2003 Kia Rio

One can't help but be leery of any product that touts being the "lowest-priced available in America." When that item happens to be a new car, the matter takes on an even greater degree of significance. (Just ask anyone who'll admit to being even remotely involved with the ill-conceived Yugo experiment.)

Exterior options include body-colored side moldings and door handles and 14-inch alloy wheels.

Happily, the Kia Rio is better built, better backed and just plain better than that sorry Yugoslavian specimen. Having spent a week in a Rio, we came away aware that, while it's not without flaws, this Korean subcompact sedan—along with its wagon sibling—really does have what it takes to fulfill the basic motoring needs of many budget-constrained buyers. Upgrades for 2003 include an increase in horsepower, freshened exterior styling, an updated instrument panel, new seat fabric, LATCH child seat safety anchors and more hip and shoulder room.


While it opens at a mere $9,455 (plus $540 destination fees), the Rio is hardly a Spartan offering. Highlighting the roster of standards is a reasonably peppy 104-hp DOHC four-cylinder engine. This 1.6-liter MI-Tech (Millennium Innovation Technology) powerplant has multiport fuel injection as well as tuned intake and exhaust manifolds. Backing the engine is a standard 5-speed manual transmission or $875-option 4-speed automatic.

Upholstery and door trim is cloth. Options include AC, stereo system with CD player and vanity mirrors.

The chassis has unibody construction. Stopping power is handled by power-assisted vented front discs and rear drums; 4-wheel antilock brakes are a $400 option. Front suspension is the common MacPherson-strut/coil-spring independent configuration, while the semi-independent rear utilizes a torsion axle and coils.


Seasoning the mix are some unexpected touches such as tinted glass, a cloth interior, a height adjuster and armrest for the driver's seat, adjustable shoulder belt anchors, rear-window defroster and three-speed windshield wipers. Safety features include an impact-absorbing body design and dual front airbags. Our car also had the $400 Upgrade Package (power steering, tilt column, tachometer, map lamp with sunglass case, side molding and vanity mirrors), air conditioning ($750), and the AM/FM/CD stereo ($425), which took it to a still pretty livable $11,570.