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| Sport model isn't available on the four-door sedan. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, Canadian Auto Press) |
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| It may be a bit timid in stock form, but the Rio has some pretty serious potential. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, Canadian Auto Press) |
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| Lose shifter and oddly spaced clutch are a bit... well, odd. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, Canadian Auto Press) |
A Close Second: Cred
If you can show up for an industrial-park version of the TV show Pinks with a car that looks ready to drop a halfshaft on its way out of the blocks and still beat the limited slip differential off the guy willing to ante up his ride, then power to you, but the world of tuning has become increasingly defined by groups like Darknights and events like SCR and Hot Import Daze and Nights, so don't expect to get much credit just for having a beater that can make a dyno light up like one of Blade's UV grenades (sorry, I got sucked into Blade II last night--chalk up one more reference not worth explaining). Then again, a paint job, some stickers and a catalogue skirt kit tacked on with crazy glue will also get you about as much attention as your impressive Snorks sticker collection, so you better have the looks to match the performance and vice versa.
Obviously the Rio5 isn't packing any tuner-crushing horsepower à la SRT-4, but it's got a decent little modern engine that is ripe for some turbocharging. Only the message boards will eventually tell how many cracked blocks (iron block on these Rios) or rocketing pistons the high compression ratios will cause, but surely there are already people out there experimenting (Kia themselves brought several Rios with Borg Warner turbochargers to 2005 SEMA in their experimental Orange Blur and Blue Streak Rios, so it is definitely possible). When a car comes in as cheap as the Rio5, it leaves a nice budget for new headers and exhaust, maybe some stiffer, shorter springs and definitely some wider rubber. With the current horsepower, pretty much everything is suitable, and although the steering is good for basic around town maneuvers, it has something of an adverse reaction to intense autocross maneuvers, mostly because of the power steering's inability to keep up with inputs - I wonder how much a steering upgrade would cost--not something I'd reallywant to tinker with.
Considering that the horsepower comes in at a few ponies over a century ( see specs for details), the easy clutch and long, loose shifter combine to allow you to keep it easily over 5,000 rpm if you're actually trying to get anywhere. Granted, at high revs the engine is hardly symphonic, but it has a nice jigsaw buzz that could become appealing with a richer bass note from a performance exhaust. Okay, when you add up all the shortcomings in the performance department, you're looking at a very expensive list of catalogue parts to really round it into form, but I have no doubt that this car would be a blast to drive if kitted up with some properly installed aftermarket parts. Also, for those of you who don't plan on tuning it, consider that the Rio is the most powerful of all it's currently available subcompact rivals - Nissan's slightly larger Versa comes in at 125 stock, marking the end of Kia/Hyundai's reign.
As it is, the Rio5 is a blast to drive simply because it is such a light, tossable vehicle and the only thing on my need list is slightly sharper steering that displays quicker response to input - forget feedback, just give the steering heftier weight or go back to manual steering - I really miss manual steering (hey, if it's good enough for the Lotus Elise...). Then again, the power steering aids on this rack& pinion setup (not to mention small size and turning radius) do help it maneuver into parking spots and through lots with microcar efficiency, so look forward to easy parking.
