[OzSLS]

Well following on from my gratuitous display of pics in the Rio pics thread, i thought i'd start a bit of a build thread here.

Picked up the car last week as a new daily to take the burden off my Ford V8 which wasn't the most economical of cars in peak hour traffic (nearly 20 litres per 100km lol!!) It's the same car a few others from Australia have on here, the three door hatch which seems unavailable in the northern hemisphere for some weird reason. Has the 1.6, 17's, leather, climate control, cruise, auto wipers, DRL's, LED tail lights, keyless entry and push-button start, blah blah blah. It's a great car for the money and we got a good deal on it, including the token floor mats.

About a week or two before pickup day, we went and visited it down at the holding yard, still wearing its protective coverings and so on:

 

[OzSLS]

Then finally the day arrived, the car was all inspected, 'detailed' and registered. We went down after work to pick her up and this is how she looked waiting for her new home:

Really enjoyed the drive home, i find this car is the most impressive on the highway, 100KM/h or more. It certainly eats up the stop-start peak hour traffic but is very capable and spacious/comfortable on the open road. The leather seats are great, if a little un-supportive around quick bends, and the suspension was tuned locally for our roads, and done very well i might add. It's surprisingly comfortable for a little car riding on 17" wheels. I find the electric steering crap though. It's stupidly light at parking speed, then gets too heavy above about 60KM/h. There's just no feel to it in comparison with hydraulic steering, you can't tell what the wheels are doing and that's annoying. Either way it's the only drawback of a great car.

 

[OzSLS]

We ordered the car in basic form, it is a well appointed car for tech and features, basically blows all others in the price range away. It's a 6 speed manual with floor mats, no other options. First task was tint. Went for 35% which is a pretty good compromise, and looks very good contrasting with the white paint, looks darker than it is. Got it done at 7:30am on a saturday morning which wasn't the most pleasant time to start a weekend but it's for a good cause! Then we whacked some custom plates on that we already had on hold from a previous car (however i blank out plates on the net, sorry). I couldn't care less who looks at the plates either, it's purely for personalisation and colour theme in my books.

After this was done we went down the coast of Victoria to a picturesque area called Rye. Parked next to the beach and took some more pics:

 

[OzSLS]

 

[OzSLS]

 

[OzSLS]

The wife drives it a lot and finds the lack of rear visibility challenging when reverse parking in the crowded areas we drive in. For this reason i've booked the Rio in to the dealer to get rear parking sensors installed. Unsure if this just makes the standard sensor beeps or if it ties into a message on the dash too, haven't seen them working on another Rio, or even installed for that matter. Certainly not cheap! Over $500 AUD just for the rears installed. After-market options are half the price but i want it all genuine and properly integrated.

From there who knows, i have a few other plans up my sleeve. I'm also seriously considering buying another one, probably a 5 door this time in about a years time. Great cars!

 

[joesyah]

OzSLS, I've seen the pics. What I need to know now is, when can I schedule for a test drive mate?

Sharp little car by the way!

 

[OzSLS]

OzSLS, I've seen the pics. What I need to know now is, when can I schedule for a test drive mate?

Sharp little car by the way!

test drives are departing on the hour, every hour, Wednesdays only!

yeh even the entry level models are great, certainly no need to be ashamed of having one! i'd happily have one, it just happens that i broke the salesman down so severely that it made buying the SLS model very possible.

 

[joesyah]

test drives are departing on the hour, every hour, Wednesdays only!

yeh even the entry level models are great, certainly no need to be ashamed of having one! i'd happily have one, it just happens that i broke the salesman down so severely that it made buying the SLS model very possible.

Not ashamed of it at all. I really like the little bugger. lol
I could have bought the SXL fully loaded Optima if I wanted too. I just like being recurring bill free or as close to it as possible.
I can always do the aftermarket upgrades if I choose. I haven't decided what I'll do first. I'll probably just do the tint and leave well enough alone for now. I do like those KIA rims, just worried about how my ride quality will suffer going with thinner tires than I already have on the car.

I'll keep the Wednesday appointments in mind when I can find the free time take a trip to Australia. Suppose to go to Brazil before the end of the year. I can't even find the time to go! Australia is on my list of countries to visit next year. The only thing I dread is that painfully long flight!:lol:

 

[joesyah]

By the way, I was talking to one of my coworkers last night. He supposedly has contacts with someone in South Korea(probably an engineer) that can get the turbo's for the KIA's. Slap 201 horse power under your hood, you'll need a parachute to slow the two door RIO down. He was told it would cost $1800 for the parts and the PCM flash unit. Not a bad price for increasing your horsepower by almost 70HP. One of my coworkers has already installed a turbo on his KIA Soul.

