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BY ANDY ENRIGHT

Introductionword count: 132

Low involvement decisions. We all make them. Just last week I was tasked to buy a freezer. I know nothing of freezers, I'm not interested in wading through reams of Which? reports on best buys, storage capacities, watts per hour electricity consumption or any such tedium. I walked into my local branch of Comet, looked at the prices, picked an inexpensive one that didn't look too offensive and arranged to have it delivered. Many people buy cars in this fashion too, and these people buy cars like the Kia Rio. A used Rio is instantaneous, low-involvement, motoring gratification. It gets you from A to B with metronomic reliability and doesn't make any embarrassing style statements. And that is as valid a reason to purchase a car as any we can think of.

Modelsword count: 2

Models Covered:

Historyword count: 157

The Rio first went on sale in July 2001 to a modest reception. The mainstream car magazines damned it with faint praise, and few takers seemed tempted by the low sticker price. Sales momentum has built since, and there are now a fair few used Rios knocking about the system. Customers opted for either a 1.3-litre version in base, L or LX trim or a 1.5-litre variant in comparatively plush SE specification. A series of styling and quality revisions to the package was announced at the tail end of 2002 that aimed to broaden the appeal a little further. For the 2004 model year, Kia pulled their horns in by cutting the Rio range to 2 models - an L and an LX - both powered by the 1.3-litre engine and in 2005 further changes meant customers could either opt for an LE or and LE+. The new Rio went on sale towards the end of 2005.

What You Getword count: 319

Whereas Kia supply the American market with a hatchback and all-important saloon model, we must be content with just the five-door hatch, by far the most distinctively styled of the pair. If you get a sense of dejà vu when you see that rising window line, it's because the same stylistic trick is used on the Rio's bigger sibling, the Carens mini-MPV. The styling could hardly be called run of the mill, with a shape that's pitched somewhere between a small hatchback, an estate and a tiny MPV, with some very nice detailing. The clear lens headlights are particularly smart and the styling avoids the frumpy appearance of so many five-door hatch variants. The interior, whilst not up for any design awards, is nonetheless better than you might at first expect. Although the trim materials appear a bit flimsy, there's an absence of squeaks, rattles and vibrations amongst the plastics of the dash and centre console, although the body shape does suffer from significant wind noise at speed. The buttons and switches are all big and self-explanatory, with the large, rectangular hazard light and heated rear window buttons thoughtfully placed. Accommodation is good, if not class leading, courtesy of that sharky profile and 'aerodeck' style roofline. The front seats are reasonably squishy and comfortable in the style of old luxury French cars, but they aren't particular supportive in the lumbar area. Head, foot and legroom up front is no problem whatsoever and the height adjustable front seat and seatbelt anchors are a nice touch on a bargain model. The rear bench, for it would be optimistic to call it anything but, is less successful, with headroom quite pinched although a by-product of the elongated shape is very good legroom. It's ideal if you're planning on transporting the kids about. Try not to carry more than two, as only the outer two berths at the back get three-point seat belts.

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