Honda Civic VS Kia Rio
Honda Civic
Likes
- Great interior
- Lovely chassis
- Excellent engine
Dislikes
- Missing some safety gear
- Tight access to boot space
- Old media software
Kia Rio
Likes
- Ace multimedia
- Affordability
- Big interior
Dislikes
- Uninspiring drivetrain
- Lacks active safety features
- Hard, noisy ride
Summary
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic's 10th generation is drawing to an end. Well, I say that, but there's still a pretty solid chance that the 11th generation won't quite be here this time next year.
I make the point because we've already seen a "prototype" for series 11 of the Honda Civic Story, but also because we won't actually get the car we've seen – the sedan. Just 20 per cent of Civic sales go to the booted version and then you have to merge that data with the rise of SUVs, both with Honda buyers and the market at large.Â
Things is, I think the sedan is the better of two for a variety of reasons which I will explain below. I also think the Civic, despite its advancing "age" (four years isn't really that long in the current climate) is still a fairly sensible choice among its peers, which include some serious competition.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 1.5L turbo |
| Fuel Type | Regular Unleaded Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 6L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Kia Rio
Australia is experiencing a mass extinction event.
Like the dinosaurs before them, and hopefully not the bees in the near future, the sub-$20,000 car is nearing the bitter end.
An evolutionary dead-end, as higher emissions and safety regulations relegate older models (read Mitsubishi Mirage) to the great scrap-heap in the sky and prevent newer ones (read Honda Jazz) from leaving their local markets.
For you, this means there are quite literally a handful of brand-new vehicles left in Australia which wear before-on-road price-tags under the magic $20,000 number.
One of them is the car we’re looking at for this review: The Kia Rio S, with the catch being you’ll have to be happy changing gears yourself.
So, is this most basic Rio worth your while, or is it best left as a puzzling fossil for future generations to study? Let’s have a look.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 1.4L |
| Fuel Type | Regular Unleaded Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 6L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Verdict
Honda Civic7.3/10
As a car to drive, the Honda Civic feels great. It had a good start, but the later addition of the turbo 1.5 and the continuous honing of the chassis, steering and driveline – an endearing, unheralded trait that Mazda and Honda do so well – has taken what was a solid car and turned it into one I'd genuinely consider owning, even in this wild orange colour.
What it doesn't have is a full suite of safety systems, which is a real shame, because its main rivals do. Some of us are happy to forego things such as reverse cross-traffic alert and some are not. If you can, the Civic sedan should be in the reckoning. And the clock is ticking.
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Kia Rio7/10
The Rio S Manual is a fun-to-drive little car with a big practicality and multimedia offering in a segment rapidly heading towards extinction.
While some elements of the drive experience are reminiscent of budget cars from 10-20 years ago, Kia makes up for it by wrapping the Rio in a contemporary looking and feeling package, ready for the buyer who needs no frills and demands no nonsense. Until the manual transmission goes the way of the dodo, there is almost no better option.
Design
Honda Civic
Making fun of the Civic's over-supply of angles and lines is really very easy, so for once I'll refrain. Partly because the sedan is better than the hatch in this respect and also because – somehow – I have become quite fond of its wacky face. The sedan's profile is also more flowing and, with all the RS piano black and extra aggro (which ironically means yet more lines and angles), it sat much more happily in my camera lens than before. I wonder if the Civic's controversial looks have aged well in the same way Chris Bangle BMWs have? Because we're all suddenly pretty fond of those now, aren't we?
My changed opinion is bound to infuriate Honda's designers who have cleaned up the Civic for its next version. At this point I should mention that the sedan is on its last legs here in Australia – we won't be getting the next one.
The interior is as good-looking as it is practical. I still don't like the angles of the gauges in the left and right sections of the dash, but the central digital dash section is really good and easy on the eye. The RS picks up some subtle features like the strip of chequered flag fabric on the seats. It's a nice, clean look and I like the use of metallic materials on the climate controls and the stereo. It's a very calm interior, quite a contrast to the exterior.
Kia Rio
While notable equipment is missing, the Rio reclaims lost ground with the way it looks, and to a degree, the way it feels.
Ever since this new generation hatch launched, I’ve thought it brings a slick modern design to the city-car space, and even in its most rudimentary form as-tested (our car even came in the most basic ‘Clear White’ paint) it’s a great looking little hatch.
