DESPITE evoking a Mardi Gras anthem, cheapo underwear, a song by New Romantic outfit Duran Duran and bargain-basement drive-away deals, Kia has retained the Rio name for its fifth-generation baby. But out goes the Aldi packaging for some Audi-style couture that the company hopes will man up the Rio’s rubbish image, aided by a concerted localisation effort to bring the undercarriage up from dreary to dynamic. Unfortunately, we have yet to sample the base 1.4 that most buyers will choose, but with newfound looks and swagger, the direct-injected 1.6-litre Si and SLi range-topper herald a formidable challenge to Mazda2 and co. Kia, cue the music, whistles and daiquiris, because your latest supermodel supermini might just be the life of the light-car party.
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JB Rio
Released: August 2005
Ended: August 2011
Family Tree: RioA MASSIVE improvement over the flaky old 1986 Mazda 121-derived first-gen Rio to be sold in Australia for five years from 2000, the neatly styled five-door hatch and four-door sedan range introduced Hyundai’s all-new MC light-car platform to help Kia have a more competitive contender in a growing segment.
Initially just the sole EX model powered by an 85kW/145Nm 1.6-litre twin-cam four-cylinder petrol engine in either five-speed manual or four-speed automatic guise was imported from Korea, until the flagship EX-L sedan and youth-focussed Sports hatch arrived a year later. Early 2007 saw a 70kW/125Nm base LX join the series. Kia facelifted the Rio for 2010, introducing a revised nose and a rationalised range consisting of the base S 1.4 and Si 1.6. Though by no means class-leading, the JB established itself as a solid sales performer for the company.
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