2022 Kia Rio main header

Automotive journalist from Montreal, AJAC-member, and owner of claveyscorner.com

Cheap, simple cars are now pretty much extinct. When a new Honda Civic can cost over $30,000 with just a few options, it’s a clear indicator that affordable mobility is a thing of the past.

But not entirely. While most carmakers are shifting upmarket towards larger, more sophisticated and ever more expensive sport utility vehicles, Kia still believes in the affordable small car. The Rio is a fantastic case in point. In a world where pretty much everyone, including Kia’s corporate cousin Hyundai, has abandoned this segment, Kia’s runabout stands tall as the leader of the category.

Small cars have come a long way

Spending an entire week behind the week of this adorable Rio had me realizing how good small cars have become. The moment I strapped myself in its driver’s seat, this sub $25,000 machine prompted me to connect wirelessly to Android Auto, a feature that was absent in the $155,000 Mercedes-AMG GT53 I drove a few months prior.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-172039" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022-Kia-Rio-interior.jpg" alt="2022 Kia Rio Premium" width="2000" height="1125" />

The Rio is all about getting more for less. It never penalizes you for having spent less money on your new car. If anything, it rewards you for doing so. Build quality is just good with decent materials and no-nonsense ergonomics. Everything is where it should be, which makes operating the car a breeze and stress-free.

I’ll even add that the seating position is rather impressive, with seat comfort that isn’t all that bad for a long drive. I know, because I drove it from Montreal to Quebec City and back. And it proved totally adequate for the task albeit a bit too noisy at highway speeds.

Mind you, it’s not as if you’re getting much technology in Kia’s subcompact car, but you get what you need. My tester was the top-of-the-line Rio Premium which comes with some interesting options considering its $24,810 price tag. Things like an automatic dual-zone climate control system, heated seats and steering wheel, a USB port in the back as well as a few driving aids like adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring. It’s not the kind of stuff you’d expect from a car at this price point, yet Kia throws it in there anyway.

That being said, I’d suggest sticking to the LX Premium trim. At $22,410, it still comes standard with 15-inch wheels, and you’ll still get the heated seats and steering wheel.

Just Enough Power and Fun to Drive

From a technical standpoint, the Rio is fine, but not particularly exciting. Don’t expect hot hatchback acceleration from its 120-horsepower 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-172038" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022-Kia-Rio-engine.jpg" alt="2022 Kia Rio Premium" width="2000" height="1123" />

But with 112 lb-ft of torque on tap and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that mimics a conventional automatic thanks to fake gear ratios (Kia calls it iVT), the little Rio gets up and going with little fuss, even allowing itself to overtake cars without sounding like its tiny engine will eject its way out of the hood.

The Rio is tossable, meaning it stays firmly planted on the road even at high speeds, yet it also feels light on its feet. This makes it rather fun to drive, coming through as a grown-up, refined and almost European ride, rather than a cheap penalty box on wheels.

Fuel consumption is rather impressive too. During my time with the car, I averaged 6.2L/100 km, which is lower than Kia’s 6.5L/100 km claims.

Tight Rear Seat and Hard to Find

Perhaps where the Rio is a bit of a letdown is in its cramped rear seating area. Kia now only sells this car as a five-door hatchback here in Canada, which is a tad shorter (320 mm) than the old Rio sedan. This inevitably leads to less rear passenger space, especially with taller adults up front. On the upside, the hatchback’s configuration yields impressive cargo space, going from 388 liters in the sedan, to 493 litres in the hatchback.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-172040" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022-Kia-Rio-rear-seat-usb.jpg" alt="2022 Kia Rio Premium" width="2000" height="1123" />

Lower those rear seatbacks, however, and the Lilliputian Rio gives way to 928 litres of available cargo volume. Those are impressive numbers considering its size, but it’s still behind its only real competitor, the Mitsubishi Mirage (1,331 litres).

And then there’s the cold hard truth about the 2022 Kia Rio: it’s availability or lack thereof. Indeed, in 2022, affordable doesn’t necessarily mean attainable. Waiting lists for a Rio in Canada are at least a full year and, in some cases, even longer!

But then again, is any car available in this day and age? If you’re patient enough and still looking for a straight-forward, cheap and reliable automobile that won’t break the wallet in gas bills, then yes, the charming Kia Rio is definitely worth the wait.

2022 Kia Rio Premium

BODY STYLE: Subcompact car

CONFIGURATION: Front-engine, front-wheel drive

ENGINE: 1.6-litre I4 (120 horsepower @ 6,300 r.p.m. / 112 lb-ft @ 4,500 r.p.m.)

TRANSMISSION: Continuously variable transmission (CVT)

FUEL ECONOMY: 7.1L/100 km (city) / 5.7L/100 (highway) / 6.5L/100 km (combined)

OBSERVED FUEL ECONOMY: 6.2L/100 km

CARGO CAPACITY 493 litres

PRICE: $24,810 (as tested)

WEBSITE: <a href="https://www.kia.ca/fr">Kia</a>
The vehicle was provided to the writer by the automaker. Content and vehicle evaluations were not subject to approval.

