Kia Rio (2005 - 2011) 1.5 CRDi LS 5d Owner Review
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In their own words
Unfortunately Kia don't make this model anymore. The newer Rio diesel has 20 bhp less and less torque, although it offers slightly better fuel economy. The Ceed with its 1.6 CRDI engine has a similar performance to the mark 2 Rio, but it's a lot more expensive. I bought this car in Feb 2015 when it had done 87K miles, it now (Dec 2018) has covered 149K , and performs just as well as when I bought it. I change the oil and filter every 7/8 K miles as it only costs about £20 and the engine starts and runs like new. 'Professional' reviewers claim that the steering gives little feedback and they rate the handling as being not as good as rivals like Ford focus etc. I would suggest that this is nonsense - one learns to feel the particular characteristics and limitations of any car, no car does this for you. The Rio handles just fine!
How reliable do you find the car?
Besides the usual wear and tear brake disc/pads, I've had to replace suspension parts such as drop-links a couple of times. Track-rod ends once, and one ball joint. The roads where I live are dreadful.Does the car do everything you expected it to do?
I used to drive Volvo estates. Obviously the Rio is a lot smaller and hasn't got any of the sophisticated suspension of a Volvo, but I found that long journeys in the Rio were surprisingly less tiring than anything I had driven before. The Rio's seats don't look like much but they are extremely comfortable. The MPG is astonishing even when the car is hurried. This car uses less fuel in town than most cars of its generation do on the motorway.About their car
- Fuel type Diesel
- When purchased February 2015
- Condition when bought Used
- Current Mileage 148,000 miles
- Average MPG 59 mpg
