Niea Milwaukee 2009 Again

Kia goes sporty with the track’ster

Posted by TerranceV | Lifestyle | Posted on February 20th, 2012

How do you create a hatchback with true global appeal? The recipe is simple. Take some European finesse, add a dash of Korean spice and blend them to work up a flavour that communicates, er, Latin flair, and hey presto, you have the global hatch. As much as I’d love to lay claim to this brilliant formula, it’s not mine. In fact, this is the blueprint that Kia’s engineers and designers followed when conceptualising the new Rio. Now, let’s not get into the nitty-gritty like the originality or effectiveness of it, but if this is the Korean carmaker’s prescription for success, then I recommend everyone else follow it blindly, for the last few years have shown that whatever Kia touches turns into precious metal on wheels.

The previous generation Rio, for example, was hardly special. Still, Kia managed to sell close to 900,000 units worldwide. And when you consider the fact that this was a model which lacked finesse, spice or flair, you know shifting a million examples of the new Rio won’t take Kia more than a couple of years.

It’s no secret that a winning design is the most important step towards keeping the tills ringing, and it really doesn’t matter whether it’s European, Korean or Latin. And in this department, Kia has an ace up its sleeve in the form of Peter Schreyer. He’s once again waved his magic wand to make this compact hatch an absolute step-up from its predecessor. With its signature grille, the Rio is distinctively Kia and the lower profile and increased body-to-glass ratio gives it a sportier, more aggressive stance. Although Kia says the rear has been influenced by the Sportage, we see more of a Seat influence there, especially the taillights, which is not a bad thing at all.At 4,045mm long, 1,720mm wide and 1,455mm high, the Rio has grown up in all dimensions. And complementing its stylish looks will be a range of 10 exterior colours, some of which, like the Electronic Blue and Caramel Yellow, will make sure you stand out in the crowded B segment.

The story’s no different inside either. Just like its sister concern Hyundai, Kia seems to have taken giant strides when it comes to crafting good quality cabins. The Rio’s interior is one of the best Kia has done yet, and is arguably one of the better ones in the segment. It’s also got class-leading passenger and cargo space thanks to 70mm longer wheelbase and 25mm wider bodyshell combined with a few tweaks like moving the windscreen’s base forward by 156mm and up by 18mm. This has freed up 45mm legroom in the front and 34mm at the back as well as 8mm more headroom in the front.

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