2010 Kia Rio5 Review

The first impressive feature that you will notice about the 2010 Kia Rio5 is its suggested retail pricing: just $13,895 and $15,195 as base price points for the two available trims, LX and RX. The Rio5 is a hatchback that's small in physical stature, but huge in intrinsic value. Its versatile. It's a spirited performer. It delivers excellent fuel economy and even throws in very attractive styling standards. The Rio5 competes with the Chevrolet Aveo, Honda Fit, Nissan Cube and the smart fortwo.

The NHTSA awarded the Kia Rio5 2010 four out of five stars for driver's side frontal crash safety, and five out of five stars for the passenger side. It's surprising list of standard safety features includes:

• Front seat belt pretensioners;
• Front seat side-mounted airbags;
• Kia's Advanced Airbag System;
• Full-length side curtain airbags;
• Front active headrests;
• LATCH child anchors and tethers;
• 3-point safety belts for all occupants;
• Side-impact door beams;
• 4-wheel antilock braking;
• Tire pressure monitoring;

The 2010 Rio5 by Kia gains its power from a 1.6L I4 engine that whips up 110 horses at 6000 RPM and 107 lb-ft of torque at 4500. The I4 is mated to the owner's choice of either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. Both trims are front wheel-driven and require a 16.5 foot turning radius. Its small 11.9-gallon fuel tank will still enable travel of well over 300 miles when filled as the Rio5 delivers an EPA-estimated 28/34 mpg cities/highways.

The Kia Rio5 for 2010 features an independent frontal suspension system, a semi-independent rear suspension system, effective air conditioning, auxiliary input jacks, USB ports, power steering and more. New for this year, full body-color bumpers, newly designed headlamps and a freshened grille are turning heads. Its 2010 appearance has been substantially revised. Little, but mighty, the Rio5 measures 158.5 x 66.7 x 57.9 inches in length, width and height respectively. It clears the ground by 6.1 inches, has a 2438-pound curb weight and rides on a wheelbase of just 98.4 inches. You'll find ample room on the inside with 40 inches of frontal headroom (38 rear), 54 inches of shoulder room (53 rear), 51 inches of hip room (50 rear) and a very nice 42.8 inches of legroom with 34.3 in the rear. Stock luggage capacity is measured at 15.8 cubic feet, but can be expanded up to 49.6 cubic feet with the rear seating folded.

The 2010 Kia Rio5 presents big value in a small package and is definitely a vehicle that should be on your short list of potential choices for safe, dependable, fuel-efficient family transportation.