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Used 2012 Kia Rio Consumer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars
33 reviews

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Pros
Cons
4 out of 5 stars

would buy again

Judy Davie, 07/20/2016
2012 Kia Rio EX 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 6A)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful

This has been the perfect car for me. The 100,000 mile/10 year warrantee gives me peace of mind, and when I have had an issue, it has always been covered 100%. Even when my key attachment on my key fob broke. I am 5'6" and the driver's seat and dash are perfect for me. There is a significant blind spot at 5:00 and 7:00 but the mirrors compensate for that. Can be annoying when backing out of a shopping mall parking space. And passengers often voice surprise at how low the passenger seat sits. The only other negative is the road noise which on interstates can be quite loud. The car has a lot of trunk space with a deceptively large amount of vertical storage. The rear seats fold down for even more space to transport oversized objects. Overall, however, I am thrilled with the car and would definitely buy it again.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
4 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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1 out of 5 stars

check before you buy this car!!!!!

Taylor, 06/16/2018
2012 Kia Rio LX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 6A)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful

This is the first vehicle I have ever bought myself. When I first got it, it ran great! I was getting 34 mpg in the city, and about 39 highway. I have had this vehicle for 3 years, and within the last two year I have started having major issues. first off, you cannot get part for this vehicle from an auto parts store. you have to get it from a licensed KIA dealership. two, the engine shakes sometimes. when I am sitting at a red light it starts to shake like it is going to explode. and since the engine started to shake and the way the car is designed, the AC compressor is nicely placed right in front of the radiator overflow. so when the motor shook it burned a hole into the overflow, melting it and making me lose antifreeze and making the radiator cap break. in this specific car, you have to replace the whole radiator to replace the overflow. three, over heating issues and knocking from the motor. I take very good car of this car, it is in for maintenance every 3 months and have the paper work to prove it. but every single summer it over heats no matter how careful I am. four, going up hill... you can step on the gas as hard as you want and it will not go any faster. five, the van does not turn on all the time. I have had the Carfax pulled and there are no records of issues from the previous own. I hope this helps. but I will never buy a KIA again. I paid 9k for this car and I have put over 15k in fixing it. this car isn't worth the stress.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
1 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
Value
1 out of 5 stars
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4.63 out of 5 stars

High MPG Driving Method-2012 Kia Rio 5 EX

worknman, 11/04/2012
2012 Kia Rio EX 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 6A)
9 of 11 people found this review helpful

1.TURN ECO BUTTON ON AND LEAVE IT ON---2.PUSH THE GAS PEDAL SLOWLY-sudden pushing of the gas pedal turns off the ECO software and it stays off for minutes---3.when driving through the throttle dead spot from 20 to 40 miles per hour-PUSH THE THROTTLE DOWN SLOWLY UNTIL THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS-then simply hold that throttle position-let the transmission pull the car up the hill---4.USE THE CRUISE CONTROL AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE-the Kia C-C is excellent but you must set it right to get the most out of it---USE THE 2 AND 7 RULE-always set your cruise control at mph numbers that end in a 2 or a 7-NEVER 0 OR 5!---5.your best highway mpg will happen at 62 MPH SET ON CRUISE CONTROL-SEE FAV-FEATURES

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4 out of 5 stars

The White Bullet

Kyle, 10/26/2017
2012 Kia Rio LX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 6M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful

The White Bullet has been good to me. In nearly 18,000 miles so far it has had minimal problems. One trip to the dealer for a computer update because of the knock sensor code putting it into limp mode. Other than that just regular maintenance. The manual transmission is great, I love it and bombing around town feels like driving a rally car. Excellent gas mileage on the highway but with many hours behind the wheel I have to say lack of lumbar support isn't great. City driving in "stop and go" traffic is a nightmare but only due to the manual transmission. It has good trunk storage but it could have a bigger door area as fitting larger items is difficult or impossible. A relatively cheap and very reliable vehicle with limited creature comforts earns this one a 3.75 out of 5 in my book.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Interior
2 out of 5 stars
Comfort
3 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Beyond Expectations!

commuter_dave, 03/25/2012
2012 Kia Rio SX 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 6A)
11 of 14 people found this review helpful

Having owned mostly German Cars in the past, trading in my 2000 ML for the 2012 Rio SX was initally met with trepidation. I was tired of spending over $500 per month on gas just for communting so I thought I would buy a car with the best fuel economy in its class. I am happy to report that the 2012 Rio SX has far exceeded my expectations. Not only, did this hatchback come with good looks, but the list of standard features should give Mercedes-Benz some cause for concern and to check out what Kia is doing these days. I can honestly say that there is NOTHING that I miss from my ML, except constantly being at the pump, and there is in fact more features here than my Wife's 2005 E500!

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