The new Kia Rio is expected to be regarded as one of the best models in the brand’s history, and it should instantly establish itself among the best in the subcompact segment. The company is certainly excited about the vehicle, evident by the statements made by Orth Hedrick (via The Washington Examiner), the brand’s vice president of product planning:
“The Rio signifies everything the Kia brand has evolved into since coming to the U.S. market more than 20 years ago,” he said. “And like the brand, the Rio has grown up as it enters the 2016 model year. Its sophisticated design has been refreshed and both models continue to offer a long list of standard features, making the Sedan and 5-Door standouts in an otherwise pedestrian subcompact segment.”
To ramp up for the holidays, the company has produced a rather clever and creative advertising campaign, splicing together several short commercials to create a 50-second spot. The ad highlights five of the Kia Rio’s notable features, showing that each of the vehicle’s functions is actually operated by humans.
While that is whole scenario is obviously fictional, it’s absolutely factual that the 2016 Rio has several attributes that sets it apart from the rest of the class. Before you go shopping for a Kia Rio in Miami, see why the newest Kia should be the class of the subcompact segment…
Spaciousness
With the roomy, sand-colored seats, you wouldn’t blame a group of ant-sized humans for confusing the spot for a beach. That’s what the first short commercial shows, a nod to the Rio’s spacious interior.
Each of the three models shares the same interior dimensions. In the front, the driver and passenger can appreciate the spacious headroom (40 inches), shoulder room (53.1 inches), leg room (43.8 inches) and hip room (52.1 inches). Head to the back, and you’ll get an equally roomy amount of head room (37.6 inches), shoulder room (52.1 inches), leg room (31.1 inches) and hip room (51.2 inches). This makes for one of the more comfortable rides in the entire class.
All of this room can be enjoyed on the vehicle’s seating and trims. The woven cloth seat trim comes standard on the LX, or you could instead opt for the premium knight cloth seat (EX), two-tone cloth and leather seat trim with gray accent stitching (optional on EX), or leather seat trim (SX). The driver’s seat can be adjusted six different ways, and the front seat is heated on the SX.
We aren’t finished with the dimension specs. The fourth television spot features a pair of movers guiding some large cargo. We soon learn that this is just a standard suitcase, but it’s still clear that the Rio features a boatload of room. There’s a maximum 88.4 cubic feet of passenger volume and 13.7 cubic feet of cargo volume (with the rear seat upright).
For a subcompact vehicle, the 2016 Rio offers an incredible amount of room. If you have an upcoming road trip for the holidays, you can comfortably fit your family while also storing whatever luggage you may need.
Safety Features
The next advertisement highlights the Rio’s innovative safety features, particular the Back Warning System. The function is intended to alert the driver when they’ve gotten too close to an object behind them, whether it be a tree, a curb, or another car. In this commercial, the audible alerts are actually operated by a trio of horn-blowing Vikings.
Of course, that’s not it for special safety features. There’s electronic stability control (offers “improved directional stability” by keeping your intended direction), vehicle stability management (interferes when necessary to help stabilize the vehicle), electronic brake-force distribution (electronically sends out the “appropriate amounts of braking pressure to each wheel through a network of sensors”), hill start assist control (prevents vehicle from rolling backwards on hill by automatically slightly applying the brakes), and a tire-pressure monitoring system (lets you know when the tires’ PSI has been reduced).
The list of safety systems goes on and on. There’s a variety of front and side airbags, an antilock braking system, and rear child-safety door locks. The engineers clearly wanted to give consumers the safest possible ride, and it seems like they’ve succeeded with the Rio.
Cooling Glove Box
We next see a group of hikers out on a blustery expedition. We soon learn their intended target: the Rio’s glove box. The compartment is now the ultimate tailgating or road tripping companion, as the box can cool down whatever refreshment you desire.
The Kia Rio is actually full of interior convenience, including a Sirius XM Satellite audio system, a rear-camera display, four speakers, Bluetooth technology, and steering-wheel-mounted audio buttons.
Of course, there’s also the 4.3-inch color touch-screen audio display, supplemented by the advanced UVO eServices Infotainment System (only available on the EX and SX). The system allows the driver to access many of their phones basic capabilities, and they can also take advantage of the voice-command navigation system (with an optional seven-inch touch-screen display).
For such an affordable car, you wouldn’t expect half of these amenities. It’s those extra features that help the Rio stand out from the pack.
Body Design
Finally, a warrior-like figure attempts to take on the Rio in the final commercial, but he’s stumped by the vehicle’s steel design. The unibody is composed of the high-strength element, providing the driver and passengers with even more comfort and security. The wheelbase comes in at 101.2 inches, with the length (172 inches), width (67.6 inches) and height (57.3 inches) following that basis.
Speaking of the vehicle’s mechanics, the 2016 Kia Rio offers front-wheel drive and Motor Drive Power Steering. The same engine is featured on all three models of the Rio: a 1.6-liter, Inline 4, 16-valve engine. The unit can pump out 138 horsepower and 123 ft-lbs of torque, and the standard engine (when coupled with either the six-speed manual or automatic transmission) delivers a 27 city/37 highway mile per gallon fuel efficiency.
We might as well mention some of the exterior body features, as well. There’s a sleek black mesh radiator grille and dual body-color power heated mirrors. Other standard features include solar control glass, heated rear glass (with an accompanying timer) and halogen headlights. Option features include power-folding outside mirrors and a lengthy power sunroof with tilt.
A pair of 185/6 5R15 tires are placed on 15-inch wheels (with full covers), and with the EX you can opt for alloy wheels. The SX offers customers 205/4 5R17 tires with 17-inch alloy wheels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soLX2SKb1hk
This won’t be the first time one of the brand’s ads has gone viral. The hamster commercials were instant successes, with the 2013 ad for the Soul (featuring the popular “Gangman Style” dance) generating well over one million views online. NBA star Blake Griffin has also been featured in a series of ads for the company, and that came after he jumped over a Kia during the 2011 NBA Dunk Contest.
This upcoming campaign will certainly follow suit in regards to popularity, and we’re excited to see what plans the advertising team has for future models!
