The 2016 Kia Rio Sedan as well as the Kia Rio hatchback, presented at the Chicago car show, comes in three trim levels—LX, EX, and SX.
Exterior
The 2016 Kia Rio Sedan gained a somewhat sportier look, due to new rear and front fascias, the new “Tiger Nose” grille, round fog lights with and the headlamps which have been made slightly concave. The lower part of the bumper is enriched with some horizontal lines and made larger and straighter than it used to be.
The vehicle has been installed with new rear reflectors (closer to the outside) in order to help spread the widened look to the rear.
The 2016 Rio comes in two new colors – Digital Yellow and Urban Blue.
Interior
Kia has installed more high-density foam in the A and B pillars, so NVH would be reduced. Also, in order for the cabin to get a better feel, Kia used premium touch materials.
The 2016 Kia Rio Sedan’s cabin has been refreshed with satin-finish bezels surrounding the air vents as well as a piano-black center console.
A new Designer Package offers the cabin with seats wrapped in black cloth with accents of leatherette trim and grey stitching.
The base model, LX, of course possesses some standard features such as air conditioning, electric power steering, a 6-way manual driver’s seat, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, a USB port, Sirius XM capabilities, hill-start assist etc. The EX has everything previously mentioned plus power windows, keyless entry, cruise with steering wheel-mounted controls and a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel. The SX adds steering column-mounted paddle shifters, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, backup camera, the Supervision meter, an upgraded-for-2016 navigation system, and a standard power sunroof.
Engine and performance
The 2016 Kia Rio Sedan uses the same 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine as it had the previous year. It produces 138hp at 6,300 rpm and 123 pound-feet of torque at 4,850 rpm.
It has a 6-speed manual transmission as standard and transfers the power to the front wheels. There’s no talk of the 6-speed automatic as an option.
No road tests have been done yet, but it is speculated that there will be little or no change (in comparison to the previous model) when it comes to acceleration and maximum speed, due to the retained engine. So, the estimated top speed is 105 mph and the estimated acceleration is 0-60 mph in 9.5 seconds.
Price and release date
The 2016 Kia Rio Sedan is expected to make its debut near the end of March this year. The price still remains unknown, although it’s estimated that the car will cost around $14,000.
