Kia Rio 1.5 CRDi Review

My last car? A Mercedes ML320!! "What a come down!" people said. Not at all. Yeah, sure I miss my heated, electronically adjustable front seats, the louvred sunroof, the electronic folding wing mirrors and full leather interior....but not much. What I don't miss is the feeling if shame at driving around in such an environmentally unfriendly 3.2litre car! Or the money I've spent on fuel or the expense of the servicing etc.



ENTER THE KIA RIO 1.5 CDRi!



After looking to 'downsize' to a more economical but decent quality car I decided to reserve judgement until I'd taken one for a test drive.



WOW! NOT what I expected! As soon as the turbocharger kicked in in 2nd gear I was away. Moving up into 3rd,4th and finally 5th I was very pleased with the incredible amount of 'poke' this engine had. AND to top it all, it returns an average of 60mpg!! Unbelievable.



It can cruise comfortably on the motorway at 70mph easily and the ride quality is excellent. Value for money? At a little over £5k for a '06 model, 1 previous owner (NOT car hire company), FSH, and very well looked after....I'm not complaining :) .