2012 Kia Rio safety rating: 5-stars at EuroNCAP crash tests

14 thoughts on “2012 Kia Rio safety rating: 5-stars at EuroNCAP crash tests”

1. I purchased the ’12 Rio5 LX mtx a little over three weeks ago (my second Kia, the first being an ’03 Spectra GS hatch), and I love it. Kia has done a lot to improve the looks, quality, and ride of their smaller cars. Love the 6-spd tranny and the four-wheel discs. Love the looks. Love the interior. Everything about this car is nice.

2. I bought the same 2012 Kia Rio “LX” too, about 3 weeks ago with the exception that mine has the A/T and the Power Package with the PW, PL, and the remote Key Fob. I also am quite happy with this vehicle with one exception. The sound quality of its Radio is the worst of any car I`ve ever owned. The one in my old 2006 Kia Rio5 was vastly superior. I have driven a 2012 Kia Rio5 in “EX” Trim that has the additional 2 twin tweeter speakers in the A pillar and it hardly adds any improvement. Regardless of going into the radio`s menu and attempting to adjust the default settings, it is simply horrible. The standard radio that came in my 2011 Ford Fiesta SE Hatchback which also has only 4 speakers, is much better. What a sharp,attractive, and inexpensive “B” segment vehicle that was given given a Radio that sounds like something pulled out of a 20 year old car that was sitting in a scrap yard. What a shame!

3. It reminds me of my ’99 Kia Sephia. I bought it for $7,995 after the $2,000 manufacturers rebate. 5-speed standard tranny, no A/C and no radio. I went to a Everett, WA, audio house and had them install an AM/FM/stereo cassette radio in for me for around $100. The speakers were already in and wired for easy hookup for the audio dudes. I mean, man, after getting a new car that I loved for only $7,995, what more could I ask for? Shifted decently, the shifter in the 2006 Scion xA I test drove in Feb.2006 worked easier, but the 1999 Kia Sephia’s 5-speed shifter got the job done. I loved the Sephia’s front end look…in my mind it made mincemeat of Hon-Duh’s Civic and Thai-o-ta’s Corolla collective front ends. Kia has ALWAYS had the edge in body design, even when the so-called pundit writers for Road and Track and the like put Kia’s early designs down, I don’t. I thought they were boss and I still do.

4. The radio quality in the Rondo seriously sucks, too.

5. Wonder if the Radio quality in the Hyundai Accent is any better then the Kia Rio? You would think that other then some design and cosmetic differences, the performance, sound quality, and speakers would be pretty much the same in a similar Trim Level, regardless if it was Badged with a Kia or Hyundai emblem. Still, no regrets on the purchase but I`m sure for 2013 they will make some improvements if they don`t do so later this year for the 2012 production run. I now realize that when one of the Pundits in a Car Magazine bashed the poor radio/speaker quality in the new Rio5, they were`nt just nitpicking. It (is) that bad! One would not expect either a Bose or Infinity sound system in a 16K vehicle but the one they put in is simply ridiculous.

6. I just purchased a 5 door RIO SX last week and so far I love it. In fact, it’s so much fun to drive that I can’t wiat to get in the car every day. Even the salesman loved driving it that I had to ask him to pull over so I could test drive it – LOL. Reading about the 5 star safety award makes me feel even better about this beautifully crafted vehicle which looks like a smaller version of the outstanding KIA Forte.

   I love the LED tail and running lights!

   On the highway I’m getting approximately 39 mpg and in city only driving around 25 mpg. In combined driving so far I’m between 34 and 35 mpg. Of course it’s very early but I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen so far.

   The car is extremely comfortable, handles very well, and as mentioned above, is lots of fun to drive. The SX model has 17 inch tires and a sports tuned suspension. It’s not a sports car but handling is as good as or better than any other car in this class. I test drive the 2012 Ford Focus and it’s not worth the extra money compared to the RIO. Acceleration is outstanding, better than the anemic Focus.

   On the highway I’m cruising @ 75 mph while engine rpms are only 2600, which tells me the engine is not working hard. I can rapidly accelerate onto the highway and/or pass other cars with ease. That’s important because you want that extra power when it’s needed.

   The front seats are very comfortable and visibility is good. I’m not sure what the complaint is about the audio system but I like it.

   I have a couple of questions and some minor complaints. The SX model has heated outside mirrors that fold up at the push of a button. Wow is that cool! However, there’s nothing in the manual explaining how to use the heat feature, is it automatic or is there something the driver must do?