2022 Kia Rio Premium Review

2022 MAZDA MX-5 GS-P-collage

Rob Beintema is an Auto Journalist for Metroland Media

“So, Lake Erie?”

Hmm, maybe a bit of a hard sell, here.

“But honey, the romance of the road trip! Top-down motoring, coastal roads, beaches and lighthouses!”

Yeah, I was warming up now.

“Dinner out every night!” Ah-ha, the coup de grace. “And just think of it! Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland and Buffalo.”

Okay, maybe I blew it there . . .

But my reasoning was still sound. We’d checked off a couple of Great Lakes circumnavigations over the years - Lake Ontario and Lake Superior - on motorcycle trips.

So, Lake Erie, why not?

And I was on solid ground with the vehicle - no motorcycle this time but the closest thing to an in-the-wind experience - a 2022 Mazda MX-5 - the best, most popular and, frankly, only affordable mass production roadster to follow the British sports car tradition - front engine, rear wheel-drive in a balanced, fun and lightweight handling package.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-169734" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-MAZDA-MX-5-GS-P-postcard2-scaled.jpg" alt="2022 Mazda MX5 GS" width="2560" height="1731" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-169737" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-MAZDA-MX-5-GS-P-main-scaled.jpg" alt="2022 Mazda MX5 GS" width="2560" height="1964" />

The Miata (yeah, sorry Mazda, that’s still the way I think of it) has evolved steadily through more than 30 years of production and over a million sales, but this refined fourth generation MX-5 ND2 iteration remains faithful to the formula.

Important carryover components include lightweight aluminum for the power plant frame, front fenders, hood and trunk lid, just part of the dedication to shaving off grams and millimeters of mass throughout the car, even forgoing foam in the sun visors for the sake of weight savings. I wish I could say I was as diligent in shaving grams off my cheeseburgers in the quest for improved performance.

Mazda’s SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter engine makes 181 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque. That won’t exactly put you in a whiplash collar but the low seating position accentuates the acceleration rush and the MX-5’s responsive and tossable qualities will perk up your adrenaline levels nicely.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-169738" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-MAZDA-MX-5-GS-P-interior1-scaled.jpg" alt="2022 Mazda MX5 GSP" width="2560" height="1819" />

The MX-5 lineup starts with the GS model ($33,300) and tops out with the almost all-inclusive GT version ($40,400). Our as-tested GS-P model  ($37,300 and the “P” is for “Performance”) fits in the middle of the lineup, with giddy-up additions that include a sport suspension with Bilstein shocks, a limited-slip differential and strut tower bar. It also kicks in LED DRLs, Bose audio with speakers in the headrests, heated seats and mirrors along with an induction sound enhancer to make your zoom-zooms more zoomier. It’s funny that they also added a noise isolating windshield because ragtops are notoriously noisy through the roof. But that’s just part of the glorious ambiance of convertible driving.

The GS-P hits the sweet spot with driving enthusiasts, with the MT vs. AT split at about 75/25 in favour of the manual shifter compared to a manual take rate of under 60 percent in overall MX-5 sales in Canada. And it is a wonderfully fluid shifter with short, precise throws that encourage vigorous snicking through the cogs although, admittedly, on many long leisurely stretches I would lazily skip-shift up to cruising speed.

For 2022, Mazda adds new interior and exterior colour choices but, if you don’t mind taking the $450 hit for the most expensive Soul Red Crystal option, it is still the handsomest paint job on the road.

One other addition this year is Kinematic Posture Control (KPC), a system that improves handling by automatically applying very slight braking to the inside rear wheel during cornering, pivoting the car into the turn, keeping the suspension tighter to the ground, benefitting steering and suppressing body roll. To test that and other MX-5 qualities, we set off from our London, Ontario home south to Port Stanley, one of a dozen “Ports” mixing tourism and commercial fishing along the north shore. Determined to avoid freeways, we wound our way as close to the shore as possible. It all depends on how much time and patience you have to maintain that course. We headed west to make a counterclockwise circuit around the lake.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-169750" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-MAZDA-MX-5-GS-P-ballgame-scaled.jpg" alt="2022 Mazda MX-5" width="1920" height="2560" />

On Day One, I was settling in. At 6-foot-three, I’m sort of the wrong guy in the right car but we’d long-hauled Miatas before and, while the joke is that I have to take my wallet out of my back pocket just to fit in, I knew my body would adjust to the snug confines.

We’d started our trip on the hottest day of the year. There’s a kind of tyranny to top-down motoring and people’s expectations but we’ve always regarded it as an option, not an ultimatum. Fine for a quick jaunt but five days baking in the sun would probably turn you into a giant melanoma, so we were quite happily enjoying running the A/C with the top up during the heat of the day.

Past provincial parks, past beaches, past endless farms and windmills, past the ferry to Pelee Island (saving its 30 km coast for a bicycle trip later) and past Leamington. Someone in Cleveland would later tell us that their version of the northern lights is the nightly purple, orange and yellow glow across the lake from Leamington’s thousands of acres of LED-lighted greenhouses.

