2006 Kia Rio - Use and Toss?

Kia vehicles have managed to make significant strides in quality and durability since being introduced to the US market in 1994. Widely panned by critics as producing cheaply built and cheaply priced models, some Kia models are now performing at average or slightly above. The Kia Rio is not one of these cars, however. Only the extended warranty makes the Rio worth a look otherwise slightly more expensive cars from Toyota are preferable.

With a base MSRP of just $10,735, the Kia Rio is touted as "still the most affordable 4-door sedan in America." Certainly, when it comes to price, the Rio is a winner. Add in standard features such as dual remote mirrors, driver lumbar support seats, and the extended warranty, and the car is a value leader. Of course, air conditioning will cost you extra and don't expect to find any type of radio in the car either unless you pay extra for it. Remember, the emphasis is on value, not equipment.

The Kia is powered by a 1.6L DOHC 16 valve I4 engine paired with a five speed manual transmission. The five passenger sedan produces an anemic 104hp; a four speed automatic transmission is optional.

Various upgrade packages allow consumers to select additional "comfort and convenience" options as well as safety features including four wheel antilock brakes. One almost thinks that a customer would do better purchasing the basic model and then purchasing Kia accessories through a parts wholesaler to maximize the car's value.

The best part of the Rio -- or any Kia car for that matter -- is the extended warranty, one of the best in the industry. Without it, the Rio would be truly forgettable.

Kia's warranty covers the following:

Limited Powertrain: 10 years or 100,000 miles
Limited Basic: 5 years or 60,000 miles
Limited Anti-Perforation: 5 years or 100,000 miles
Roadside Assistance: 5 years / unlimited miles
The Kia Rio serves the purpose of providing cheap, basic transportation. If you drive a lot and need an economical car, then the Rio is worth a look. Just don't think that the car rises to the level of a Toyota, otherwise you will be sorely disappointed. You may get five or six good years out of the car before its value decreases to the point where it simply should be discarded.

By Matthew Keegan

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The All New and Restyled Kia Optima

The recently introduced second-generation Kia Optima follows much the same playbook. The Kia Optima's cabin is spacious, and the interior materials as a whole give an impression of quality. Because of their mechanical similarity, the Kia Optima has comparable reliability to Hyundai Sonatas of the same model year. The Kia Optima's cabin is spacious, and the interior materials as a whole give an impression of quality.

In its third model year (2003), the Optima's front end was restyled, which gave it a more upscale European look. In addition, Kia began to offer Sportmatic manual-shift capability on four-cylinder automatic Kia Optimas. The biggest improvement of the new Kia Optima is its exterior look. Unlike the previous generation of Optima's, this vehicle is actually based on the Hyundai Elantra HD (2007-) platform. Like the Sonata, the Optima is also longer and taller than the previous model and has a longer wheelbase. The differences between the Optima and Sonata are mostly in styling details, though the Kia is priced at $500 less.

Kia has emphasized the safety features on the Optima, claiming that it comes standard with many safety features and received a crash test rating of 5-stars from the NHTSA[1] and 4-stars from Euro NCAP[2]. Surprisingly, while other cars are adding power with model-changeovers, Optima's optional V6 only makes 185 hp (138 kW), which is seriously lacking compared to a lot of other models. Though not known to be a competitor in any road racing events, the Optima has proven to be an acceptable rally racing machine.

The Kia Optima (Magentis) raced in several amateur rally events (2003-2004) and, although it never claimed a victory, proved to be a close competitor to the rally machines in its class. From its sparing use of chrome to its plain Jane wheels, the Optima is deeply, wildly inoffensive. Measured against the '07 Accord EX V6, the Optima LX comes up short in acceleration, mileage and toys. But the Kia Optima is a nice car for the price. The Kia Optima is priced below competing models and typically represent a good value when taking into consideration their high feature content. Four years down the road a used Optima will be a steal compared to a used Camry or Accord. With that said, your eyes will have no problem telling the difference between the LX and higher-priced merchandise. The vehicle's "Expected" cost of ownership is based on statistical models that correlate the price of a vehicle with cost of ownership within each of the 34 segments that comprise all vehicles.

By Jim E. Harris