Car tested Kia Rio 2012 1.4l 4AT SX

Interior
Have sat in this car several times by now. Very spacious for a hatchback B-seg, both passenger cabin and boot. seats are reasonably comfy. Dash quality is not great but expected of this price and car segment. Driver's seat is rather low even at it's highest setting, which makes forward visibility of the road more limited than my Fiesta. Haven't had the chance to explore all the buttons, but equipments such as headlamp leveling is commendable. Other than that, center console (gearstick and handbrake area) is quite bland but utilitarian. Sunroof is pretty useless for me, when opened at night I surmise would add a touch of class to this small car, but when opened during test drive which was under a sunny sky, I feel like I'm being cooked alive. As many owners have complained, rear visibility is poor.

Exterior
I find it to be very nicely proportioned, not overdesigned like the pug 208, masculine at the front but feminine at the rear. At the end of the day, personal taste.

Powertrain and drivetrain
Right off the bat, I can immediately tell that the car is more sluggish than I imagined. It's not underpowered, more like it is tuned as such that it is not in a hurry to deliver the power. I dunno whether it's the engine or the gearbox. But if you're gonna compare to the Fiesta or even Myvi 1.5, it is not a very punchy car at all. Gearbox is reasonably responsive, NOT racy, but responsive enough. I find the manual mode to be somewhat gimickky, as it is just a 4AT, KIA could have just gone the PRND2L with O/D route. But still, better than Fiesta's PRNDL with O/D for 6 gears

Handling
I took a familiar route with a wide U-turn where I can compare to the Fiesta. Not much bodyroll which impresses me, the whole time it never became uncomfortable. I do feel that the car is not as "planted" as the Fiesta, almost as if it feels taller even though it is  in fact lower than the Fiesta. That said, it holds it's own well when swerving between lanes and on curvy routes. No chance to push it to the limit, though.

NVH
On par with Fiesta, except the KIA has less tire roar. Downside is, because you need to rev higher to get any measure of acceleration, it tends to get buzzy when overtaking. Other than that, it is a comfortable ride. Personally I think it is better than Forte.

Verdict
If the EX came with foglamps, the EX will be my choice. The additional things you get for RM6k extra is, in my humble opinion, not worth it coz I don't need it. NAZA KIA, please replace the 17" with something more sensible such as 16" or even 15". The large rims serves nothing more than an overweight eye candy. Also, considering the price this car is selling at, it's kinda ridiculous to expect owners to shell out extra money for 17" tires without giving them a choice. If I get the SX the rims will be the first to go.

But all things considered, the price it is offered at with this level of equipment is a fantastic bargain compared to what the Sushis have. Personally, for me the dealbreaker is the engine and gearbox, which is why the Fiesta still suits me best. But other than that I find no reason to choose the Vios over this, unless you are a badge-snob.