Brand new Kia Rio Limited (Top Spec) for 24k incl ORC + 3 yr servicing

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Brand new Kia Rio Limited (Top Spec) for 24k incl ORC + 3 yr servicing - Good buy or am I making a mistake

kiwijunglist

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#239679 29-Jul-2018 18:34

Went looking for a new car for the wife this weekend.

Potentially pulling the trigger on a 2018 Kia Rio for the misses tomorrow. They have a deal that ends in a couple of deals where the top spec Kia Rio which is normally $27,000 + ORC is priced at $23,000 + ORC and includes 3 years of servicing for free. On road costs are $1000.

The top spec has leather seats, climate, reverse camera, parking sensors, climate control, 7" screen, Android Auto, cruise control, led daytime running lights front and rear. 17" alloys. Auto dim lights/mirrors, electric side mirrors.

It seems to review well with the exception of the 4 speed auto transmission and gutless engine (Both features not important for the wifes first car to use as a city round about).

The other cars I've looked at were
Picanto xline
Ignis
Swift
Jazz (no Android Auto).

Am i making a mistake if I go put a deposit on this tomorrow. My budget is 15-25k for a new or near new car. Must be a small exterior sized 4 door with 4-5 seats (prefer 5) with parking assist functions and android auto.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

alasta

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#2064666 29-Jul-2018 19:19

I owned a previous generation Rio for a few years and I never had any problems with it. It was a good car for the price.

As you mentioned the engine and transmission are getting very dated now so make sure that you really are OK with that. I think the Jazz and the Swift have more modern mechanicals.

tchart

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#2064685 29-Jul-2018 19:47

Usually Kia will do this just before they do a range/cosmetic refresh. We got our Sportage through a good deal like this. Kia make good solid cars. We found the l/100km on the Kia a bit ambitious but apart from that we had no regrets about that purchase.

We replaced with a Suzuki Vitara and while it's nice and economic the build quality isn't as good as the Kia.

Sounds like a good deal looking at the prices on the website.

Lias

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#2064695 29-Jul-2018 20:35

I own a 2004 Kia Rio, owned it for about 4 years now and fairly happy with it..

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itxtme

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#2064710 29-Jul-2018 22:39

Cant comment on the Rio, but when my wife needed a car in the same situation we got it down to the Mada 2 and a swift (not sport but up spec). The difference in driving between the two was chalk and cheese. The 6 speed auto Mazda 2 is grunty, and its something you should definetly consider. ORC are a joke, rego costs bugger all, and then they want money to get a brand new item they are selling ready!? We got her GSX for just under 25k (RRP was 27.5k) incl on roads without too much haggaling.

michaelmurfy

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#2064714 29-Jul-2018 22:48

I, too was in the market for a new car last year - went shopping around, drove the Kia, Swift (+ Sport) and the Mazda 2. In the end just like @itxtme it was a tossup between the Mazda 2 and the Swift. Same problem, there were hidden fees in buying the Mazda 2.

I actually decided against buying new in the end and instead bought a 2013 Swift from the same Suzuki Dealer (Would rather use that money for a house) - got a Pioneer head unit with Apple Carplay + new speakers installed and am incredibly happy with both the car and the dealer.

Going forward, based on this experience I can honestly say I will be back for my next car.

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kiwijunglist

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#2064716 29-Jul-2018 22:59

do the steering wheel controls and rearview camera work with the aftermarket head unit?

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michaelmurfy

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#2064726 30-Jul-2018 00:41

kiwijunglist:

do the steering wheel controls and rearview camera work with the aftermarket head unit?

Yep - I have got the stock steering wheel controls working with my head unit. Also have a reversing camera (aftermarket) but most cameras simply send a composite signal to the head unit.

tigercorp

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#2064890 30-Jul-2018 11:44

It's a good deal, especially because of the trim/spec.

We were looking at this last month for exactly the same reasons (first car runabout for the wife) but she was happier going slightly bigger so we got a near new top spec Cerato. I'm impressed with the build quality and the ease of drive feel the Kia's have, having never driven one prior to a month or so ago.

jaymz

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#2064961 30-Jul-2018 13:50

We use Kia Cerato's and Rio's for company cars and do A LOT of kms in them. Only issues that i know about have been a clutch in one of the Rio's (they are all manual).

