Leftlane’s bottom line

Like their Hyundai partners, Kia has the competition looking over their shoulders with good products at great prices. Add in the hefty Kia warranty and you have a great combination…just stick with the automatic transmission. Not quite the standout Kia would like it to be, the Forte is nonetheless leaps and bounds above its pedestrian predecessor and offers 95 percent of the refinement of the class leaders at 75 percent of the price.

    See also:

    Power steering
    Checking the power steering fluid level With the vehicle on level ground, check the fluid level in the power steering reservoir periodically. The fluid should be between MAX and MIN marks on t ...

    Drivetrain
    The typical sedan has a larger engine than the Kia Rio. Keep in mind that smaller engines are often cheaper to fix, but smaller engines can be stressed more. The Kia Rio could learn a lesson or tw ...

    Acceleration and Power
    All Rio and Rio5 models have a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 110 horsepower. A five-speed manual transmission is standard on the Rio sedan, and a four-speed automatic is available for ...