Sure, it doesn’t have the romance factor of the Fiat 500, nor the more delicate curvature of the much more expensive new-generation Toyota Yaris, but it certainly has a more refined visage than, say, the MG3 whilst feeling a bit more grown-up than the Suzuki Swift.
Solid, squared-off lines give this car a sporty pose, and its frowny-face and blocky rear round out a stout city-car persona, and I especially like the way even this most basic trim is adorned with contrast pieces, a spoiler above the boot lid, and body-coloured door handles and mirrors.
Sure, the 15-inch steelies dress it down a bit, but on the Rio these leave the impression of financial prudence rather than cost-cutting.
Inside is basic but tidy. The overall look maintains a hint of sportiness, with an appealing symmetrical finish to the dash.
There’s no question the Rio is a budget model when it comes to the touch though, with everything either a soft polyurethane or a nasty hard plastic, so while it all might look neat it’s far from the most comfortable place to be for long periods of time.
The basic dot-matrix multifunction display, chunky plastic air-conditioning controls, and polyurethane items from the wheel to the handbrake and shifter are reminders of a bygone era, but the overall aesthetic of the driver’s space is pleasing.
Practicality
Honda Civic
The Civic's cabin is swimming in space and and filled with comfortable seats and lots of storage.
The back seat is super-spacious as it has been forever. Having driven the i30 Sedan last week, I'm having difficulty splitting the two for legroom and lounging space. Where the Civic loses out – and it's close – is in rear headroom.
There are four cupholders and bottle holders and a massive central bin between the front seats, big enough to conceal the massive new PlayStation 5 (okay, maybe not that big, but it it certainly looks big enough).
The boot holds a gigantic-for-a-small sedan 519 litres with the seats in place. Honda doesn't supply a total figure with the seats down, but it will be a lot. The opening for the bootlid is a little tight, so don't get too excited at Ikea.
Kia Rio
I'd argue the key reason to buy the Rio at this end of the market is that it has the most space and largest cabin relative to its rivals, bar maybe the Suzuki Baleno.
All-round practicality is great, with front passengers scoring a low, sporty seating position with a high roof, and so much width in the cabin it almost feels like the Rio belongs in the next segment up.
Storage options up front include a large bottle holder and bin in each of the doors, dual cupholders next to the handbrake up front, and a large storage tray underneath the climate unit. Unlike the Yaris or Mazda2, the Rio features a small armrest console box, which gives a small lift to the ambiance of the cabin.
Back seat passengers are treated to great space for this segment, which feels nice and open courtesy of the large rear windows. At 182cm tall, I have airspace for my knees behind my own driving position, as well as relatively healthy headroom and ample width, which is again more like a car in the next segment up.
Rear passengers don’t get adjustable air vents, but there is a single USB port, a single pocket on the back of the passenger seat, and small bottle holders in each of the doors.
Perhaps the Rio’s biggest drawcard is its boot capacity, which at 325 litres is one of the largest in the city car class. Unlike the Yaris, Mazda2, or Suzuki Swift, the Rio will actually accept the CarsGuide three-piece luggage set with the rear seats up, although the rear view was obscured by the medium case.
Thanks to the boxy roofline, the Rio offers a cavernous 980L with the rear seats folded down, and despite its abundance of room, maintains a space saver spare wheel under the floor.
Price and features
Honda Civic
The Civic RS price has slowly crept north, along with the prices of its mostly Korean rivals, now at $34,090. It's a fair bit more than the Ford Focus ST-Line, but you can't get a sedan version of that and infuriatingly neither can you get the wagon.
The RS has 18-inch alloys, a 10-speaker stereo, faux leather seats (nothing wrong with that), auto LED headlights and DRLs, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry and start, electric driver's seat, auto headlights and wipers and a space-saver spare.
The 7.0-inch matte-finished touchscreen runs Honda's homage-to-the-80s software package that is bolstered by the presence of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also has DAB, which is a nice touch, but it is missing built-in sat nav, which most of its rivals have.
Kia Rio
Value seems less important here when you’re contending with a limited list of potential options at this end of the market.
