Used 2013 Kia Rio Consumer Reviews
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Excellent value!
Oscar, 04/03/2016
2013 Kia Rio LX 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 6A)
24 of 26 people found this review helpful
I bought my Kia Rio LX Sedan brand new in 2013 for about $15,000. I have the automatic transmission and also added the "Power Package" (Power Windows and Power Door Locks with keyless remote). The car has been absolutely great! I commute 100 miles per day, mostly on the Interstate. In 3 years time, I put more than 65,000 miles on the car. I have had zero issues, no repairs, no recalls. I change the oil every 5,000 miles and that is the only time I see the dealer. For a small car like the Rio, I am really impressed how comfortable it is on the Interstate. My cruising speed is usually around 85 MPH and tire noise, engine noise and wind noise are very low. No rattles or squeaks inside the cabin either. Car manufacturers do not make big profits on sub-compact cars and as a result most of them not only make the cars small, they also make them cheap (save money on sound insulation, thin glass, etc.). Not the case with this Rio! My average gas mileage is about 37 MPG and I am sporty driver. I must say my commute is 90% Interstate. City driving definitely requires more gas. You can actually get 40 MPG on the Highway if you stick to the 75 MPH speed limit and don't drive with a heavy right foot. I never use the "eco" button. Just makes the car sluggish. Compared to other small cars, this Rio is nicely equipped. It has a relatively large wheelbase, which means it is pretty stable on the Interstate. If you push it over 100 MPH, stability suffers a bit but by that time you are also going way over the speed limit (unless you live in Germany). No other reviewer has mentioned this, but the Rio also has excellent brakes. It does not have cheap drum brakes in the rear like most competitors. Instead, it has discs all around. Stopping power is awesome. I did not pay the extra money for the EX version, but instead I got the accessories I wanted on Ebay and installed them myself (i.e. fog lights, chrome grille, mudguards). I even put a trailer hitch on it, so I can use a bike carrier. The Rio does not come with a spare tire, only a compressor and tire repair kit/foam. So I bought the spare tire kit as well. One of the features the LX did not have, was cruise control. However, the computer in the car already has the cruise control software and the throttle is "fly by wire". So all you need to do is buy an EX-steering wheel and install it in your LX...and that gives you the cruise control buttons! I plan to keep the Rio for many more years. It is nice to know that the engine is using a timing chain, so you don't have to worry about a belt that needs to be replaced every 60,000 miles. The transmission is a "sealed unit" and according to the manual, you do not have to replace the transmission fluid...ever. I'm not sure if I believe that, and my dealer recommends changing the fluid at 90,000 miles. I will probably do that. The automatic transmission is actually pretty smooth and quick. I use it in "manual/sport mode" all the time, so I can determine my own shift points. The engine is impressively powerful for just a 1.6 liter 4-cylinder. It does not make it a sports car, but the Rio does not weigh much and if you are willing to rev the engine a bit it is pretty quick! The last thing I want to say is that the styling of the Rio is best in class. I know taste is personal, but many sub-compact cars are just ugly. Go look at a Tpyota Yaris, or Nissan Versa, Ford Fiesta, etc... the proportions just don't look "right". The Rio on the other hand is really a good looking car! Overall I am very impressed with this little car. It is great value for money! Oh, and it has a 10-year 100,000 mile warranty (but you will probably never need it).
