Overview & Reviews

The 2012 Kia Rio is fully redesigned.

• Stylish design inside and out
• Feels bigger than it is.
• Long warranty coverage
• Plenty of standard and optional features

• Engine can get noisy.

User Reviews:

Showing 11 through 20 of 24.00

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  Great car BUT, MPG not as expected - 2012 Kia Rio
  By auntkatie24 - March 25 - 10:27 pm

  i love my 2012 Rio5 SX Manual trans, however the Est. Fuel Economy hasnt come close to meeting what Kia says it does. It doesnt cost much to fill up, havent gone over $30 yet, but I fill up once a week and if I fill up at 1/4 tank I am lucky if I have 200 miles on my tank. It estimates around 350 till empty when I fill up. I am a very reserved driver since I bought this so I can get as much out of it as I can so I do not "hot rod" it. the gauge that shows me how much MPG I am getting says I am getting routinely, 28-30MPG but if that were true I should be able to get atleast 300 miles to a tank and I am not even reaching that. Otherwise I love my car! Great options, good looking, runs good

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  The Kia Rio SX is not what you want - 2012 Kia Rio
  By sumafluma - February 21 - 12:19 pm

  I bought the Kia Rio SX automatic thinking it would be something that would save me a lot of money, however, its been nothing but a disappointment. The mileage is terrible. I live in a rural area, nice long windy roads, no stops, no traffic. Using its "city" mileage reference, I get 24-26 in the city, on the highway I average a solid 29. Im an old guy and I drive with a light foot. So far this car has over 20k on it and the gas mileage has not improved. You can see where kia tried to make it fuel efficent by limited weight, but it equates to cheap materials: cheap plastic, chinsy seating material that rips. Dont buy this car. It has been my biggest regret. Get a Fit.

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  2012 Kia Rio SX Sedan - 2012 Kia Rio
  By d1g1t007 - September 24 - 5:33 pm

  I needed to get a new daily commuter car as I drive over 70 highway miles daily. Look at what you get from Toyota, Honda, Nissan in this same segment and compare all the features. I went to each dealer, Toyota had a sticker price increase of $1500 "market adjusted value" on the Corolla! Nonsense! I wanted something that would get good gas mileage (+36mpg), holds a couple golf bags and more in the trunk, and if needed, my family of 4 when were not in the sweet minivan. This car has extreme value at a low price... less than $18K out the door. You can electronically fold in the heated side mirrors, which have LED turn signals. The front lights have LED markers and the rear tail lights are all LED. Engine has the most horsepower in the segment and is direct injection technology. Big 17 inch wheels on the ground, USB port on radio which is built by Microsoft UVO and I could go on and on for the features. You will see many of these features only in higher segment cars. Japan auto makers are becoming dated fast with their features and technology and are overpriced for their value in todays market. KIA shares many of their platforms now with Hyundai and the quality of their build has dramatically improved with the RIO. I have been very satisfied for the first 1200 miles. If you are looking for good gas mileage, good trunk space, great features, LED lights aplenty, etc... do not overlook this car and forget completely about KIA in 2008. In 2012 they have transformed light years ahead of the competition.

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  Fun to drive, good MPG, Inexpensive - 2012 Kia Rio
  By shawnmh - August 24 - 3:02 am

  I bought this car new to replace my 91 Imperial and Im averaging 33 (70%/30% C/H) mpg at the pump and Im loving it. Although the ride isnt the smoothest, its definitely better than many others Ive driven in this class. When you turn the ECO setting off, you get a significant boost in power and throttle response. Handles great in the city, but acts like a small car would on the interstate. I love the SportShift, although not the quickest shifts, it is a blast through curvy roads. The high beams illuminate very well as do the regular lights. Steering has good feel and the car is very nimble up to about 45 when the electric steering starts to show. Design cues from Audi shows.

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  Like the car but gas mileage is not there - 2012 Kia Rio
  By talanj - July 4 - 8:40 am

  Good little car. Great features. Good price. Good warranty. Good dealer service. Car scoots along good on the highway. By far the best looking car in the class.

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  High MPG Driving Method-2012 Kia Rio 5 EX - 2012 Kia Rio
  By worknman - February 22 - 8:00 pm

  1.TURN ECO BUTTON ON AND LEAVE IT ON---2.PUSH THE GAS PEDAL SLOWLY-sudden pushing of the gas pedal turns off the ECO software and it stays off for minutes---3.when driving through the throttle dead spot from 20 to 40 miles per hour-PUSH THE THROTTLE DOWN SLOWLY UNTIL THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS-then simply hold that throttle position-let the transmission pull the car up the hill---4.USE THE CRUISE CONTROL AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE-the Kia C-C is excellent but you must set it right to get the most out of it---USE THE 2 AND 7 RULE-always set your cruise control at mph numbers that end in a 2 or a 7-NEVER 0 OR 5!---5.your best highway mpg will happen at 62 MPH SET ON CRUISE CONTROL-SEE FAV-FEATURES

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  KIA Rio5 an Excellent & Fun Value - 2012 Kia Rio
  By rfbronk1 - January 27 - 7:48 am

  Our 2012 KIA Rio5 is our second car. For around town use it is terrific - we get an overall 35 mpg. The five door is very usefu and the comfort is just fine. The styling is fine and the car really is fun to drive. We have a family car that is for trips but the Rio 5 is for everyday use. We could not find another vehicle for less money with a better warantry. The build quality is nice and the red paint is beautiful - the cloth interior is nice - this is just the perfect second car for us.

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  RIO 5 Door SX Is Best In Class - 2012 Kia Rio
  By btatr - December 21 - 6:39 am

  The 5 Door KIA RIO SX is clearly the best car in its class and the driving experience can only be described as pure fun. There are other competitors in this class that are better in one or two areas, but none have the overall combination of a terrific engine with an excellent 6 speed automatic transmission, lots of interior room, fantastic looks, an abundance of safety features, high tech gadgets, nimble handling, and the best warranty in the industry. The RIO is extremely comfortable on long trips, which is unusual for a small car. Can you believe the outside mirrors are heated electronically and fold into the car with the touch of a button? And it has a rear view camera!

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  KIA RIO PINGING BAD?USE PREMIUM GAS --ECO MODE OFF! - 2012 Kia Rio
  By worknman - June 26 - 7:08 am

  Our Kia developed a severe pinging issue running regular gas especially with the ECO mode on. The Kia Forum website states that Kia is running a series of ecm ( engine control computer ) software patches to solve this issue. Many people on that forum have had the patches done and these patches have largely only helped for a few weeks before the bad pinging came back. I finally decided that I didnt want to destroy my engine no matter how great the Kia warranty supposedly is. I started using PREMIUM - NAME BRAND GAS AND TURNED THE ECO MODE OFF. After four gas tanks full of this, our Kia is running and shifting better and smoother then it ever did new. more below-

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  Great milage - 2012 Kia Rio
  By georgeannv - August 22 - 1:31 am

  I drive a total of 60 miles a day to work and back home. I travel both on highway and city. I use the ECO feature when dealing with traffic and have on the average (depending on where I buy my gas) get 34mpg. I have noticed with lower grade stations, the perfomance is less. The pickup while using ECO is a bit regulated but with a quick click, you can turn it off and get the punch you need to pull quickly ahead. I replaced this car with a 2007 PT Cruiser which had horrible gas milage. I find the instrument panel great with the RIO SX model and love the rear screen view due to the limited viewing of the rear window. I would definitely recommend the Rio to other buyers. It is fun to drive!