The Dubai car market is a fierce battlefield where Korean and Japanese brands are fighting it out for grabbing market share. Kia and Nissan are two of arch-rivals that have always launched models that were meant to outplay their rival’s popular model. For example, the Nissan Sunny was positioned to be the most cost-effective car that would suitable to be driven within Dubai city limits. However, Kia managed to overthrow the Sunny by launching the Kia Rio sedan and Kia Rio-5, a hatchback variant, that has become one of the best-selling cars around the globe.
Kia Rio has managed to keep rivals like Nissan Sunny at bay due to its cost, comfort, and better performance. The latest models of the Kia Rio have undergone considerable changes in style and the car has also been endowed with a more powerful engine. The new Kia Rio car models are available in three trim levels, namely the base LX level, the S midlevel and the EX top-level.
Greater power
Both, the sedan as well as the hatchback, variants of the 2018 Kia Rio can now be driven with invigorating power since these models have been endowed with an enhanced Gamma 1.6-liter GDI four-cylinder engine. In Dubai, the models are also available with a 1.4-liter engine that was available in the outgoing model. The 1.6-litre engine delivers 123 hp while the 1.4-litre engine delivers 107 hp.
The engines have been tuned for greater fuel efficiency. The car models reveal impressive fuel economy figures of 28/37/32 mpg for city, highway as well as in combined modes. These figures are for models with automatic transmission and the cars with manual transmission get an additional 1 mpg in the city. Unfortunately, it is only the LX trim that will come up the manual transmission.
A perky personality
The car appears very energetic especially when it is driven in the Dubai city traffic. The car can be maneuvered comfortably between traffic and the steering as well as the suspension system keep it steady while driving around the corners. The LX and S trim levels have disc brakes on the front wheels and drum brakes on the rear wheels.
The interiors are comfortable as the front seats provide ample space for long-distance drives and the rear seats provide plenty of headroom. The EX model has all the premium features like autonomous emergency braking, advanced infotainment system, power windows, leather-wrapped steering wheel and telescopic steering column. The hatch and the sedan model are available with base prices of AED 47,900 and AED 46,900 respectively.