I can say, though, that the Kia's seem to be pretty harsh on tail light bulbs and headlight bulbs. They are often needed to be replaced a couple of times a year. But keep in mind that these cars are doing 100+kms per day.

gcorgnet

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#2064990 30-Jul-2018 14:39

Needed a new car for a daily commuter and tried both a Rio and a Cerato.

I tried both and found the Rio to be a bit underpowered. Went with the Cerato and am very happy.

CitizenErased

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#2065138 30-Jul-2018 18:46

Kia generally offer excellent value for money (especially the likes of the Sportage) and score highly in the reliability stakes, but personally I couldn't part with $23k for that engine/transmission combination. I know you said it doesn't matter to you, but aside from not being much fun to drive, I think you'll find real world fuel economy really suffers (always ignore the official fuel consumption figures - they're measured in a laboratory and the test parameters are so different from real world driving it's a complete joke).

You owe it to yourself to test drive a new Mazda 2 before making a decision. If a new one is over budget, get a near-new one. That way the first owner has taken the biggest depreciation hit, but you still get the balance of the factory warranty and free service plan. The Mazda 2 will provide a far superior driving experience to the Kia Rio. It doesn't have Apple Carplay or Android Auto, but this will be offered as a software upgrade across the Mazda range before the end of the year. Negotiate this into the deal, so you don't have to pay for it later.

Also negotiate real hard on on-road costs. These are also a complete joke and just another way for the dealer to line his pockets. On-road costs include some legitimate costs like registration, WOF and a tank of fuel, but the rest of it is nonsense like delivery charges (I understand the distributor pays these), grooming and other general business expenses. Play hardball and you may not even pay any on-road costs. It's a competitive market out there and you have to give the impression you're prepared to buy something else if you don't get the deal you want. Last year I negotiated a deal on behalf of my dad and got a six-month old (10,000km) Hyundai Tucson for 25% less than the price of a new one.

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#2065148 30-Jul-2018 19:07

Hi, the company I used to work for had mainly Rio's (I suspect its the came company as Jaymz) and the ones we had were the 6speed manual with 1.4 turbo diesel, this is a fantastic setup and can strongly recommend them. That said handling left a bit to be desired, but my personal car is a late model Alfa so handling is in a different style and class to the Rio, that all said its a great little car. Not sure if I would do the Petrol/Auto incarnation, I would not imagine it could ever match the 6 speed turbo. I would take it over the Rimatuku's at least once if not twice a week, with its softish suspension you learned to just hang on and keep your foot up the turbo :)

The last one I had I got new and handed back with 140,000km on the clock. In that time it only required its standard 15,000km oil and filter services and a couple of sets of pads all round, and a few sets of tyres and that was it.

Cyril

uluxus

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#2065262 30-Jul-2018 20:19

We got a 2015 Kia Rio EX for a similar price in Aug 2015. Since, have had some buyers remorse.

Having looked at upgrading the cheaper bigger family car since, the Japanese import prices seem like far better ROI.

The l/100 seem way off for the Rio, we're close to 8, generally high 7.x l/100km.

It has been mechanically sound, however at 45,000km had the most expensive brake service ever - they have hard breaks & soft rotors, so be prepared for about $1500 of servicing 2-3 years in depending on driving.

The 5 year warranty is semi-moot, we had a $1000 3 year autosure warranty added half price to our $6,500 Nissan Presage we got 18 months ago, so you don't have to buy new to get certainty on core engine reliability.

If it's a second car I'd be looking at a Nissan Leaf 30kw depending on intended travel.

Wash

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#2065415 31-Jul-2018 08:47

We looked at a Kia Rio when shopping in 2009 for a small car. Drove a Subaru Imprezza, the Kia Rio and a Mazda 3. Chose the Mazda 3 despite me being a Subaru fan. Far better interior than both of the others and drove really well. The Kia was sloooow and, on paper and on the road, significantly heavier which wouldn't help economy.

In that same Mazda 3, I get mid 6's/100km and in Auckland traffic, more like high 7's so if the earlier poster is getting 7's, then the Rio is a bit thirsty as the Mazda 3 is a little larger and my one is much older.

My relatives Kia Piccanto is just awful too. Very very slow, very vague to drive. It is cheap to run though!

ratsun81

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#2065420 31-Jul-2018 08:53

Ill chime in and suggest taking a look at a Skoda Fabia Wagon. Got one for the wife about 1.5 years ago and we are quite happy with it, good fuel economy and its got enough grunt.

They are doing good pricing at the moment and have 5 year servicing and warranty.

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