 

[TJ85]

Changing the tyres helps a lot in getting more road feel in the little Kia. The floaty feeling goes and you get much more feel than normal in turns. Depending how far you want to go, you can put the x brace from the Veloster on the Kia. Changes its handling completely different to stock.

Little Kia dont need much at all to turn it into a capable fun car.

I was going to get a white SLS but went with the black one instead. Already have a white car and didnt want another one

 

[OzSLS]

Not ashamed of it at all. I really like the little bugger. lol

i was just going by the "yeah I know it's the basic model, but hey it's paid for" in your signature - i know you're not really ashamed of it.

I could have bought the SXL fully loaded Optima if I wanted too. I just like being recurring bill free or as close to it as possible.

i hear you, i'm the same, i hate credit and have stayed away from it for many years, don't even have a credit card any more. However the wife got all emotional and twisted my arm. We own most of this thing, and the balance will be paid off early.

I can always do the aftermarket upgrades if I choose. I haven't decided what I'll do first. I'll probably just do the tint and leave well enough alone for now. I do like those KIA rims, just worried about how my ride quality will suffer going with thinner tires than I already have on the car.

well i drove the S model here which has wheel caps and 15" wheels. The Si model here has 16" alloys, and mine as you know has 17" alloys. While the 17's are more bumpy than the 16's and of course the 15's, it's not as much of a difference as you may imagine. Then again ours are tuned differently to yours in the suspension, so there's no real way of telling until you do it.

I'll keep the Wednesday appointments in mind when I can find the free time take a trip to Australia. Suppose to go to Brazil before the end of the year. I can't even find the time to go! Australia is on my list of countries to visit next year. The only thing I dread is that painfully long flight!:lol:

funny, that's what's always stopped me from visiting you guys - i'd love to make the trip one day though. Despite what the media says, in my opinion you guys are very similar in culture to us, but MORE polite. I hear you have some tasty food around your area too

 

[OzSLS]

Changing the tyres helps a lot in getting more road feel in the little Kia. The floaty feeling goes and you get much more feel than normal in turns. Depending how far you want to go, you can put the x brace from the Veloster on the Kia. Changes its handling completely different to stock.

Little Kia dont need much at all to turn it into a capable fun car.

I was going to get a white SLS but went with the black one instead. Already have a white car and didnt want another one

did it lighten up the steering at speed? or make it heavier? It doesn't feel floaty to me, feels very planted in fact, and the tyres grip like heck and are brilliant in conditions where my other car(s) would aquaplane badly. My only real issue is the stupidly heavy steering at speed in comparison to parking speed. The lack of feel is inherent to some types of EPAS. The tyres are Continental Contisports which yours should have come with too, which are a very renowned tyre. Maybe yours were faulty?

 

[joesyah]

i was just going by the "yeah I know it's the basic model, but hey it's paid for" in your signature - i know you're not really ashamed of it.

i hear you, i'm the same, i hate credit and have stayed away from it for many years, don't even have a credit card any more. However the wife got all emotional and twisted my arm. We own most of this thing, and the balance will be paid off early.

well i drove the S model here which has wheel caps and 15" wheels. The Si model here has 16" alloys, and mine as you know has 17" alloys. While the 17's are more bumpy than the 16's and of course the 15's, it's not as much of a difference as you may imagine. Then again ours are tuned differently to yours in the suspension, so there's no real way of telling until you do it.


funny, that's what's always stopped me from visiting you guys - i'd love to make the trip one day though. Despite what the media says, in my opinion you guys are very similar in culture to us, but MORE polite. I hear you have some tasty food around your area too

I'm really looking forward to checking out Australia. As far as more friendly , it depends on what part of the U.S. you visit. The southern states are known for the great food and politeness.

I'm also glad Australia is an English speaking country. I caught hell communicating in South Korea!:lol:
Forget trying to figure out what the signs say. Unless you can read Korean.

Oh and I'm with you on the credit. Credit is good for one thing and that is to get you in debt.
I made myself a promise several years ago.That I would never have another car payment the rest of my life. I'm 40 yrs old now. I plan to keep that promise.

 

[OzSLS]

I made myself a promise several years ago.That I would never have another car payment the rest of my life. I'm 40 yrs old now. I plan to keep that promise.

so did i, i'm in my 30's and made the same promise about 5 years ago. But with the amount of money i was putting into maintaining and fixing my 11 year old V8 due to being used as a daily in ridiculous traffic, it worked out CHEAPER to put a decent deposit down and get a new car, with a 5 year unlimited KM warranty. The key now is to pay it off in a year, well ahead of the loan terms. Having a strict budget helps a lot.