The Rio S manual currently wears an MSRP of $19,690, and if you’re able to shuffle cogs yourself, it counts its rivals as the Suzuki Baleno GL ($18,490), Suzuki Ignis GL ($19,490), or Fiat 500 Lounge ($19,550).
There’s also the option of the MG3 (from $18,990) or Kia’s own much smaller Picanto (from $15,990).
I’m pleased to report the Rio S is one of the best among these options, though. Not only is this car much more modern in terms of its platform and design than pretty much anything on that list, it packs great standard equipment, too.
The major wow-factor item is the Rio’s best-in-class multimedia system, consisting of an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, just one of the areas where this car will grab eyes over rivals.
Elsewhere is a predictably honest list of standard equipment, including basic halogen headlights, 15-inch steel wheels, manual air conditioning, cloth seat trim with a polyurethane steering wheel, a small multifunction display in the dash, two USB ports, a six-speaker audio system, and surprisingly, steering-wheel mounted controls.
There’s no keyless entry or push-start ignition, and this level of equipment makes you feel lucky to have automatic headlights. Sadly, the S manual also misses out on the basic luxury of cruise control.
It’s cheap, missing a lot of gear, and feels it with an abundance of plastic trims, but somehow this car gets by with almost everything you really, truly need. Sure, it’s a bit of a hark back to the equipment lists of the early 2000s, but if you’re just looking for a basic car to get the job done, you could do far worse than this Kia with its impressive multimedia offering.
Under the bonnet
Honda Civic
The 1.5-litre four-cylinder has a light pressure turbo bolted in to produce 127kW at 5500rpm and 220Nm between 1700-5500rpm. Those numbers are 23kW and 46Nm up on the 1.8-litre, which goes without the turbo.
You can let the continuously variable transmission (CVT) look after the turning of the front wheels or if you're feeling sporty – not an unreasonable expectation if you've picked the RS – you can use the paddle shifters which tell the computer to put some fake gears into the box for you to shift up and down.
Kia Rio
The Rio is beginning to fall behind here with an antiquated 1.4-litre four-cylinder non-turbo petrol engine. Peak outputs aren’t far off where they should be for this segment, with 74kW of power and 133Nm of torque, although they arrive at the most distant end of the rpm range (6000rpm and 4000rpm respectively) so you need to rev it.
It can be clumsy to extract this power, too, with the engine paired in this circumstance to a six-speed manual which leaves a lot to be desired in terms of action and clutch feel.
While the abundance of ratios can be beneficial for fuel consumption, it’s clear this car was designed to be paired with the more modern three-cylinder turbocharged engine only available on the top GT-Line trim.
Efficiency
Honda Civic
Honda's official testing suggets a combined cycle figure of 6.3L/100km which is lower than the 1.8-litre, a nice bonus when you have all that extra power to play with. My week with the Civic was mostly suburb-bound and I scored a respectable (indicated) 8.2L/100km.
Kia Rio
The Rio S manual has an official combined cycle fuel consumption rating of 5.6L/100km, which is about right for a light car with a small engine.
On test, covering largely urban kilometres, I saw a higher but not unreasonable 7.4L/100km. Still, this number isn’t too far off what some larger cars with 2.0-litre engines are capable of.
Rios with this engine accept entry-level 91RON unleaded fuel, and have 45-litre fuel tanks. They are only compliant with Euro 5 emissions regulations.
Driving
Honda Civic
This iteration of the Civic has been with us for a while now. I wasn't absolutely sure about it when I first drove it – that was partly down to the less-than-stellar 1.8 and an at-times doughy CVT.
Over the years I've been very lucky to drop my posterior into two, three or even four Civics per year. During that time I have noted some subtle changes, such as the CVT's more attentive nature and the progressive improvement of the ride on particularly bumpy surfaces, such as Sydney's concreted arterial roads.
The RS itself is no different mechanically to the other 1.5-litre turbo-engined cars in the range (it's an entire engine's worth of power short of the madcap Type R) but over the years, that has meant good things. I've always liked the low-set driving position, it's lower than many hot hatches. You sit in and down in the Civic and it feels quite sporty.
Turn the wheel and it's all very positive, with a very pleasant ride and handling balance. The CVT is still a CVT but, especially in the turbo, it has more grab off the line and doesn't indulge in flaring as you'd find in a Subaru, turbo or not. It's actually fun to drive, especially if you draft in the paddles to do some work.
