2012 Motor Trend Car of the Year Contender: Kia Rio

This year’s all-new 2012 Kia Rio, available as a sedan or a four-door hatch, has a revised look that gives it more edge and attitude. The new Rio is based on the same platform as the Hyundai Accent, but is very different visually from the scaled-down Elantra looks of its platform-mate. This is the best-looking Rio ever, a far cry from the rental-car appearance of the first two gens. The platform has a longer wheelbase, and the hatch—the Rio5 replacement—is wider and longer, and sits lower than before.

Its direct-injected 1.6-liter provides 138 horsepower, up from 110 in 2011, and 16 lb-ft more torque. While a six-speed manual transmission is offered with the base model, our EX tester came with the six-speed automatic. Zero-to-60 times improved by 0.5 second compared with the last Kia Rio5 we tested. Not only that, but fuel economy improved, too: For 2012, the Rio hatchback achieves 30 mpg city, 40 highway, compared with the 2011 Rio5’s 27 and 36.

Tester comments ranged from the lukewarm “not bad, but not great” to “peppy” and “power is good for its class.” The six-speed automatic was a huge step up from the 2011’s four-speed. The Rio felt stable at higher speeds, and had sportier handling than expected. It’s fun in turns, but there’s no shortage of tire squeal. There are typical subcompact downsides here, such as engine noise, hard seats, and a rough ride on choppy roads. However, the Rio has a spacious, cool-looking cabin, and a roomy cargo area. It also provides a lot of value, starting at just over $14,000, with our EX hatch’s base at $17,250.

The Rio hatchback offers plenty of value and safety for the money, gets good fuel economy, and is certainly a competent subcompact with great looks.

Do you think the 2012 Kia Rio’s changes are enough to make it Car of the Year? Stay tuned as we preview every car that Motor Trend tested for its 2012 Motor Trend Car of the Year competition in alphabetical order in advance of the official announcement on Nov. 16.

Source: motortrend.com