2012 Kia Rio SX 5 Door {Review}

One of the perks of being a blogger, is the reviews you get to do.   I love to try new products and learn about new companies, but it’s not everyday you get asked to review a car!  So, I was really excited to be asked by Kia to review their 2012 Kia Rio SX 5 door for a week!

When the 2012 Kia Rio arrived at my doorstep on a Monday morning, I was given the keys, a full tank of gas and told to “enjoy” for the week!  The kids were so excited but I don’t think they fully understood that it would be going back in a week.  So, we hopped right in and took it for a test drive right away!

When I got in, the first thing I noticed was that this car was loaded with every available option – power windows and locks, AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with SIRIUS Radio, USB and Auxiliary input jacks, Bluetooth wireless technology, steering wheel controls, heated mirrors, auto headlights and much, much more!  This was gonna be fun!

This Kia came in a striking “electronic blue” color that sure caught your eye as it came down the street!  The darker gray interior was a perfect color combo that didn’t seem it would show much dirt.  Even though the car said it was a compact style, you wouldn’t know it from being inside.  It fit 4 of us comfortably with two car seats in the back.  Having 4 doors is a must in a car with kids!  What’s also great is that there was plenty of head and leg room in the front and back.  I seem to always feel claustrophobic when getting into a smaller car from my van, but this didn’t seem that way at all!  I actually enjoyed the size and zipping around town!  Having the “5th” door in the back as the hatch really helped to increase the size of the car.  You could fold down the back seats and have much more room to haul things.

My favorite feature in the car was the backup camera.  I am always so careful to look behind me before backing up from anywhere – but there’s always blind spots right behind the car that you can’t see.  This camera helps to identify anything in the way and makes a beep if something is behind you.  This is in no way a substitute for looking behind you, but it’s another safety tool to use!   Speaking of backing up….

Would you believe  that while I had the Rio at my house, my neighbor backed right into it?!  I couldn’t believe it!  I felt horrible, even though I had nothing to do with it.  But, amazingly, the Rio stood up to the crash test!  See the big dent in the door?  Well, even though it looked bad, you would never be able to tell from the inside or from how the door opened.  It was perfect!  That’s a HUGE plus in my book since  this is where my little ones would be sitting!  Amazing!

See…can’t tell that it was backed into at all!  Perfect!

After researching the Rio’s safety features, I found out that there are actually reinforced steel beams in each door that are designed to absorb impact energy and deflect side-impact force.  Plus, there are airbags throughout the entire car – front and back and top to bottom.

Overall, this car was a really fun car to drive!  It was quiet, drove very smoothly and was very comfortable!  I would feel totally safe driving it all the time with my kids in the back seat or even buying one for my teenager to drive once they are older.  LOVED IT!

* I was provided with the Kia Rio to drive for 1 week for the purpose of my review.  All opinions are my own. 

Want to get a better look at the 2012 Kia Rio SX 5 door?  Check out my YouTube video of a walk around!