General Comments:

I bought a 2002 Kia Rio last year as my first car.

Ever since I got it, I have had nothing but problems with it. Most recently, sometimes I go to start it and it doesn't want to go, it will either take a few goes to get started and then it's still very shaky feeling, as if it wants to stall (even though it's an auto).

In the last week, when I take my foot off the accelerator, and the car jolts back, and now when I brake, the car cuts out all together! I have taken it to several mechanics. None can figure out the problem, and have taken it to Kia, they deny it's a common problem (which is crap!) and they wanted me to give them $100 JUST to look at it!!

I should not have to spend a cent on a car that wasn't made properly! It's unsafe and I will NEVER buy Kia again!!!

Faults:

To this point, I have had issues with the Gearbox, and Clutch around the 25000km mark.

I have had problems with the engine filling up with water from an unknown source. Possibly from within the engine... unsure at this point.

Dealerships are appalling.

General Comments:

The car is overall, quite good to drive, handles well and is cheap to run.

I purchased the car and was getting approx 510km to the tank (Approx $35AUD) and now approx 610km.

Car appears to be heavy on the tires, as I have had to replace 2 sets.

I spend a lot of time in my car, and still love to drive it.

It has some power for the size!

I have had the car up to 220km per hour, and for the lead foot, it gets up to the 0-100km very quickly.

I would seriously recommend the manual over the automatic, as I have driven both, the manual is far better.

Overall, a good buy... would recommend it for the first car buyer.

Faults:

Cd player sometimes cuts out for a few seconds.

Gets stuck in second gear.

Fuel tank spits at you when it is full.

General Comments:

I purchased my Rio in May 2002, It has been a good little car and it was purchased due to the cheap price and features, the car has been good though if you leave the car on ACC then start it it will become stuck in second gear and I needed to pull over, tough once the engine is turned off and put back on it is fine, another problem I had was once I filled up the tank it would spit out petrol, I'm not sure whether this is all of the Rio's. I wrote to Kia expressing my concern about the car getting stuck in gear and spitting out petrol, they were great about it and told me to bring it in. Overall this car is very good, the engine isn't very big, but it gives a good roar!

Faults:

I have had no problems at all.

General Comments:

I am very happy with my 2002 Kia Rio Hatchback.

The seats are very comfortable, the CD player is excellent.

Fuel economy has been very good, with most of my driving being half city and half highway driving. My last vehicle was a Holden V6 Commodore so I know what a gas-guzzling vehicle is.

I find the Rio to be smooth driving with a quiet ride.

My hatchback has a very large luggage area and the front seats have ample space for even the tallest drivers. The Rio handles bumps with unbelievable ease with very smooth stopping and starting.

Despite my vehicle being a 4 cylinder automatic, and having previously driven a V6 more powerful vehicle, I have adapted to this zippy 4 cylinder car with ease. It has good pick-up and does not have undue noise when cruising on the highway.

My car has come standard with Air Conditioning and CD player and there is no loss of power when using the Air.

Overall, I am very happy with the 2002 Kia Rio and despite it being less expensive, I don't find the fittings to be cheap. The exterior of the vehicle is modern, sporty and compact, without compromising interior space.

The Air Conditioning is cold and efficient (perfect for Australian summers).

Despite reading bad reviews at times on Kia vehicles, I feel the Kia Rio is not on the lemon list. Firstly it is almost impossible to get a secondhand Kia Rio in this country if they were so faulty surely there would be an influx of these vehicles in used car yards! Secondly I have spoken to other Kia Rio owners who have all been very happy with their purchase.

Faults:

Light in boot was not working on delivery.

Carpet is coming away from the plastic trim used to hold it in place on the passenger's side.

General Comments:

I started out looking for a second hand small car, e.g a Laser or similar, but when I looked at the price of a Rio and what you get for the money, I ended up buying one.

When I first looked inside I saw it had headrests in all five seating positions so I thought it must have been the luxury model, but the dealer told me they only come in one trim level and two body styles. He didn't have to do much selling- the car sold itself.

I haven't done many km in it yet because I've only had it a month but I did an 850km round trip in it last week and it only used $45 worth of fuel. You couldn't get the bus there for that.

Even though the car is easy on fuel, the performance is quite good, and the handling is not too bad either. The ride could be a little softer and the suspension a little quieter but with any criticism you could make, you have to consider the price. It's a joy to drive in the city and the longer I have it the more I seem to like it.