Kia Philippines launches Rio sedan and hatchback

January 20,2012

They’ve been on the road for a few weeks, and now it’s officially here: Columbian Autocar Corporation, the exclusive distributor of Kia vehicles in the Philippines, launched the four and five-door Rio B-segment cars in a carnival-themed event attended by the Kia-supported Philippine Azkals football team.

The third-generation Rio carries a distinctly VW-esque vibe, no doubt thanks to the work of Kia styling chief Peter Schreyer, who came from VW/Audi. Though the Rio is closer to the VW Polo in size, the profile, headlamps, and taillamps would not look out of place in a Golf.

The Rio four-door checks in at 4365mm long, 1720mm width, and 1455mm height, on a 2570mm wheelbase. The hatchback is shorter at 4045mm length.

Kia Rio has four variants:; four-door sedan 1.2 LX M/T, 1.4 EX M/T and 1.4 EX A/T; and five-door hatchback 1.4 EX A/T. The 1.2-liter inline-four generates 86bhp and 120Nm; it mates to a five-speed manual transmission. The 1.4-liter delivers 106bhp and 137Nm; transmission choices are six-speed manual and four-speed automatic. The suspension setup uses MacPherson struts up front and torsion-beam axle in the rear. Brakes are front discs / rear drums, and electric power steering.

The 1.2 LX gets 175/70 R14 tires. The 1.4 EX upgrades to 185/65 R15 tires, adds driver’s airbag, ABS, remote entry, 60:40 split-folding rear seats, and power door locks. The hatchback is the fully-loaded version, with 205/45 R 17 tires, transponder key, engine start/stop button, dual airbags, rear parking sensors, auto climate control, six-speaker audio, automatic light, glovebox cooler, leather steering wheel and door trim, and power-folding side mirrors. The sedan starts at P678,000 and goes up up to P718,000. The hatchback A/T’s SRP is P838,000. Warranty is five years/160,000 km.

The new Rio four-door sedan comes in five colors; white, bright silver, wendy brown, signal red, and graphite. The five-door variant is available in graphite, signal red, and white.

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