2003 Kia Rio Review and Specs

Summary

What Edmunds.com says

The Rio and Rio Cinco are the lowest priced sedan and wagon on the market, and they feel that way. Buy one only if you must have a new-car warranty; otherwise, spend your money on a nice used car -- preferably a Japanese compact or a Hyundai Elantra.

Pros

Small price, big warranty, peppy engine, attractive styling.

Cons

Unrefined handling, five-speed manual's rubbery shift action, mediocre fuel economy.

What's New for 2003

For 2003, Kia gives the Rio a number of upgrades. Among these are a new 104-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine; various suspension tweaks to improve ride and handling; larger disc brakes; new engine mounts and exhaust tuning for a quieter cabin; and reinforcements to the steering wheel and column to minimize vibration. Inside, look for revisions to the instrument cluster, center console and door panels -- the latter will include storage bins and bottle holders -- as well as new seat fabric. New standard features include child-seat anchors, rear heater ducts, auto-off headlights, variable intermittent wipers and, on the wagon only, a CD player. In addition, Kia has added dual map lights and a sunglasses case to the sedan's Upgrade Package, and will offer the Power Package, which provides power windows and locks. Finally, both Rios get fresh front fascias and wheel covers; the sedan gets a sharper-looking tail and the wagon gets an optional body-color spoiler.

Consumer Ratings & Reviews

No more Kias

Written by: Kat Kat on 08/06/2009

Detailed Ratings

Overall Rating


Performance:	3	Fun-to-Drive:	5	Build Quality:	3
Comfort:	4	Interior Design:	4	Reliability:	2
Fuel Economy:	8	Exterior Design:	4

Vehicle

2003 Kia Rio Cinco 4dr Wagon (1.6L 4cyl 5M)

Review

Worst Car ever once I got it I had to take in in after a few months do to the weather guard on the windows being deformed. Tires blow out so fast on this tire it's not even funny. If it weren't for the great mileage it would have no up side.

Favorite Features

Easy to drive when it works

Suggested Improvements

Better body, better seats. Better everything!

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should've been great

Written by: George on 07/24/2009


Performance:	6	Fun-to-Drive:	6	Build Quality:	9
Comfort:	7	Interior Design:	8	Reliability:	3
Fuel Economy:	8	Exterior Design:	7

2003 Kia Rio 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)

I bought this car second hand from an elderly lady with 8,300 miles on it, and at first I loved it. Good performance due to light weight, and great mileage (32 mpg) certainly had me feeling good when gas prices soared. Love the warranty coverage, though I've had to use it throughly, and this was the cars ultimate undoing. By 61,000 miles of mixed city, suburban and long highway drives, it has gone through several (4- 5) sets of front wheel bearings, a control arm, a few sensors (check engine light comes on every spring for something different) and a TRANSMISSION. I'm currently facing another failed sensor, an ominous noise that the dealer says is "normal" and spotty starts. Hoped for better.

snappy performance considering 1.6 liter engine, surprising stereo, good outward visibility. kinda charming too, in a goofy way.

Simply a bad example of improving KIA quality, though I would still consider buying a newly designed KIA thanks to the warranty. (And in fairness, even when the tranny went, it still limped home for 30 miles in 2nd gear, so technically this car hasn't ever left me officially "stranded")

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

Money Saver

Written by: ChadHutchy on 04/10/2009


Performance:	1	Fun-to-Drive:	1	Build Quality:	10
Comfort:	1	Interior Design:	1	Reliability:	10
Fuel Economy:	10	Exterior Design:	1

The car is money saver, It's uncomfortable, noisy, unsafe (poor at stopping), but Ive saved so much. Yes, 41 mpg, is obtainable by keeping the air filter replaced, along with running 93 octane and your good to go (on a 10 gallon tank its only a buck more to put the 93 in). The 2008s I would expect to be a little better in comfort.

Gas Mileage

Comfort

Nice, inexpensive little car

Written by: Dan on 04/26/2008


Performance:	7	Fun-to-Drive:	10	Build Quality:	8
Comfort:	6	Interior Design:	7	Reliability:	9
Fuel Economy:	10	Exterior Design:	8

Bought this little car for my basic point a to point b daily work commute. Very happy with it so far. Very good to excellent condition with 64,000 miles on it. Good ride for its size, very good to excellent gas mileage (32-33 combined city/highway), very maneuverable, decent acceleration. Bought it used, purchase price was excellent (that's due to the rather high depreciation of Kia's). Drove it from Nebraska to Arizona and back without any problems. Have become quite fond of and pleasantly surprised by this little car.

Fuel economy, CD player, AC, rear window defrost, center arm rest. Very simple little car, so not much stuff to break or wear out.

Make cruise control standard, could use more seat padding. Make 5th gear overdrive to get the RPM down a bit for highway cruising. Some engine noise at highway speeds, but not bad.

Build quality

Written by: kramer on 10/13/2007


Performance:	5	Fun-to-Drive:	4	Build Quality:	4
Comfort:	4	Interior Design:	6	Reliability:	5
Fuel Economy:	7	Exterior Design:	7

Overall the car has been reliable, requiring little maintenance. However many smaller items such as door handles, rear hatch handle, wiper arms, and headlight bulbs fail. Also horn no longer works, keyless entry no longer works, and power locks malfunction, indicating poor electrical system.

Reasonable handling, good fuel economy, reliable engine.

Improve body hardware, improve electrical system, needs one more gear.

2003 Kia Rio Consumer Ratings & Reviews