If I had to choose one word and only one word to describe the 2013 Kia Rio it would have to be... FUN.
From the moment I saw it I knew that's exactly what was in store for us. It had fun written all over it.
And what more could we want while on vacation in Florida.
This is a car that wasn't just meant to take you to the store and back home. This is a car that wants to go to the beach, zip around corners, and cruise you to all your favorite hot spots.
To be completely honest I am not usually a huge fan of hatchbacks, they bring back memories of when I was a child and I would be stuck in our tiny 1980's Chevette while my parents took us on what felt like endless drives. Although they probably wouldn't have felt so endless though if my dad hadn't always managed to get us lost.
Nowadays not all hatchbacks are what their predecessors were, and that is definitely the case with the Rio.
It wants to zip you to the beach and make you question if you really want to stop and get out or just keep driving.
At first glance I was a little concerned how well our family of four would fit.
We learned from our trip to Florida the first time that if our kiddos are too crammed together crying and screaming would follow shortly.
I was grateful to see it was very spacious for 4 people, and also has a good sized trunk with easy access. The fifth door for the trunk was excellent for getting luggage in and out and all the kids beach toys fit great.
The only crying we heard on our trip to the beach was once we got there and my little boy didn't understand that going to the beach meant sand in his shoes which turned into a fit of epic proportions.
Leave it to a 3 year old to think you should be able to play at the beach without getting any sand on yourself.
Having a smaller car was great in heavy city traffic, economical there and on the highway.
On our way back to the hotel from the beach we got caught up in the typical central Florida afternoon rainstorm and we were also grateful for the Electronic Stability Control and Traction Control System on the freeway.
For a hatchback (5 door) it really is a great looking little car, my husband loved the look of the 17" alloy wheels with a metallic and black finish.
Push button ignition is always cool and makes it feel like an expensive sportscar.
Sport tuned suspension and especially the steering wheel shifters made it a blast to drive, acceleration was great since it weighs a little over a ton and has a very nice 138 Horsepower engine with plenty of "get up and go".
Shifting was really quick and responsive in the SX model we had. I felt like a race car driver.
With all that fun you have acting like a race car driver it's also nice to know there are full side-curtain airbags to protect the kids along with a government 5 star rear seat crash rating even though you will hopefully never need them.
Fuel economy is always on my mind and the Rio got us 37 mpg in the Eco mode combined city and highway, a little higher than the estimated 36 highway.
Once again I got to play around with the Kia's UVO system, which is so user friendly and makes navigation, music playing and checking car systems a breeze.
We have tried out other vehicles that make it impossible for you to change settings or to get the info you need, so I was excited to be using UVO again.
20 years ago I never would have said that our Chevette was "fun" but the Rio screams... FUN.
And don't we all need a little FUN?
Thank you Kia for the FUN!
