Test drive Kia Rio against the updated Skoda Rapid
Test Drive

Test drive Kia Rio against the updated Skoda Rapid

How to choose the right equipment, what you need to know about motors and gearboxes, which car is softer and why the process of opening the trunk is still a problem

For more than five years, Kia Rio has been one of the three best-selling cars in Russia. The change of generation, it would seem, should only spur demand for the model, but the Rio still rose a little in price compared to its predecessor. Will the new sedan retain its leadership in the B-class? We arrived at the premiere test of Kia in St. Petersburg in an updated Skoda Rapid - the one that recently appeared in Russia.

The price list of the Czech liftback who survived the restyling was also corrected, but with restraint. Therefore, the price gap between the Kia Rio and the Skoda Rapid is no longer so noticeable, especially if you look closely at the rich trim levels.

The Kia Rio in the Premium version will cost at least $ 13 - this is the most expensive version of the sedan in the lineup. Such a car is equipped with an older 055-liter engine with 1,6 hp. and a six-speed "automatic", and the list of equipment includes almost everything for a comfortable life in the city. There is a full power package, and climate control, and heated seats and steering wheel, and a media system with navigation and support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and even an interior trimmed with eco-leather.

Test drive Kia Rio against the updated Skoda Rapid

Another expensive Kia Rio is offered with LED lights, parking sensors, a rearview camera and an intelligent keyless trunk opening system. But there is a nuance: if you do not order keyless access, then this function will be unavailable, and you can open the cover of the 480-liter cargo compartment either with a key or with a key in the cabin - there is no button on the lock itself outside.

Skoda, on the other hand, seems overly comfortable in all aspects. For example, access to the 530-liter cargo compartment is provided not only by a cover, but by a full-fledged fifth door with glass. After all, the Rapid's body is a liftback, not a sedan. And you can open it both from the outside and from the key.

Test drive Kia Rio against the updated Skoda Rapid

The Rapid has the older Style trim level with a 1,4 TSI engine and a seven-speed DSG “robot” starting at $ 12. But we have a car, generously flavored with options, and even in the performance of the Black Edition, so the price of this liftback is already $ 529. But if you abandon the design package (painted black wheels, black roof, mirrors and an expensive audio system), then the cost of Rapid can be dropped below $ 16.

In addition, if you assemble a liftback with equipment similar to that of Kia in the Skoda configurator, then its price will be around $ 13. However, such a Rapid will be inferior to the Rio in at least three parameters - it will not have a heated steering wheel, navigation and eco-leather, since Amudsen navigation is included in an expensive package of options costing over $ 090 and a leather interior and a steering wheel with heating are not available at all on the renewed Rapid.

Test drive Kia Rio against the updated Skoda Rapid

The new Rio is bigger in all directions. The wheelbase has become 30 mm longer and reached 2600 mm, and the width has increased by almost 40 millimeters. On the second row, the "Korean" became more spacious both in the legs and in the shoulders. Three passengers of average build can easily accommodate here.

The Rapid is in no way inferior to the Rio in this sense - its wheelbase is even longer by a couple of millimeters. In the legs, it feels more spacious, but the three of them will not be as comfortable to sit in the second row as in the Rio, since there is a massive central tunnel.

Driving is even more difficult to identify a clear leader. For a comfortable fit, the adjustments of the seats and the steering wheel in two directions are enough for both "Rio" and "Rapid". However, for my taste, the hard profile of the backrest and massive side bolsters of the Skoda seat seem to be more successful than that of the Kia. Although the Rio chair cannot be called uncomfortable, of course. Yes, the backrest is softer here, but it is not worse profiled than in the Czech liftback.

Test drive Kia Rio against the updated Skoda Rapid

There are no complaints about the verified ergonomics of the Rapid: everything is at hand and everything is convenient. The design of the front panel, at first glance, seems boring, but there is definitely something in this cabinet severity. The only thing that upsets is the informativeness of the instrument scales. The oblique font of the speedometer is difficult to read at a glance, and was not changed during the update.

The new Rio optitronic devices with white backlighting and a flat headset are a much better solution. The rest of the controls are also conveniently located on the front panel and with clear logic of placement. It's easy to use, just like the Skoda, but the Kia's interior design feels more stylish.

The head units of both machines do not spoil the high speed of work, but they do not annoy with serious delays either. As for the menu architecture, in Skoda it is more pleasant to the eye and convenient to use, however, you will not get confused in the Rio menu either.

