's a cheap car for low class people. Yeah, if Malaysians aren't imposed with NAP, those people with low income will not buy cars without airbags and have more safer cars to choose and buy!
whats with the red interior? it is totally not match with the exterior color.
Compared other cars of similiar displacement like the Satria Neo 1.3 (1,334cc) and Naza’s own 206 Bestari, they felt sluggish at slow speeds. The Neo 1.3 beats the Rio on the highway, and the 206 Bestari is just nowhere to be found, slow around the city as well as the highway.
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i think the 1.3 of the neo anvantage over high speed ,as its compro is tunded bias toward 'advanced' setting, makes almost about or slightly stepped into vvt enggagd, – since its fixed setting (non varable) ,the power band is more at the higer rpm thus healthy at highway/high speed,
disadvantage of this 'advanced' setting makes it feel 'heavy' at low .
this type of setting need a slightly more rev before moving off, for a solid take off, …cost a bit of clutch anyway,
cyder300 said,
April 6, 2007 @ 5:18 pm
They are getting better at this game for sure compare to P1 but still yet to match the Japs, give another year or so, then watch out ppl! Remember that the japs use to produce cheap and nasty cars before they are where they are today. Cheers!
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Oh, FGS, P2 is half as old as Proton, look at what happens to them when they can give better QC car to desperados like us Msians.
It's nt abt the years, you're like saying all car manufacturers begin their business by using trees and hammer to build their cars. If you dun hv passion for making cars, make it for the sake of making it, you'll be crappy no matter how old you are.
its a lousy car. just save yourself the trouble and avoid it like a proton or perodua.
if you still want a kia then wait for the european designed and built ones.
Bad FC, terrible… hancus… tak bleh pakai punya FC… poor those who ve bought it..wonder, how's the 2nd value?? anybody wants?? Me?
no thanks!!!
In Malaysia, all cars below $80k are actually lousy…..but there are few exceptions, like the Citra, Ria, Perdana, Vios, City, etc they are lousy too at above $80k….
i think it looks OK, but the price is too expensive for a KIA.
i was browsing around naza's site. stated, naza rio JB is only rm39,800.. huh??? is that for real??? paul, pls update us since ur entry says its 70k++
ya, it's nazakia.com.my KIA RIO JB the same thing rite? or different? or…. the web designer wrongly put the price?
Naza rio JB is only rm39,800. However, this is the price in Langkawi, Malaysia, where everything is DUTY FREE…..ahh… where else in Malaysia can we find RM1 beer? :-)
rio jb is a nice car even tough the price is expensive..boleh beli lah..
i just bought a used rio 1.4 for RM36k. Damn worth it. I think naza made a big mistake pricing it at RM75k, if they priced it about RM60k and also promote it more, it would have been a huge success.
can anyone tell me the price fr rio now..i look over the site but in their brouchere didn’t state the price for rio..bt other models of naza got. Juz want to get an opinion from y’all..whether it’s good buying gen2 CPS or rio…please help me…or what car that u think good n the price is 60k and below…
dunno whether you already made your decision, but just in case anyone else is having the same dilemma, go for the rio! its a far superior car compared to gen2. malu to compare rio & gen2!
Me own the 1.6 cvvt auto version. Quite good. Can win campro car easily.