WITH bountiful choice in the light car market, Kia has pulled out extra stops to increase its market share with a more spacious fourth-generation Rio that accents space, handling and comfort.

The second Peter Schreyer-designed Rio is targeted at a broad audience with more space and comfort for families, the latest in-car tech for younger buyers, low ownership costs for fleets and big on-road handling improvements for drivers.

The prices are not changed but there has been some give-and-take on features, deleting the bigger 1.6-litre engine and retaining an unchanged 1.4-litre engine from the previous generation and optional four-speed automatic.

New for the 2017 model is a drive-away price of $17,490 for the entry-level S manual, a potential saving of about $2000 over the retail price of $16,990 plus on-road costs for the same variant.

Kia Motors Australia COO Damien Meredith believes the small engine and unsophisticated automatic won’t deter the bulk of Rio’s audience who are more conscious of comfort and space.



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