   Minor Complaints
   1. No hatchback release inside the cabin
   2. Unless I missed it, I don’t see a coin compartment. Hopefully it’s not the one on the driver’s door without a top.
   3. The instrument panel is white on black, I much prefer the KIA Forte’s Orange on Black.
   4. I wish the RIO had the same storage try located under the rear compartment that the Forte Hatchback has.

7. With almost a month and a half of ownership and only 650 miles driven on my 2012 Kia Rio5, so far I must say I`m quite disappointed with its fuel economy. I know some will say that in takes several thousand miles before the engine is “broken in”. I`m getting barely 26 mpg city and 36 mpg highway so far. Funny my 2011 Ford Fiesta SE Hatchback, also with a 1.6 ltr. 4 cyl engine (without) the GDI feature, got 33 mpg city and 41 mpg highway right from delivery. I hope this Rio 5 improves with more miles driven. I guess all the complaints about the Fiesta`s sometimes “jerky” automatic transmission might be the reason it gets such excellent fuel economy. Other then the that , I still love the car. Anyone found a use so far for that odd cubby hole in the dash to the right of the radio? I know in the owners manual it stated that (some) vehicles use that opening for a digital photo display. What`s that all about? Kia manufactured a new vehicle with a misplaced hole in the instrument panel to accommodate a feature which is not available (or wanted) in most Markets where this car is sold? Just wondering…..

8. I put my cell phone there during a test drive. Worked great!

9. It’s for yer cell phone, Phil!

10. The lousy gas milage you’re getting is because you keep stomping on the gas. If you put your pedal to the metal you will never get good gas milage. They put a nice engine in it and make you want to push it. You can get the 30/40 if you drive conservatively.

11. I drove a Rio 200 miles to a different dealership, and I was pushing 45 MPG.

12. I purchased the ’12 rio 5sx 3 weeks ago. It’s a rough ride on the bumpy streets of NYC. I’m getting an average fuel mileage of 29 mpg but I’m constantly starting and stopping. The radio quality is if’fy (sp?) but after playing around with the settings you can get it adjusted to sound okay enough. Bobby in regards to the heated mirrors: they heat up when the rear defrost is on. Does anyone notice anything about the idle of the car? Sometimes mine is idling at 500rpm and other times it’s at 1000rpm. What does everyone else’s idle at?? All in all its a great car for the money. I love the 17″ wheels on mine and all the extra features that came standard on the SX model. Congrats to all of you out there with the Rio!

13. I got my kia 5 door hatchback 3 months ago. This is probably the best car I’ve EVER driven. The reason why you get bad gas mileage is because, well you drive to fast. If you don’t step on the gas and just go up to speed steadily, you won’t have a problem with bad gas mileage. I also don’t understand why you people are bashing on the sound system… It is a good sound system. The only problem with it is that it does not hit the low notes as very good. But you can sure hear every word the people in the song are saying. If you have a problem with the bass then get 12s in your car or a new sound system if you really car all that much. You also need to break in the sound system to. I’ve noticed the more I play music the better the quality gets. Also try messing with the sound controls and find what works for you. If you turn on the some of the sound features it sounds better.

14. I’ve also got in a crash today. I was coming back from football practice in the morning and I signaled left to turn into my sub-division to go home and get ready for the rest of the day. There was a few cars coming the other way and I had to slow down to a complete stop because I had to wait for the other cars to pass. The knuckle head behind me was looking at her phone and didn’t notice that I was slowing to a stop and resumed texting and when she looked up again I was stopped waiting for the other cars to pass and swerved right at the last second but she still hit me going 50 mph and slammed the back right side of my vehicle. Luckily she didn’t hit me right in the back head on other she would have been seriously injured and that we both didn’t go into oncoming traffic with a big truck coming towards us. The front of her car was crunched a basically the whole left side needs to be replace and same with my back right side, my tired, and my rim ( which was completely bent). If you saw a picture of her and mine you will see that my car only got a dent. The air bags didn’t deploy which was a good thing because if it did I would of had a broken nose and possible some teeth. So to the point. My kia had little damage and I barely felt the impact even I got hit really hard. The witnesses of the car accident couldn’t believe that my car only had a flat tire, a bent rim, and the back right side with a scrap and a dent. Thank you Kia for putting a lot of effort in making your cars safe.