The refreshed 2019 Kia Rio has gone on-sale boasting major line-up, pricing and equipment changes.

The refreshed Kia Rio is available now with Kia announcing it has tweaked its small car offering “to meet the demands of a market becoming ever-more sophisticated”. This has seen some variants dropped, like the Si and SLi which have been replaced by the new Sport variant. The range is still led by the S and tops out with the GT-Line.

The entry-level S variant is unchanged and allows Kia to continue with its $16,990+ORC headline grabbing price tag. But it’s the Sport that will likely attract plenty of attention with its six-speed automatic replacing the old car’s four-speeder. The GT-Line runs a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine making 88kW and 172Nm and is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

“The Rio has always been a foundation stone of the Kia brand and remains so with this latest range of improvements,” Kia Motors Australia Chief Operating Officer Damien Meredith said.

“Competition in this segment is extremely tough but we have continued to listen to what our customers and the industry commentators say and made improvements based on that feedback.”

Standard features on the S include ABS, ESC, VSM (vehicle stability management), reverse parking sensors, rearview camera, three child restraint points (two ISOFIX), six airbags, six-speaker sound system with Bluetooth, Apple Carplay and Android Auto compatibility.

The Sport adds the 6-speed automatic transmission or 6-speed manual, 17-inch alloys, cruise control, leather trim on the steering wheel and gear shifter and electric folding mirrors.

The GT-Line runs a new engine, as mentioned, while the Korean car maker said attention had been paid to giving this variant a “specific sport tune”. In a first for Rio the GT-Line also comes standard with AEB and Lane Keep Assist as well as Idle Stop and Go. Further to this, is a GT-Line bodykit and LED Daytime Running Lights, LED Position Lamps, LED rear combination lamps and LED fog lamps.

Pricing starts at $16,990 RRP for the manual and $17,490 drive away for the automatic. The Sport trim starts at $17,990 drive away for the manual and $18,990 for the 6-speed automatic. The GT-Line is $21,990 drive away.