Driving
The Kia is available with 2.0-litre or 2.7-litre V6 petrol engines, but we prefer the 2.0-litre turbodiesel. There's a fair amount of diesel clatter at idle, but once on the move it delivers power progressively, and at cruising speeds is impressive refined. It serves up its power in a progressive manner too. So it's a shame the Kia's clutch action is snappy which, combined with a less-than-slick gearbox, makes smooth progress difficult. What's more, dynamically the Magentis feels flimsy. It rolls through corners, and this increased body movement means it works its front tyres much harder. There's also a lot of dive when braking, and the middle pedal is soft under-foot too. The steering is light and vague, and never inspires confidence. Unfortunately, the soft dynamic set-up doesn't translate into a decent ride quality either, because while the Kia is cushioned over smooth surfaces, the dampers don't control suspension movement. As a result, it can become crashy over imperfections, while kickback through the wheel is a problem. Still, stability control is standard.
See also:
Hood
Opening the hood:
1. Pull the release lever on the lower
left side of the instrument panel to
unlatch the hood. The hood should
pop open slightly.
2. Go to the front of the vehicle, raise
th ...
Comprehensive 'active' and 'passive' safety
For new Kia Rio, an all-new bodyshell was created using a higher percentage
of high-strength steel than the third-generation model, enhancing strength and
rigidity. Special attention was given to ...
Manual Transaxle
Manual transaxle operation
The manual transaxle has 6 forward
gears.
This shift pattern is imprinted on the shift
knob. The transaxle is fully synchronized
in all forward gears so shifting to e ...


