- Refreshed exterior design provides a bolder more attractive appearance
- New high-tech driver assistance and safety
- Upgraded Rio on-sale in Australia in July 2020
With significant upgrades the mid-generation revision features a range of enhancements to reinvigorate the car’s position within the highly competitive small car segment.
“For many of our customers a Rio would have been their first experience with a Kia,” KMAu Chief Operating Officer Damien Meredith said. “When Kia was just beginning to emerge in Australia the Rio was the front-line warrior carrying the brand’s values into the marketplace.”
Mr Meredith said that as the Kia brand has grown around it, offering outstanding product to a wide range of buyers, the Rio has never faltered in its role as a brand ambassador highlighting brand qualities of practicality, build quality and technology.
“Over the best part of two decades the Rio has won a well-earned reputation for comfort, safety, reliability and outstanding value. The improvements to the fourth generation will only enhance that reputation for not only the Rio, but the wider Kia family.”
Like all KMAu products the Rio will enjoy the industry’s most comprehensive 7-Year Warranty, 7-Year Capped Price Servicing and 7-Year Roadside Assist package and localised ride and handling.
Rio Powertrains
Australia retains proven drivetrains, with improved automatic gearbox
For the Australian market the Product Enhanced Rio will retain the proven 1.4 MPI for the S and Sport models, both now coupled to the choice of a 6-speed automatic or 6-speed manual transmission producing 74kW and 133Nm.
The GT-Line is powered by the de-powered (down from 88kW to 74kW with an unchanged torque output of 172Nm) 1.0T-GDI (turbocharged gasoline direct injection) coupled to a 7-speed Dual Clutch Transmission.
Rio Technology
Upgraded infotainment and full safety suite
A significant step forward in comfort and convenience is the inclusion of a larger 8-inch Audio-Visual Multimedia Unit with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connection, eliminating the need for cable connection.
For the Sport and GT-Line models there will be a new 4.2-inch colour supervision cluster displaying all the important driver information in one central location. The GT-Line models will also benefit from a full Climate Control and Automatic Window Defogger which will operate whenever the climate control system is on.
With safety a non-negotiable feature as always in Kia, the Rio will support the standard systems _ six airbags, five seatbelts, ABS and stability control _ with Autonomous Emergency Braking (car, pedestrian and cyclist) has been added to the Sport models joining GT-Line.
Sport and GT-Line will also gain Forward Collision Warning; Lane Keeping Assist; Driver Attention Alert (where driver steering inputs and patterns are monitored using cameras and sensors with an audio/visual warning issued if careless driving is detected); and High Beam Assist.
Rio Exterior design
Subtly refreshed – a clean and classy exterior design
The updated Rio has a refreshed front design exuding style and sportiness. Other tweaks simplify the car’s design, creating a tasteful and uncluttered appearance.
The car features a handful of design updates for 2020. The refreshed design retains the car’s iconic ‘tiger-nose’ grille, narrowed for a more focused appearance and matched by a lower, wider front bumper and distinctive new fog lamp housing. These changes give the front of the car a smoother, yet more purposeful appearance, imbuing it with a more confident stance on the road.
Two new exterior colours are also introduced for the GT-Line _ Perennial Grey (also available on Sport trim) and Sporty Blue, bringing the total number of paint palette options to six for the S trim, seven for Sport and six for the GT-Line.