I have booked in another addition or two to the little buzz box, will update in a few weeks when i've done it.

Yes we speak English, some more than others lol. I'm fairly neutral sounding like a Russell Crowe sort of sound, except i don't throw as many telephones. We don't all speak like Mick Dundee thankfully.

 

[joesyah]

so did i, i'm in my 30's and made the same promise about 5 years ago. But with the amount of money i was putting into maintaining and fixing my 11 year old V8 due to being used as a daily in ridiculous traffic, it worked out CHEAPER to put a decent deposit down and get a new car, with a 5 year unlimited KM warranty. The key now is to pay it off in a year, well ahead of the loan terms. Having a strict budget helps a lot.

I have booked in another addition or two to the little buzz box, will update in a few weeks when i've done it.

Yes we speak English, some more than others lol. I'm fairly neutral sounding like a Russell Crowe sort of sound, except i don't throw as many telephones. We don't all speak like Mick Dundee thankfully.

LOL ..very funny about the Russell Crowe and the phone throwing!:lol:

I totally understand mate. I've seen a few of my coworkers do the same for that very reason. I know folks that spend $140 USD a week in fuel, just driving back and forth to work. I think it is absolutely insane! That's over $6000 a year just in gas!

The smart ones that purchase a gas saver like the RIO to make the commute, even if they have a car payment, will come out ahead in the end.

 

[OzSLS]

as it stands, for day to day driving i'm already saving $30 to $35 per 400KM travelled. Yes you read right! We average about 600KM per week so that's an annual saving of $2535. Not too shabby

 

[TJ85]

did it lighten up the steering at speed? or make it heavier? It doesn't feel floaty to me, feels very planted in fact, and the tyres grip like heck and are brilliant in conditions where my other car(s) would aquaplane badly. My only real issue is the stupidly heavy steering at speed in comparison to parking speed. The lack of feel is inherent to some types of EPAS. The tyres are Continental Contisports which yours should have come with too, which are a very renowned tyre. Maybe yours were faulty?

I have 18"s now and went to a tyre that I use to have on my other car. I have different tyre set up than normal. I got Takuma Avanza's at the back and Sumitomo's up front. Fronts are few mm difference compared to the back.

More grip than the stock tyres and feels more controlled in turns. Putting the x brace on though was massive difference. Little to no body roll but no stiff feeling, much more natural in turns. I think the combination of both wider tyres over stock (not so much bigger wheels) and the x brace work to benefit from the electric steering.

I'm also glad Australia is an English speaking country. I caught hell communicating in South Korea!:lol:
Forget trying to figure out what the signs say. Unless you can read Korean.

How long did you spend in Korea? I been learning Korean for last couple years when I can. I still cant read Korean and can only pick out mainly names if Ive seen it enough to remember. I can speak a little bit of it but its easier to learn to speak from reading Hangul than reading the romanized version of Korean. You get the soundings easier without confusing it with English soundings. You also learn Engrish at the same time. Engrish is much easier than English.

Also helps if your Eastern European; the soundings are similar.

 

[Mikey22]

Also helps if your Eastern European; the soundings are similar.

A bit off topic but I am surprised that you consider Korean easier to learn if you have an Easter European background- I never would have thought it! I am bilingual and speak a Slavic language fluently. Perhaps I should give Korean a go . They are becoming a bit of a regional powerhouse after all...

 

[joesyah]

as it stands, for day to day driving i'm already saving $30 to $35 per 400KM travelled. Yes you read right! We average about 600KM per week so that's an annual saving of $2535. Not too shabby

I may have you beat. Within two weeks I'll be averaging 643 km or 400 miles a week in the RIO. It will be as high as 764 Km or 475 miles a week for the foreseeable future since I'm moving to a different department.

Many of my coworkers drive KIA's. I call them my beta testers. Since many have owned theirs for several years now, it gave me a chance to see how durable the cars were. All of them average 25,000 miles a year or more in their KIA's. None of them have complained of mechanical failure or major issues.That's why I bought one!

How long did you spend in Korea? I been learning Korean for last couple years when I can. I still cant read Korean and can only pick out mainly names if Ive seen it enough to remember. I can speak a little bit of it but its easier to learn to speak from reading Hangul than reading the romanized version of Korean. You get the soundings easier without confusing it with English soundings. You also learn Engrish at the same time. Engrish is much easier than English.

Also helps if your Eastern European; the soundings are similar.

I was over in January for a couple of weeks. You're well ahead of me in understanding the languange.:lol:
I work with Koreans every day who speak broken English, some not at all. It's funny, sometimes when we're trying to communicate with one another. It becomes more of sign language and a lot of pointing and mimicking processes.