The Kia Rio is the South Korean carmaker’s entry to the local compact car segment. This five-door hatchback version offers a blend of sporty and stylish exterior and offers a ride that looks good in narrow city streets as well as on the open road.

With its global release in 1999, the Kia Rio effectively replaced the outgoing Pride. It soon made its way to Philippine shores in 2012 and has been in Kia’s local lineup ever since.

The Kia Rio is currently offered in two variants, with both models having quite a lot of similarities. That said, we’ll begin this variant breakdown by looking at what both cars have in common.

Let’s start by looking at what’s under the hood. Both cars are fitted with Kia’s 1.4-liter Kappa dual CVVT gasoline engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission with manual mode. This powertrain arrangement puts out a decent 98hp and 133Nm of torque.

Stopping power comes from disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. The Kia Rio is supported by MacPhersons at the front and a tubular coupled torsion beam axle setup at the rear.

You’ll be greeted by a multi-functional steering wheel as soon as you enter the driver’s seat. Here, you’ll also find a 3.5-inch instrument cluster with a speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, rheostat, and trip meter. In the center sits a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment display with radio functions, MP3, USB, and aux-in ports. It also has Bluetooth, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay connectivity, and has voice-control features.

Both hatchback models sport polyurethane shift knobs and steering wheel as well as cloth seats. The two cars also share other interior amenities including the glove box, console box, power outlet, and USB charger at the front console, cupholders, bottle holders, manual air-conditioning, and courtesy lamps.

The two variants also are virtually identical in terms of safety. Included in the suite of safety amenities are front airbags, three-point seatbelts at the front, two-point seatbelts at the rear, child seat anchors, rear door child lock, an immobilizer, and ABS.

Both variants also have a rear camera and parking distance warning.

Now that you know how similar these cars are, let’s find out what features separate them from one another.

Kia Rio Hatchback 1.4 LX AT – P920,000

Exterior

• Headlamps: Multi-Reflector Halogen with Auto Light Control
• Positon Lamps: Equipped
• Front Fog Lamps: Equipped
• Exterior Rear View Mirrors: Body Color with Power Adjustment
• Radiator Grille: Black and Silver
• Outside Door Handles: Body Color
• Rear Window Defogger: Equipped
• Rear Spoiler: Equipped
• High Mount Stop Lamp: Integrated in Rear Spoiler
• Rear Combination Lamp: Equipped
• Wheels: 15-Inches

Interior

• Remote Keyless Entry: Equipped
• Push Button Start: N/A
• Seats: Driver and Passenger: Recline and Slide

Kia Rio Hatchback 1.4 EX AT – P985,000

Exterior

• Headlamps: Projector-type Halogen with Static Bending, Manual Leveling, and Auto Light Control
• Positon Lamps: Equipped (LED)
• Front Fog Lamps: Equipped
• Exterior Rear View Mirrors: Body Color with Power Adjustment, Power Folding, and Heat Function
• Radiator Grille: Black and Chrome
• Outside Door Handles: Body Color
• Rear Window Defogger: Equipped
• Rear Spoiler: Equipped
• High Mount Stop Lamp: Integrated in Rear Spoiler
• Rear Combination Lamp: Equipped
• Wheels: 15-Inches

Interior

• Remote Keyless Entry: Equipped (Smart Entry)
• Push Button Start: Equipped
• Seats: Driver: Height Adjust, Recline, and Slide; Passenger: Recline and Slide

Photos from Kia

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