Service Cars

Body Styles, Trim Levels and Options:

The 2006 Kia Rio sedan comes in base and LX trims, while the five-door Rio5 hatchback is available in a single SX trim. With no air conditioning and skinny 175/70R14 tires, the base sedan is a budget ride. Yet, you do get an attractive cloth interior in beige or gray, two-way driver-seat height adjustment, a tachometer and a full complement of side airbags.



The well-equipped LX sedan provides A/C, a four-speaker CD stereo, power steering, a 60/40-split folding rear seat, a tilt steering wheel and meatier 185/65R14 tires. The Rio5 SX hatchback adds 15-inch alloy wheels, metallic interior trim, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and metal-trimmed pedals. LX sedan and Rio5 hatch buyers can get the optional Power Package, which provides power windows, mirrors and locks; keyless entry; and tweeter speakers.

LUU: It’s easy to step into an entry-level Kia with preconceived notions of (poor) quality, performance and handling, and that’s probably why I come away generally impressed by this Rio and how much it has evolved since the last one I drove a few years back.

The Rio goes around corners, rides down the highway and through the city competently. The engine is more refined than before, and the shifter action is perfectly adequate. The interior is on par with anything in this econocar class.

At $12,000 this would make a great car for the budget-mind-ed driver, but at $14,510 I have to pass. This price cannot be justified, not because the car is terrible, but because Honda charges just $14,910 for a base Civic DX coupe.

PAVIA-RAUCHMAN: Crank windows! Wow, this takes me back... back to unlocking doors with a key, rolling down my own window (and not being able to roll down any others while driving) and manually adjusting the sideview mirrors. But it’s also a more accurate reflection, dollar-wise, of what I could afford if I were in the market for a new car.

I found the Rio to be a peppy little ride. The engine gets rather buzzy, but it easily gets up to speed and beyond, and it cruises comfortably. With the audio system cranking—it has a CD player, so what more could you want?—the road and engine noises aren’t horrible.
It’s all pretty basic (cheap) inside, with funky, commercial-feeling cloth seats. I’d be really pleased to hit the kind of mileage figures Kia claims. I guess you wouldn’t call this a pocket-rocket, but I’d say it’s just your basic econo-commuter. Not bad.

BLAHNIK: The Rio makes the Ford Focus feel like a luxury car. And like Pavia-Rauchman, it’s been quite awhile since I’ve had to negotiate my way around an interior with things like manual door locks, mirrors and windows.

The car feels somewhat peppy, but I still had a problem getting up to highway speeds quickly. I can’t imagine how slow it would feel if it was an automatic. Once up to speed, the poor car sounds like it is straining around 4000 rpm.
source : edmunds.com ,autonews.com

The new C4 is an evolution in all aspects. If you are thinking of buying a C4, in my opinion, the VTR+ is a better option than lower models, as it has all the "bells and whistles" that the C4 is known for.

Set to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show later this month, the C4 Picasso features an angle of vision that spans 70 degrees, which is double the industry standard for Multi-Purpose Vehicles.

With 240Nm of torque, its more responsive than its unleaded stablemate, and doesnt have to be revved hard to give peppy performance. Its frugal, too, returning 50mpg on the combined cycle. It works quite well with Citroens new six-speed semi-autogearbox, which provides smooth shifts (with practice) in manual mode through steering wheel-mounted paddles.

The full automatic transmission is still a bit jerky, though. And, costing an estimated £200 extra over the conventional manual version, it wont be to all drivers tastes. However, it frees up the centre console, making room for a handy fridge to be fitted.

Indeed, all C4 Picassos offer other similarly neat ideas, such as lights under the door mirrors to improve access in the dark. Theres lots of space inside, while each seat in the middle row flips and slides forward, giving good access to the rearmost chairs. Pull a few cords and all the seats fold flat into the floor, creating 1,951 litres of luggage space.

Build quality is reassuringly solid and although equipment levels are not yet finalised, the SX is expected to have cruise control, alloy wheels, an automatic parking brake, hill-start assist and a split tailgate as standard.

The C4 Picasso isnt sporty, but its very comfortable. The suspension (aided by optional pneumatic rear dampers on our test car) soaks up bumps with ease, and it all adds up to a brilliantly capable people carrier.

It will mark the latest in a series of new model launches for the manufacturer, which has also included a 1.6i 16V SX Auto and a 1.6 HDi VTR 110 hp diesel version of the C3 supermini.