5th Nov 2010, 17:43
I have very similar problems with my 2009 Kia Rio. I've called my dealership and spoke to the service guys, and have been given nothing but disrespect and lame excuses (it's normal/we've checked, there's nothing wrong with the car/wait until it breaks in/etc etc).
My car gets barely 300km on a tank of gas city driving, and sometimes hits 500km full highway driving. I am now at 41000km and my mileage is still crap. When I was looking to get a new car, it was because I frequently go on roadtrips and needed a car with a good warranty and gas mileage. I am now on a first name basis with my local gas station attendant...
My window constantly fogs up and my windshield wipers are useless in the rain. It's very hard to see out the windshield sometimes. I've never seen this issue so bad before in any other car.
I like the car, but the more I drive it, the more I get put off of it, and I'll never drive or recommend another KIA as their service is horrible.
If anyone has any solutions to what this gas mileage is, I'd love to know how to fix it or at least be able to ask the service center to check something in particular.
15th Nov 2010, 17:10
A long warranty doesn't do you much good if your car is always in the shop, and you have to find another way to get to work or school. Furthermore, many dealerships will try to find a way out of honouring the warranty, and you'll have to deal with their service.
I would take a Corolla over a Rio anyday. The Rio is is a smaller sub - compact, while the Corolla is is a larger compact. The Rio, like any Kia, will have awful resale value, while the Corolla has one of the best.
15th Nov 2010, 17:15
I guess you should stay away from Ford products, then. Unless you're Mexican or Japanese, you won't benefit your own country by buying a Ford. Most of their products are now outsourced to Mexico for production. Furthermore, most of their cars are based on Mazda platforms.
30th Nov 2010, 16:40
Got a used 2009 Kia Rio in March. At first, it was a good car, great gas mileage, etc. Now, and I am seeing this with many other comments on here, I am having a problem with the gas mileage. I am at 37000 miles on the car, it has been maintained normal... And suddenly in this last week, I am getting at best, 220 miles to the tank. And I, same as a lot of people on here, am having problems with the brakes being to noisy. This should be a recall issue, I would think.
19th Jan 2011, 02:33
I have a 2009 SX, and ever since the first tank of gas, I have had the spilling out problem. I’m sorry, this doesn’t happen to every car like some people are saying. This problem is all over the internet for this car, just Google search it.
I have taken my car in 2 times, and nothing got fixed. The one dealer said they had to witness it overflowing to do anything about it. I have talked to Kia directly, and have got nothing done about it. I do however get 37 MPG consistently. I had the p195/55/15, and upgraded to p195/60/15 low rolling resistance tires, and I'm careful with how I drive, and 37 is not problem for me (about 50% highway and 50% city driving).
18th Feb 2011, 15:20
I purchased a base model Rio new in July of 2009. It has no options and is a 5 speed MT, no air, roll-up windows, etc.
After owning the car for 19 months, I have had absolutely no problems with it. I only have 9800 miles on it, but I consistently average 32 mpg in the winter and 36 in the summer.
I really like the car. It drives and rides like your typical econobox, but has plenty of power, is easy to get around in and has a great radio.
I drive it mainly in town, and can't really comment on highway conditions. I haven't had any problems with spilled gas.
I think this is the best value of the five new cars that I have purchased.
20th Feb 2011, 16:19
I've had a '09 Kia Rio since August '09.
The fuel economy is a joke, I'm getting less than 350 a tank mixed driving. Suspension feels dead at 45000km, factory tires are almost toast. Automatic tranny shifts rough from first to second. It's "spat" gas at me once our twice, but that's not uncommon if you don't slow down near the top of any cars tank.
There is nothing wrong with any of this according to the dealer. I will be ditching it ASAP, it's going to fall apart when out of warranty.
10th Sep 2010, 09:19
I am the OP of this review, and now have a 9500 mile update to the original review:
To start with, the gas mileage has improved SOME. I now can go about 250 miles (sometimes up to 260 miles) on a tank of gas, and get about 31-32mpgs on the highway. In town though, it is still bad, at about 23-25mpg. I am hoping with the continued "break-in" of the car, that the gas mileage will improve more.
I too have been having issues with the windshield fogging up all the time. Often times when it's not even that humid outside, or it's sunny. I have to run my defogger with the AC on for a few minutes just to get it off. Fortunately, I live in deep South Texas, where we pretty much run AC all year, so this isn't a deal-breaker. Just annoying.
No problems with the brakes yet, but I do notice some squeaks when first starting out if I have let the car sit for a few days. Once the brakes heat up, there aren't any more squeaks. It's something to keep an eye on. I haven't noticed any glazing, or brake dust.
Still haven't figured out why the gas spillage occurs. The only way I combat it, is to let it fill up most of the way with the clip on the pump, and then hand fill it till it's full at a slower pace. This solves the problem of it spilling out, but I shouldn't have to do that. I will try to have this addressed at the 12,000 mile checkup at the Kia Dealership.
Other than that, I haven't had any problems with the vehicle at all. It starts up fine all the time, gets me from Point A to Point B, all the lights and signals continue to work, and does what it needs to do. This is a BASIC car, folks.
As mentioned in my review, if I had to do it over again, I would have gone with a Honda Fit, Yaris, Kia Optima, or a Hyundai Sonata. At the very least, I expect a lot better gas mileage than what I am getting, especially in-town. If I wanted "just" 31-32 mpgs on the highway (or 23-25 mpgs in town), I could have had a MUCH more comfortable car with MUCH more in the way of amenities that doesn't have the gas spillage, the constant fogging of windows, the NO CRUISE CONTROL issue, etc.
My advice, spend a few more bucks and get yourself something FAR more decent. You won't be sorry!
Ian.