Test drive Kia Rio against the updated Skoda Rapid

The older engine switched to the Rio without changes, so the dynamics of the car did not change compared to its predecessor. The car is not entirely sluggish, but there are no revelations in it either. All because the maximum 123 hp. are hidden under the very ceiling of the operating speed range and are available only after 6000, and the peak torque of 151 Nm is achieved at 4850 rpm. Hence the acceleration to "hundreds" in 11,2 seconds.

But if you need to accelerate sharply on the track, then there is a way out - the manual mode of the "automatic", which honestly allows you to spin the crankshaft before the cutoff. The box itself, by the way, pleases with clever settings. It shifts softly and smoothly both down and up, and reacts with minimal delay to pressing the gas pedal to the floor.

Test drive Kia Rio against the updated Skoda Rapid

However, the tandem of a turbocharged engine and a seven-speed "robot" DSG gives Skoda a completely different dynamics. Rapid exchanges a “hundred” in 9 seconds, and this is already a tangible difference. Any overtaking is given on Skoda easier, easier and more pleasant, since 200 Nm of maximum torque here are smeared on the shelf from 1400 to 4000 rpm, and the output is 125 hp. achieved already at 5000 rpm. Add to this and even smaller losses in the box, because the "robot" when shifting operates with dry clutches, and not a torque converter.

By the way, all these decisions, coupled with direct injection from the engine, have a great effect not only on dynamics, but also on efficiency. The average fuel consumption during the test, according to the Skoda on-board computer, was 8,6 liters for every 100 km versus 9,8 liters for Kia.

Test drive Kia Rio against the updated Skoda Rapid

On the move, the new Rio feels softer than its predecessor. However, when viewed as a whole in the class, the sedan will still seem harsh, especially clearly felt on small irregularities. If large pits and potholes of Kia dampers work out, albeit noisily, but gently, then when driving through small irregularities such as cracks and seams on the asphalt, the car body shudders unpleasantly, and vibrations are transmitted to the interior.

The Skoda feels softer, but there is no hint of lax suspension. All small ripples on the road and even the joints of overpasses Rapid swallows without strong shaking and noise. And when driving through large irregularities, the energy intensity of the "Czech" is in no way inferior to the "Korean".

Test drive Kia Rio against the updated Skoda Rapid

Manageability when choosing a car among "state employees" is rarely considered a weighty argument. However, both cars do not disappoint with the ability to drive interestingly and sometimes even incendiaryly. The old Rio was easy to drive, but still not pleasant to call it. After the generation change, the car received a new electric power steering, and it became much easier to wield the steering wheel in the parking lot.

At low speeds it is very light, but the reactive force is completely "alive". At speed, the steering wheel becomes heavy, and the responses to actions are quick and accurate. Therefore, the car dives eagerly both into gentle arcs and into steep turns. However, in this case, the weight on the steering wheel is still slightly artificial, and the feedback from the road seems so transparent.

The steering gear Rapid is more precisely calibrated in this sense. That is why it is more interesting to ride the liftback. At low speed, the steering wheel is also light here, and it is a pleasure to maneuver in the Skoda. At the same time, at speed, becoming denser and heavier, the steering wheel provides clear and clean feedback.

Test drive Kia Rio against the updated Skoda Rapid

Ultimately, when choosing between these two models, you will again have to refer to the price lists. And the Rio, with its rich equipment and striking design, remains a very generous offering. However, by sacrificing options, you can get a more balanced and more comfortable car in everyday use. And here everyone has their own choice: to be stylish or comfortable.

Body typeSedanLiftback
dimensions

(length / width / height), mm
4440/1740/14704483/1706/1461
Wheelbase, mm26002602
Ground clearance, mm160

136

Curb weight, kg11981236
engine's typeGasoline, R4Gasoline, R4 turbo
Working volume, cubic meters cm15911395
Power, hp with. at rpm123 at 6300

125 at 5000-6000

Max. cool. moment,

Nm at rpm
151 at 4850

200 at 1400-4000

Transmission, drive6-st. Automatic transmission, front

7-st. RCP, front

Max. speed km / h192208
Acceleration to 100 km / h, from11,29,0
Fuel consumption

(city / highway / mixed), l
8,9/5,3/6,6

6,1/4,1/4,8

Cargo space, l480530
Price from, $.10 81311 922
 

 

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