Kia has announced the new 3-door version of Rio. It will hit the UK market with a £600 saving, compared to equivalent five door models.

The engine range includes two petrol and two diesel power units. The 1.1 CRDi delivers 75PS (55 kW) and 170Nm (125 lb-ft) at 1500RPM. It boasts CO2 emissions of 99g/km or below and fuel economy of at least 74.3mpg. Nice!

EcoDynamics technologies, such as Intelligent Stop & Go, will be a standard feature with all new Rio diesels, including the 1.4-litre models. The 1.4 CRDi is a four-cylinder diesel engine delivers 90PS (66 kW) and 220Nm (162 lb-ft) of torque.  Economy and emissions figures are 70.6mpg combined and just 105 g/km of CO2.

The petrol variants are 1.25 litre Kappa engine with 84PS (61 kW), 121Nm (89 lb-ft) and a 1.4 litre Gamma engine with 108PS (80 kW) and 137Nm (101 lb-ft). All petrol manual versions of the new Rio comfortably exceed 50mpg, with CO2 emissions below 130g/km.

2012 Kia Rio 3-door

Rio 3-door is offered in four trim grades – badged 1, 1 Air, 2 and 3 –  as the five door version.

The standard equipment includes daytime running lights, body-coloured bumpers, door handles and door mirrors, speed-variable front wipers, headlamp levelling, front electric windows, 15-inch steel wheels, a height-adjustable driver's seat, two-way steering column adjustment on the petrol model (height-adjustable only on the entry level diesel), a tachometer and trip computer, split folding rear seats, a boot light, a 12-volt power socket and an MP3-compatible RDS radio and CD player with USB and AUX ports.  Bluetooth is also standard on the petrol entry model, and on all versions with other trim grades.

The 1 Air grade is for buyers who want the comfort of air conditioning without upgrading to level 2.

The 2 is distinguished by 16" alloy wheels, front fog lights and a chrome radiator grille surround.  Inside, there is premium black cloth upholstery, a cooling glovebox, electrically adjustable heated and folding door mirrors with side repeaters, leather trim on the steering wheel and gearshift and a centre console armrest.

The luxurious level 3 specification adds 17" alloys with low-profile tyres, LED daytime running and rear combination lamps, automatic air conditioning with auto de-fog, rain sensing wipers, cruise control, automatic projection-type headlights, heated front seats and six speakers instead of four.

The safety is granted by electronic stability control (ESC), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), emergency brake assist (EBA) in addition to emergency stop signalling (ESS). The new Rio also includes the helpful feature of Hill-start Assist Control (HAC).

2012 Kia Rio 3-door is priced from £9 995 OTR.

Kia Rio 3-door (2012) - picture 1 of 2
Kia Rio 3-door (2012) - picture 2 of 2

Source: Kia