We continued on to the west end of Lake Erie, then cut north along the Detroit River to Motown. We’d stayed in Detroit earlier in June to see the Tigers host the Blue Jays, so this time we carried on inland to Ann Arbor, a cute college town where we unloaded for our first night.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-169744" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-MAZDA-MX-5-GS-P-trunk2-1-scaled.jpg" alt="2022 Mazda MX-5" width="2560" height="1887" />

Speaking of which, cue the whining about the MX-5s smallish trunk but, what do you expect in a sports car? As seasoned motorcycle trekkers, we pack light and, since the 130 litre trunk offers 10 litres more than a Honda Gold Wing, no problemo. On one Miata trip from Vancouver to San Francisco, we added a pup tent and camping gear, so if you can’t pack two weeks worth of clothes in two bags that fit, well, buddy, you’re packing too much crap.

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For added storage, there are also two back trim boxes hidden behind the seats. Instead of a glovebox, a seat side box sits at shoulder height between the passengers - awkward to turn and reach into, but still useable.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-169742" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-MAZDA-MX-5-GS-P-storage-scaled.jpg" alt="2022 Mazda MX5 GS" width="2560" height="1920" />

Leaving Ann Arbor, heading back to Lake Erie, we followed coastal road-signed turnoffs whenever we could, past bird sanctuaries, past beach towns, retirement villages and RV parks, past the Lost Peninsula that almost spurred an interstate war between Michigan and Ohio and into Toledo for an evening of Mud Hens baseball - the triple-A team made famous by Jamie Farr’s Corporal Klinger in TV’s M*A*S*H series.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-169732" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-MAZDA-MX-5-GS-P-Rock-scaled.jpg" alt="2022 Mazda MX5 GS" width="2560" height="1958" />

On Day Three we turned east, clinging to another coastal peninsula into Marble Head, past Sandusky where you can exit for Cedar Point, the roller coaster capital if MX-5 driving thrills are not enough. And into Cleveland, where we spent hours poring over exhibits at the Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame before settling in downtown at a hotel near the culinary comforts of E 4th Street’s restaurants.

Day Four and we motored past more cute beach towns like Geneva-On-The-Lake, past Ashtabula, past Erie and into Buffalo. We considered continuing our baseball theme with the Bisons but settled instead for tacos and cervezas on the Allentown strip.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-169730" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-MAZDA-MX-5-GS-P-signs2-scaled.jpg" alt="2022 Mazda MX5 GS" width="2560" height="2154" />

Then, Day Five and the final leg back into Canada, turning west again. There’s a nice, slow and easy Lake Shore Road cruise past homes and cottages from Dunnville to Port Dover where motorcycles congregate, even when its not Friday the 13th. Make sure to sample one of the local perch dishes.

Our final leg back to our Port Stanley starting point rounded off the trip meter to 1,240 km. And let me throw a few more numbers at you. After doing the math and converting U.S gallons and currency, 79 litres of gas cost us about $150 CDN. American gas was still cheaper, averaging about $1.80 CDN per litre at the time. Premium octane is recommended but not required so we fudged a bit with mid-grade gas. And, despite occasional bursts of hooliganism, our 6.4L/100km fuel average was actually better that the MX-5’s 9.0L/7.0L/100km (city/hwy) rating, probably due to the lower speed roads and two-lane highways taken on our trip.

Yes, for a leisurely and longish journey, a softer suspension and stretch-out grand tourer accommodation would probably be a better choice than the GS-P’s tight cockpit and sport suspension.

And, yes, the seats need better lumbar support, the MX-5 needs a glove box and the interior, info screens and instrumentation are getting a bit dated, an issue that will probably be tackled by a future electrified or hybridized next-gen MX-5 NE version.

&nbsp;

But the MX-5 attained its reputation for balanced, agile performance from its very creation and although Mazda’s Jinba Ittai philosophy, the oneness of horse and rider, may sound like so much lofty pretentiousness, I think it has actually been attained in the MX-5. Its charms are timeless and it is a joy to drive.

I know we didn’t do Lake Erie justice during our too short week. But the north shore is not far away. And there will be time in future to further explore Lake Erie’s roads, its coastline, beaches and villages, hopefully at the wheel of something sporty, something cool, something very much like a Mazda MX-5.

2022 Mazda MX-5 GS-P

BODY STYLE: two-seater sports car

DRIVE METHOD: 6-speed manual, rear wheel-drive

ENGINE: SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter  (181 hp, 151 lb-ft of torque)

FUEL ECONOMY: 9.0L/7.0L/100km (city/hwy). As tested 6.4L/100km (comb).

CARGO VOLUME: 130 litre trunk

PRICE: MX-5 GS-P MSRP $37,300. As tested $39,600 incl. Soul Red Crystal ($450) and destination ($1,850)

WEBSITE: <a href="http://www.mazda.ca">www.mazda.ca</a>

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2022 Kia Rio Premium Review

Circling Lake Erie in the 2022 Mazda MX-5