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Excellent fuel Mileage/Premium Options
Nathan Wood, 11/28/2020
2013 Kia Rio SX 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 6M)
17 of 18 people found this review helpful
This is a review after 11 months of ownership. Overall, the Rio SX Hatchback 6M is a really great car. It would have 5 stars If it had better long term durability and less weird quirks. I'm the second (or third) owner of my Rio, and it needed a new clutch at 90k miles (I've seen/heard of cars going much longer with their clutch). The clutch is a wear part, but Kia is perfectly capable of using more durable material in the clutch plate surfaces. There are other quirks such as the GPS touchscreen which has a software glitch where no matter how many times you recalibrate it will never be properly aligned; it can only be fixed by $700 replacement (according to local dealer service center). So the GPS, while its features are good and it works well once you're on your way, it's a pain in the neck to use because it's so difficult to get the touchscreen to work. At 90k miles, the interior does show wear in the driver's seat and controls, but what car this price point and segment doesn't? On to the good stuff: With the 6 spd manual, the Rio gets supremely good fuel economy; averaging 34mpg overall with 29-32 mpg in the city, and up to 40mpg on the highway (inversely related to speed). The excellent 1.6L GDI engine is mated to a pretty decent 6 spd manual; the only thing I don't like is that 1st gear is so short while 2nd gear is so tall that with spirited driving the car falls flat on its face from first to second. However, I think this is a result of tuning for economy and not outright acceleration. It would be perfect if 2nd gear we're shorter. I've come to accept that quirk, though. Despite that, it's still a ton of fun to row through the gears, and having six speeds means you will be more actively engaged with the car and its motion. Also, from stock, this is probably the friendliest manual gearbox for young driver looking forore control! The shifter is super light and easy to move. I prefer weighty firm shifting so I installed a custom stainless steel shift knob from Raceseng.com (look for Hyundai Veloster gear; same vehicle platform). The steering, while utterly numb, is relatively responsive and suits the nature of the car. This is a design philosophy taken from premium brands where numbness is mistaken for smoothness. Good steering communicates road surface and keeps you more informed. The Rio steering rack works, but I wish I could feel more of the road. Again, can we really expect it at this price point? The suspension, an area crucial for hot-hatch style driving, is surprisingly compliant, while keeping the car decently connected to the road, and it will let you pitch the car into a corner! This adds a nice dynamic to the 6 speed gearbox when you downshift into second, rev match, and power through a corner. Road noise is a bit louder, but sound dampening material is heavy and doesn't make sense in this kind of car. The Rio exceeds expectations for handling! The SX comes with 205/45R17 tires, but the 17 inch wheels will receive wider rubber up to 215/45R, which gives more options for nicer, more grippy tires (I have Firestone Firehawk A/S performance tires for Michigan). My car has faulty tire pressure monitor (YMMV), which may have just been installed improperly, but holds air just fine. Finally, a quirk that I like about the design is that depending on the angle, this car looks sleek with the cateye headlights and it looks wayore muscular that it has any business doing with the bulging wheel wells and the chonky 5-spoke wheels. It's almost as if Kia thought about making a hot-hatch version of the Rio, but that would compete too well with the Hyundai Veloster built on the same platform. Gear head Tip: some of the performance parts are interchangeable. Maybe this review of overkill, and maybe some people won't read it all, but if you did, thanks for reading and hope you feel more informed about the Rio.
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WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SANFORD SIEGEL, 10/13/2018
updated 10/22/2019
2013 Kia Rio EX 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 6A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
WHAT A FREAKING SURPRISE!!!! Whomever designed this car put a lot of thought in it. The car gets great gas mileage, very comfortable and is quiet quiet quiet with no rattles. The acceleration revivals all cars its size and them some. I even like the door lock mechanism. You even have to stick the key in the lock to open the door. I love this feature the most lol. Still going great in October 2019. The best most reliable car on the road today!!!
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Love my little car!
Jimmie, 12/05/2016
updated 06/21/2021
2013 Kia Rio EX 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 6A)
13 of 14 people found this review helpful
I bought this car with 6 miles on it and commute 80 miles per day. Almost 4 years and 78k later, I am still in love. The only dislikes naturally go along with the Kia brand...road noise. Once you get past that, this car drives like a much more expensive one (as long as you don't think you need to accelerate like a race car driver) and is a great buy. I get an average of 36-38+ with a combination of highway/city miles AND adding the spare time (most new vehs removed this so increase gas mileage - it doesn't have a big enough impact to be without it on this model!) Only normal maintenance has been performed and I run conventional oil in it....looking forward to seeing how many miles I can get out of my little girl! Update: 138k, 8 years old, still going strong with regular maintenance. Beware there are 2 fuel filters with GDI and one is expensive. Be prepared.. this is the only part that has needed replacement on my car.
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2013 Kia Rio5 EX
wjaamod, 07/11/2013
2013 Kia Rio EX 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 6A)
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
I bought my Rio with 73 miles on it. I've only had it for about 2 weeks, but so far I'm loving it. The Eco feature is hard to get used to, but it's a really neat thing once you're accustomed to it. It's got a good amount of pep to it, actually. I love how spacious it is inside. I'm over 6 feet tall, and I can sit in the backseat (and front) very comfortably. The little features like the folding side mirrors are great. The inside and outside don't feel cheaply made at all. I am thoroughly impressed with Kia's work on this one.
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