The holy grail of manual driving essence, I drove myself…
I'll admit that I'm not exactly a fan of flashy and luxurious cars . I like old-fashioned simplicity and user-friendliness the most, so today's large screens with an endless list of assistants rather bother me. I may be just one of many young old-timers, but I insist that I am not a throwback. As I picked up the blue Korean hatchback, I met a colleague who was leaving in a Stinger sports sedan. I didn't envy him for a second, because I took away the holy grail of manual driving essence… Or was it different?
BLUE DE JANEIRO
The current Rio model definitely does not stand out in terms of appearance, it looks almost generic. Simple shapes, large surfaces and pure simplicity are no longer disturbed by any fad. This is how ordinary Daewoo Lanos would look if it lived to this day.
One could almost say that it is extraordinary in its ordinaryness. Car designers compete in the amount of LSD consumption, headlights stretch to the doors, and on family cars we see sill extensions with spoilers, like at a village tuning meeting. Horror of horrors, trying to impress at any cost is sometimes embarrassing. Not a small Rio.
He believes in his simple ordinariness, he clearly says that he is a small hatchback, he does not try to be someone else. All this makes the second smallest Kia friendly. It may not really wow anyone with its design, but it also won't offend anyone and will age slowly. Moreover, it will not scare you in your dreams, like ̶i̶d̶e̶o̶v̶ý̶ ̶n̶á̶s̶t̶u̶p̶c̶e̶ ̶F̶i̶a̶t̶u̶ ̶M̶u̶l̶t̶i̶p̶l̶a̶ Hyundai Bayon.
WE ARE USED TO THIS SUCH INTERIOR
The interior is in a similar spirit to the exterior, it is also rather simpler and sober. If something stands out, it's the infotainment panel, if you can call it that – like in other basic models, instead of a clapper with a touch screen, it offers a classic black and white radio with giant buttons that can be perfectly felt even by the blind and have clear functions.
After transferring from a modern Volkswagen , it acts like an oasis in the desert. Everything has its own switch, controller or sensor. So you squeeze, click and twist exactly like in 1995. The simplicity of the Rio is pleasantly contrived, without any hints of grandeur. The interior and the materials used show that someone has thought about it. From the armrest to the gear knob to the steering wheel. The ergonomics in such a simple and small car are at an excellent level. The interior is full of rounded shapes that ensure a pleasant coziness. I would perhaps only have a complaint about the too coarse imitation of aluminum on the bar crossing the dashboard across its entire width. If you have the second Exclusive equipment, you can pay 10,000 extra for this strip in color and you will also get artificial leather seats.
The position behind the wheel is excellent. You sit quite athletically on the so-called "long legs and short arms". The soft seats then go well with the cozy atmosphere of the interior. However, I am most happy about the fact that there is absolutely nothing missing here. Although in relatively low equipment, the radio plays very well, there is BT connectivity, the air conditioning and even the lights shine very decently. Another addition to the luggage compartment. It is adequate for the size of the car. Sure, there are cars with larger and smaller trunks, but the size of the trunk is a bit like "man's length". Everyone wants to have as much as possible, but the women don't do nearly as much in the finals.
A LITER IS ENOUGH WHEN THE UNION PUSHES
Turbo here, hybrid there. Everyone's beloved European Union is pushing manufacturers to push down emissions. Atmospheric engines will soon completely disappear from manufacturers' offers. Under the hood of the tested blue car, as many understood, hides the three-cylinder 1.0 T-GDI, which I already tested in STONIC . Here, however, coupled with mild hybrid technology Eco dynamics.
I have already described the operation of the 48V starter-generator several times, so quickly: the small battery mainly covers the operation of the accessories and helps with starts. However, its main function is to spoil the joy of driving with an "electric" clutch. I'll get to that later. The system output of this entire system is a very respectable 120 horses, or 88 Kw and 172 Nm, for roughly 1100 kg. A hundred is from zero in about 10 seconds, which almost corresponds to the hot hatches of the last decade.
Enough horses, light weight, rotating turbo engine. This can also be read as FAST. You don't have much of a chance to notice that it's only a three-cylinder. At idle, it seems to be absent, even at higher revs, it is very well soundproofed. The sound of the revving engine is quite deep, it sounds a bit like a flat six cylinder.
…you just don't pee the cable with the sensor…
Sufficient power is evident when driving at normal speeds. The transmission is rather longer, so the tapping is not as quick as the numbers suggest. However, the excess torque will easily get you to 130 km/h with a tickle of the gas pedal, although it feels a bit tepid. You have to rev the engine a lot to enjoy it a bit. It's worth it, you get the top 120 horsepower at 6,000 rpm.
It's around these places that I wish I could write about how much fun it all is. A revving engine with a solid sound, a longer gearbox but with short tracks, a whistling turbo… But you simply can't pee with a sensor… Despite the fact that automakers have already managed to fine-tune the throttle control using sensors, it's far from the same with the clutch. This is precisely the principle of the iMT gearbox: No cable, but sensors. No physical connection, no joy, no rubbing or leg twitching. Stepping on the clutch is like stepping in mud. How many times have I read that it is impossible to recognize. Crap. Car users will most likely never know anything, but an experienced and trained driver will not be fooled!
Yes, the starts are more or less OK, but something is missing here. It's that one-hundredth moment when you feel the slats snap into each other and come apart again. Worse, because you don't feel this, you can't quite correctly estimate the pressure on the clutch pedal and optimally apply the gas. Shifting into another gear imperceptibly without jerking is almost impossible and requires enormous concentration. This is a serious tragedy, indeed. Even intermediate gas is of no use to you at that moment. It's not just that the gearbox spoils the fun. Damn it, but it's downright unpleasant to drive it, it's better to choose a dual-clutch DCT. It was great in Stonic . What's the point of having a manual if it's not fun?
The only way to shift manually and avoid iMT is the weaker 74kw/100hp liter unit, which is hybrid-free. After all, starting with the 2022 model year, you don't even have a choice. The most powerful gasoline tested has disappeared from the tested Exclusive equipment. It is now available only on the top GT-Line.
OWN RIDE
Just as the design doesn't play around, the chassis doesn't play around either. Small wheels with a high profile, rather softer seats, the chassis fits perfectly with its tuning. It is rather softer, relatively comfortable, yet it leads the trail pleasantly, and the steering also has a short gear ratio.
The key fact is that the Kia Rio is a very light car, yet above average strong. I was pleasantly surprised by the noise reduction, no big shocks from the shock absorbers or their placement, only remotely. Big grinding doesn't happen even on rough bumps, it's enough to have properly inflated tires. It drives a bit like an old Japanese car, here it is easy to see who the Koreans once learned from…
HE DOESN'T PLAY ANYTHING
The Kia Rio is an excellent normal car. It is absolutely wonderful in its normality. What impressed me the most was how he does everything the way he is supposed to. He's not kidding. It is likeable, strong enough and has an excellently tuned chassis. Other than the hellish iMT, I have nothing to complain about. Less is sometimes more. All Stonics, Bayons , or Konys try to tell us that we need MORE . It's true because less really is MORE when it comes to Rio.
Basic price: 314,980 NOK (1.2 DPI 84 hp / 62 kW Comfort)
Base price of the tested version: 389,900 CZK (1.0 T-GDI GPF 100 hp / 74 kW Exclusive – normal gearbox)
Price for tested configuration with surcharges: 417,980 NOK (1.0 T-GDI GPF iMT MHEV 120 hp / 88 kW Exclusive)
Photo: Author
