After five months of testing, Kia has finally officially introduced the Kia Rio facelift. Compared to the previous version, the latest Kia Rio now comes with significant changes. Especially in the kitchen spur which has carried a mild hybrid engine.
Kia embeds a 1.0-liter mild hybrid engine on the latest Kia Rio, replacing the previous Kappa 1.0 T-GDi-based engine. The new electric powertrain combines a 1,000cc three-cylinder petrol engine with an Integrated Starter Generator to reduce CO2 emissions by about 8 percent.
The mild hybrid powertrain will be equipped with a newly developed manual transmission with electronic control of the clutch. Kia explains that the new "clutch-by-wire" gearbox integrates seamlessly with a mild hybrid system that maximizes the start-stop function by automatically shutting down the engine when the car is stuck or stopped.
For engine power offered the same as its predecessor version. The latest Kia Rio is equipped with an engine capable of spraying power up to 100-120 hp. In addition to the hybrid engine, the option of a 1,000 cc gasoline engine is also available with a 6-speed manual gearbox and a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Another petrol engine option is the 1,200 cc 4 cylinder producing 84 hp.
Then, how the exterior appearance? What is called a facelift, of course, changes to the face are made. Visually, it's actually not much different from the previous version of Rio. Changes can be seen from the design of the front fascia which is more simplified with a wider and aggressive bumper with new fog lamps.
The headlights already carry LEDs as standard on all the latest Rio models. In addition, there are also two new exterior colors for customers to choose from. Meanwhile, on the legs, 16-inch alloy wheels are now embedded with a new model 8-spoke design.
The biggest changes are also seen on the inside of the cabin thanks to a new, larger 8.0-inch screen on the center console and a 4.2-inch digital display on the driver's instrument panel. Meanwhile, the GT Line variant gets trim that resembles carbon fiber in the cabin.
Interestingly, consumers can also choose a variety of new customizations that can be selected as desired. As for the price itself has not been officially announced.
