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Kia Rio gets facelifted with the Schreyer grille

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Kia Pride Facelift

Kia has updated both the sedan and hatchback versions of the Kia Rio in Korea, where it is called the Kia Pride. The front end is much more sportier now thanks to the Forte-like front bumper and it also gets the new Schreyer grille, a common feature on all new Kias all the way from the smallest Kia Morning (Picanto) up to the large Sorento. The interior has also been modernized and now features red backlighting.

Kia Pride Facelift

The Rio/Pride is Kia’s B-segment compact car, which is basically their version of the Hyundai Accent. Under the hood is a choice of either a 1.4 liter DOHC engine, a 1.6 liter CVVT engine or a 1.5 liter diesel engine with a variable geometry turbocharger. In Malaysia, only the 1.4 liter hatchback is sold.

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the facelift.

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29 Comments »

  1. kaizen said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 3:44 am

    Nice, rondo? Hehe

  2. NeSH said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 4:03 am

    wow not bad… How much is the babe gonna cost.. Front looks like our new saga…

  3. kaizen said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 7:17 am

    Nesh, should be double the saga’s price… as usual…

  4. azrai said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 8:13 am

    I have no ‘pride’ owning this car, if only..

  5. brutus said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 8:31 am

    when will NAZA bring in the delicious TDi? this would be the best car for a sales person to commute around.

  6. brutus said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 8:33 am

    wonder when will NAZA bring in th TDi? this would be an ideal car for the sales person to commute around town.

  7. zoule HCo said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 8:59 am

    hoho.. look like our New Saga from outside.. but this Kia has better accessories n nice interior

  8. farghmee said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 9:51 am

    messy dashboard.

  9. AutoAlert said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 10:10 am

    Are there any tweaks done to the engine to improve fuel efficency or bump up the power? Or it’s just the same old unit carried forward from the previous gen. From the pictures you post up I can see Kia added the ECO drive indicator to guide drivers to be light footed. The heating seat is only good for cold countries, I wonder if there is any car manufacturer that can have a built in cooler into carseats sold in tropical countries… Now that is cool

  10. scottloeb said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 10:53 am

    90’s dash. Give me Fortis any time over this.

  11. JG said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 11:42 am

    Looks much more better than proton. interior classy feels~

  12. icyd said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 12:18 pm

    looks like quality stuff.any feedback from current rio owners?

  13. comarezzi said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 12:56 pm

    is it true kia is a fuel guzzler and after sales service/maintenance quite high?? any kia owner can verify this? i am thinking buying a kia maybe nextyear…

  14. Kin said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 2:53 pm

    Some sort of Naza Citra for me… O.o

  15. wochomi said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 3:22 pm

    Nak besi tebal, kuat, tahan lasak…. komplain pasal fuel economy…. Kuat kereta korea, ni. But really lah, Kia cars body memang solid. Tapi kalau pecah windscreen standby RM1.6k (kia Rio). Nak tunggu part memang lama.
    Sound proofing Kia is very good.

  16. nighttrain said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 3:55 pm

    Wah so boring.. don’t let boring models come here. Where’s the ceed, pro’ceed and Forte. American/European KIA is more exciting la..

  17. haro said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 5:22 pm

    and where is spectra5 facelift..wit schreyer grill?

    rio is under power so sure makan minyak

    all foreign cars are high maintenance if u sent it to its Service centre..
    those cheaper spare parts that ppl been talking are actually aftermarket parts or fake one..

  18. nmh said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 5:46 pm

    i own kia , so does few of my family members, got several models, and they were rubbish…..avoid buying one for tis moment….honestly protons is wayyy better and put most smile on my face

  19. mystvearn said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 6:54 pm

    The car actually looks really dull

  20. kkchai said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 7:01 pm

    Seem like Kia is changing its corporate identity very smoothly. I think this car is better than Accent in term of most B segment in M’sia. Look forward to know-how Korean perform in their automotive market internationally.

  21. ooi sw said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 7:49 pm

    I own a Kia Rio which I bought some 3 years ago. So far so good, no major breakdown or sort. My windscreen broken once on the highway but I got it replaced on the same day in Seremban.The car is still running smoothly after 3 years and the engine is especially quiet. Recently the absorbers start to make noise, I guess it is about time to replace as I often drive the car off-roads, to estates, laterite roads and so on. The fuel consumption is around RM0.12 to RM0.16 per km depending on driving styles and traffic condition. It is reliable as far as I’m concerned, probably a cbu unit is much better in terms of quality.

  22. Jr. racer said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 8:19 pm

    emm…nice…
    but 1.4 is not enough…
    but if the price around as same as saga it will sell like hot karipap!!!(maybe not so hot I think)..

  23. kei9 said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 10:16 pm

    Still the same old car?

    I don’t buy it really.

  24. PROTON KIA said,

    July 21, 2009 @ 10:26 pm

    why arr this car remind me of the new PROTON SAGA??

  25. peroempat said,

    July 22, 2009 @ 12:54 am

    Kia no soul, only know how to re-design the exit.

  26. Engineer said,

    July 22, 2009 @ 11:28 am

    wochomi said,
    July 21, 2009 @ 3:22 pm

    Nak besi tebal, kuat, tahan lasak…. komplain pasal fuel economy…. Kuat kereta korea, ni. But really lah, Kia cars body memang solid. Tapi kalau pecah windscreen standby RM1.6k (kia Rio). Nak tunggu part memang lama.
    Sound proofing Kia is very good.

    Are sure sound proofing (NVH) Kia is very good. Which car did u means?? The Lousy Spectra or Fuel Guzzler MPV Ria?? Both have low NVH compare to current Proton cars. Spectra handling just like sampan compare to Saga BLM. Persona far better in term of handling, fuel and of course NVH compare to Spectra.

    comarezzi said,
    July 21, 2009 @ 12:56 pm

    is it true kia is a fuel guzzler and after sales service/maintenance quite high?? any kia owner can verify this? i am thinking buying a kia maybe nextyear…

    Comarezzi, u better think deeply and carefully. May advised keep yourself away from Kia cars unless u really earn more than RM5K per month & with less commitment. Better go for Proton or Perodua.. and buy more asset than liability.. Cars are liability.
    Just my 2 sen advised.

  27. gtmaniac said,

    July 22, 2009 @ 4:53 am

    The dashboard looks surprisingly expensive for an econo car….

  28. nmh said,

    July 22, 2009 @ 7:00 am

    Second Engineer

    Indeed stay away from entire korean car

    But not so sure bout diesel powered suv (rexton) and mpv (starex). Izzit good?

  29. Wan said,

    July 23, 2009 @ 12:37 am

    They are going for the whole Audi look, just take a look at the gear shifter design and the whole ’solid’ feel i.e. the dashboard cluster and steering wheel.

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