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The Rio5 is a pleasant
enough car. It rides well, isn’t particularly noisy, gets good gas mileage,
and has a long warranty. It doesn’t really stand out against the other
practicality-on-a-budget cars, but with its blend of competence and price, it
doesn’t have to.
The Rio5 has a
comfortable, reasonably well-controlled ride, but it doesn’t cope well with
larger bumps. It handles competently, but the numb, slow steering drains
incentive to take advantage of this. The 1.5-liter I4 offers decent pep at low
speeds, but lacks passing power and drones loudly under acceleration. The car
is reasonably quiet at cruise despite some excess tire roar. Gas mileage is
excellent.
Inside, the Rio5 is
utilitarian but pleasant. The high, roomy front seats offer many adjustments
for the firm cushion, but they are too flat. The rear is well-shaped, but
lacking in legroom, a once-accepted subcompact trait that this class has
evolved beyond.  The
interior could hardly be called opulent, but the hard plastic trim pieces fit
together nicely. The
gauges could be larger, but the instruments are nicely laid out, well placed
and very simple to use. Drivers sit comfortably, but the slope of the windows
cuts into rear visibility. Entry/exit is very easy to the front, but the small
footwells require a bit of attention when getting in and out of the rear.
There isn’t much space behind the rear seat, but floor space should be
sufficient for some carefully packed items. The rear seat folds easily to open
up a substantial cargo area.
As noted, the Rio5’s
main attraction is its price. The vehicle reviewed here came in fully loaded
at $14,643, though fully loaded does not include either cruise or traction
control systems. It does at least include the ever-important appearance items,
like a rear spoiler, metal pedal covers, and alloy wheels at that price
(standard equipment on the Rio5).
Overall, the Rio5 is
pleasant enough to drive, fuel-efficient, and very inexpensive, and the long
warranty takes care of potential repair costs for years into the future. Like
the Chevrolet Aveo5, it tries to get by with mere adequacy with price as the
excuse, but it is nicer than that car, gets better gas mileage, and has a
longer warranty, so unlike the Aveo5, it is a credible budget car.
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