2001 Kia Rio LS review from North America
"Cheap to run, but expensive to buy"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The transmission syncs are not meshing right. I have to bring this in to the shop.
The hub caps could not withstand one wash at the carwash. The paint flaked off all of the hub caps. KIA will not warranty this.
Scratches from delivery. This was under warranty.
The spark plug boot in way to tight so when I changed the plugs the boot split. Blue silicone was the solution to this problem.
I found bubbles on the black wrap on the drivers door top. This was under warranty.
I just did a oil change on my car and found the transmission has a slow leak in it. I will wait for the transmission to blow and get a new one under warranty.
General comments?
The KIa Rio has a very good weight to horse power ratio. But the horse power is only 95. The car though can accelerate very quick. I go from 0-80 Km/h in only 5-6 seconds. But the car can't go any faster than 230Km/h and in the 170-230 range it is really sluggish. I have had a lot of people ask me about this car and I would not recommend this car for someone who wants a cheap car. When you factor all the stuff the price goes from $13,000 to $17,500 + tax and extra stuff. This comes out to around $22,500 which is a lot of money for a advertised $13,000 car.
Recommended reviews
| Very unreliable and a waste of money |
|
| A Lemon, Lemon, Lemon!!! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 2001 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | DOHC 1.5L Manual |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 2 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 57 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 33015 kilometres |
| Previous car | Chevrolet S-10 |
| Date of Entry | 4th September, 2003 |