But it's also a car you need never provoke to enjoy driving. The comfortable ride and secure handling make it the kind of car anyone can like. The steering wheel is just right, the controls all feel really nice to use and touch. There's nothing particularly flashy about the Civic apart from its looks, but it's such a comfortable car with a super-solid feel to its engineering.
The main advantage of the turbo engine is that it doesn't have to work as hard as the 1.8 to keep the Civic moving. The extra torque is always there and makes it a much more relaxed car around town than the 1.8-powered Civics, while giving you the extra grunt to push out into traffic, or pull off a tricky overtake.
Kia Rio
A six-speed manual with a tiny non-turbo engine is an absolute oddity in today’s new car market, but as a result of its rudimentary approach, there’s something refreshingly honest about the Rio S.
The engine requires a wringing to extract the desired result, and a lot of action on the gears, as six speeds proves to be quite a few to work your way through before you achieve cruising speed.
As so much interaction is required with the transmission, I wish it was tighter when it comes to the clutch which feels a bit doughy at the best of times.
See more on the Kia Rio
The Rio is very organic, though, with next to no electrical assistance for any of its interaction points offering the driver a high level of control.
The steering is direct, but as a result of a cheaper rack (with less teeth compared to this car’s Stonic relation), it feels simple and brittle when it comes to feedback.
The same criticism can be levelled at the suspension, which errs on the side of firm. This attribute combines with the low seating position to make even this most basic Rio an absolute hoot in the corners.
But it can be a little crashy over every-day potholes and corrugations, despite the abundant amount of rubber cladding the 15-inch steel wheels.
Visibility is superb out of this little car’s big windows, making you feel in control of your surroundings (necessary in the multi-lane confines and tight parking conditions of a city), and ergonomics in the cabin are absolutely on-point with the large touchscreen elements easy to reach and the instruments taking a basic no-nonsense form.
While noise levels are okay at urban speeds, they pick up above 80km/h, making the Rio more unpleasant to drive over long distances than, say, the more upmarket-feeling Yaris.
The Rio does find its place in this price bracket as a fun-to-drive, but predictably rudimentary experience, for the niche audience of drivers seeking an entry-level car who are still able to shift gears themselves.
Safety
Honda Civic
All Civics come with six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls.
The Honda Sense package adds forward collision warning, forward AEB (high and low speed), lane departure warning and lane keep assist.
One of my favourite Honda quirks is LaneWatch. Flick the indicator for a left-hand turn and the media screen displays the output of a camera pointed down the left-hand side of the car. It's still too bright at night, but you can disable it or tap the button on the end of the indicator stalk to cancel it.
You also get two ISOFIX anchors and three top-tether points.
The Civic sedan was last assessed by ANCAP in April 2017 and scored five stars.
Kia Rio
Sadly, the Rio S misses out on any advanced active safety items. This is one area where city-sized cars are struggling to keep up, as expensive active safety systems tend to push them well into the mid-$20,000 region.
Unlike the mid-range Rio Sport, the S has no auto emergency braking, lane keep assist, or driver attention alert.
It makes do with the more basic array of brake, stability and traction controls, with the addition of a great reversing camera, three top-tether and two ISOFIX child seat mounting points, and six airbags.
The Rio carries a valid five-star ANCAP safety rating, to an earlier 2017 standard before its missing modern active safety items were mandated.
Ownership
Honda Civic
Hondas ship with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is competitive as more and more manufacturers consider this a minimum.Â
The "Tailored Servicing" program caps nine of the first 10 services at $281, with just one service jumping to $310. That's reasonable value for a turbo engine, except servicing is every 12 months or 10,000km. That means more than one trip per year to the dealer if you drive more than 10,000km per year.
Kia Rio
The Rio again gets the edge on its budget competition with a lengthy seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. In this space it only butts heads with the MG3, which offers a matching promise.
Roadside assist is included for up to eight years if you continue to service with Kia, and there's also a capped price service program for the duration of the warranty, covering up to 105,000km.
The Rio needs to be serviced once every 12 months or 15,000km, and prices range from $269 and $608 per visit, for an annual average of $409.40.
Not the cheapest servicing schedule we’ve seen, particularly when compared with the likes of Toyota.