The refreshed 2015 Kia Rio has arrived in Australia with the popular small car priced from $15,990 (+ORC).
THE 2015 KIA RIO has rolled into the New Year sporting a new front and rear bumper, new grille pattern and, on the inside, a refreshed dash and audio unit design, with metallic look highlights. The entry-level S model, new S Premium and Si have arrived Down Under while the Sport (which replaces the current SLS variant) and SLi variants haven’t, Kia says they’ll be “released at a time to be determined”.
According to Kia, its Australian engineers have tuned the 2015 Rio to suit Australian roads with improvements to the comfort, control and steering.
The entry-level S is available in three- and five-door configuration with the proven 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine coupled to either a six-speed manual (standard) or a four-speed automatic (cost optional). The three-door S is $15,990 (+ORC) for the manual and $17,990 (+ORC) for the automatic. The five-door model is $16,990 (+ORC) for the manual with the automatic gearbox adding $2000 to that price.
The new S Premium grade is available in five-door guise only with the same drivetrains as the S but with additional “trim and comfort features” including 15-inch alloys, front fog lamps, electric folding side mirrors with turn indicators, cruise control, a six-speaker audio unit with dual tweeters and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. The S Premium manual is $17,690 (+ORC) with a $2000 additional charge for the automatic gearbox.
Stepping up to the Si, available in five-door only, the Rio gets the beefier1.6-litre four-cylinder GDI engine and comes standard with a six-speed automatic along with a new design 16-inch alloy. All other elements are carried over from the previous model, including soft touch trim, sliding centre armrest and centre storage bin. The Si lists from $21,490 (+ORC).
The refreshed 2015 Rio is available in eight colours, seven of which are carried over from the superseded model while there is one new premium colour, Urban Blue.
