NIMBLE and neatly priced to compete without the compromise on safety, the 2022 Kia Rio Sport will give you the peace of mind and visual perks you need, all while suppressing the cost. It sits in the middle of the range between the S and GT-Line.
You wont find any badging that’ll stick out and scream Sport though, but those with a keen eye or fellow owners will give the nod when noticing the larger 17-inch alloys, styled only for this model.
Among other additional features that give the edge over the standard Rio S, is a range of extra safety features, like forward collision warning, lane keep and follow assist.
There’s also leading vehicle departure alert. It’s handy for when distracted and funnily enough, cruise control.
Available in manual or automatic (as tested), the Rio Sport is powered by a 1.4-litre petrol engine outputting 74kW. The 6-speed auto is pretty well what you’d expect.
Good for a short run around, quick trips and an ideal city car, don’t expect any quick movement when overtaking, lane changing or pulling out. It does however have a nice rectangle gear selector that sits well in hand.
The Rio, on paper, offers combined fuel economy of 6.0-litres/100km, which is rather hefty, even when considering your fuel tank is 45-litres. The exterior design is nice too, with its satin silver tiger nose grille surround.
Fitted are halogen headlights to keep costs down and small single beam fog lights. Stepping up to the GT-Line will unlock LEDs. Inside, the tablet style 8.0-inch LCD touchscreen infotainment is nice to use, and easy to navigate.
We’re pleasantly surprised that Kia has incorporated wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay across the entire Rio fleet, but super weirdly, wired Apple CarPlay isn’t available. Work that one out.
It’s a basic, yet simple interior, with manual air-conditioning, a six way driver’s seat and a comfortable cloth seat trim. Up front is a single USB charging port and 12v power outlet, with an upper deck to sit phones and a lower one for any other random items.
Back seats passengers even score a single USB charging point. Along the centre console are two small cup holders and a similar storage compartment. The steering wheel is decent too, with plenty of options in front of you to shortcut audio controls and cruise functions.
Access to the settings for the exclusive 4.2-inch driver supervision cluster, nestled in between the driving instruments is on the steering wheel too. You’ll also find electric and folding heated mirrors in the Rio Sport, which is especially handy for colder mornings.
At the rear is a small yet deep 325-litre boot, which expands to 980-litres with the 60:40 split seating folded down. Even under the deep floor, you can find a spare tyre. You won’t find Kia’s ISG (Idle Stop Go) system though, as this is exclusive to the GT-Line.
At $24,990 drive away, the automatic Kia Rio Sport is priced at a $2,000 premium above the base model Rio S. There’s seven paint schemes to chose from, including Clear White, and the Perennial Grey of our tester.
Typical across the Kia range is the generous 7-year unlimited kilometre warranty, which is fully transferable onto new ownership, should you sell the car. There’s even 7-years of capped price servicing available.
Providing you continue to have your vehicle serviced with Kia, you can get up to 8-years complimentary road side assistance too. You can find out more, and build your own Rio on the Kia Australia website.
Our test vehicle was provided by Kia Australia. To find out more about the 2022 Kia Rio Sport, contact your local Kia dealer.
