Specifications Kia Rio X-Line. Test drive: We predict good demand for the five-door Kia Rio X-Line

One of the most sought after and popular Korean models is kia soul. Indeed very high quality and reliable car, with a rather unusual appearance.

But be that as it may, many motorists, before buying a car, carefully study its characteristics. One of the most important points is the vehicle's ground clearance. What is ground clearance, or, as it is also called, clearance?

What is ground clearance and how to measure it

Ground clearance is the distance from pavement to the bottom of the car body. Nose clearance kia Soul the situation is more complicated, as the Korean developers decided to go in an unusual way, and thus confused automotive specialists. The thing is that the clearance indicated in the car's passport may be less, since its reference point is the lower part of the body, and elements such as shock absorbers or a silencer can be placed much lower.

This aspect is especially important for Russian motorists, since domestic road conditions no room for error. And, if you do not calculate the clearance indicator correctly, you can fly into a hole, or get stuck on a curb.

The clearance indicator for the Kia Soul ranges from 15 to 16.4 cm. But it is worth remembering that the most loaded car usually sags another 2-3 cm. This is very important to realize when traveling on vacation or transporting heavy loads.

How to increase or decrease ground clearance

Of course, there are many ways to increase the ground clearance of a car. One of the most popular is the installation of spacers under each of the shock absorbers. Yes, the clearance will really increase, but at the same time, the car will lose its stability, and its maneuverability will significantly worsen.

Some motorists seek, on the contrary, to reduce the clearance. To do this, you need to replace the factory shock absorbers with modernized elements. The result is a noticeable improvement in maneuverability and stability. But, once again, this is a rarity among our compatriots, because everyone knows the quality of Russian roads.

Official ground clearance data Kia Soul

• Kia Soul 2008 - 16.4 cm;
• Kia Soul 2011 - 16.4 cm;
• Kia Soul 2014 - 15 cm;
• - 15.3 cm.

After analyzing these data, we can conclude that the developers listened to the words of critics, and began to measure the ride height according to all accepted in automotive world standards.

The second reason for such changes may be an improvement in the maneuverability and dynamism of the car, which is precisely achieved by reducing the ground clearance.

As already known, the latest modification of the Soul boasts a ground clearance of 153 mm, which can be called a good indicator, even by Russian standards. Of course, the clearance of the debut version of 164 mm looks much more solid, and it is not surprising that on domestic roads you can find a large number of Souls of 2008 and 2011 releases.

Comparison with competitors

If we compare the Korean with one of his main competitors, the Skoda Yeti, then the Soul loses significantly in terms of ground clearance, because the Czech model has it as much as 18 cm. The same can be said about other representatives of this class, in which the Kia Soul may seem superfluous .

However, it is worth remembering that there is still a discussion about which class to attribute Soul to. If this is really a crossover, then yes - the ground clearance is low. But, if you position the Korean as a microvan, everything falls into place and there are no more questions regarding the DP.

Kia rio

Kia rio x line

Rio X Line more expensive than four-doors in similar trim levels by 30 thousand rubles, but the price list starts only with the average sedan version 1.4 Comfort for 775 thousand. The top-end Prestige AV (965,000 rubles) and Premium (1,025,000 rubles) come only with a 1.6 engine and an “automatic”.

The crisis has hit the little ones hardest. The B-class hatchback segment nearly died out. It is easier to list those who remained: Renault Sandero, Ford Fiesta, Lada Kalina with Datsun plus Chinese extras. The newcomer is among the leaders - pseudo-crossover Lada Xray, and when they talk about Sandero, in four cases out of five they mean an elevated Stepway. People need ground clearance, so a five-door Kia Rio enters production only in the pseudo-off-road version of the X-Line. The term "cross-hatchback" has even been coined. Not a crossover yet, but almost.

New hatchback B-class is an extraordinary event for Russian market. Kia insures itself against market inattention with the help of an off-road body kit and roof rails, passing off the Rio X-Line as almost a crossover.

Compared to four-door Rio trunk shortened by 16 centimeters, but 390 liters is a very decent volume. Lada and Renault have less. You can’t get a flat floor with the rear backs folded down, but a five-door body is, by definition, more functional. The roof over the rear passengers has risen by 14 mm, and I no longer prop up the ceiling with the top of my head, sitting down “by myself”. Although still forced to slouch to look out the side window. At the front, the cabin is unified, which means good ergonomics and an adequate finish for the price. True, I don’t remember such a strong chemical smell in the sedan.

Differences from a sedan in a pleasing to the eye hard interior can not be found. It's a pity there is no cruise control - like on all Russian "state employees" KIA. Visibility is average for a sedan, but for a hatchback rear glass already and more blocked by headrests.

The body kit made of unpainted plastic works primarily for the crossover image. It is assembled from many small parts and is glued to the panels on the doors, and not snapped onto the caps, as on the arches. Bumpers and deaf facing of a radiator are original. Alas, because of the silver inserts along the lower edges of the Rio bumpers, you are with curbs. Dark roof rails rely on all versions and are screwed into the same cage nuts where the trunk is attached to the sedan. That's all. Even the size and model of the tires are the same as those of the four-door, and in swollen arches the wheels look small.

The cheerful coloring of the fabric is only in the pre-top configuration, and the maximum Premium is trimmed with unhygienic leatherette. Behind it has become more spacious overhead, although tall passengers are still cramped in the knees.

Under the power unit - the same aching emptiness: there is no protection. Ground clearance grew by just a finger. The manufacturer promises 17 cm, my tape measure shows 16. The owners of West, Sandero and other Datsuns will laugh at such “off-road” - their cars have 170-180 mm. Stepway and Xray with a 20-centimeter clearance and it is inconvenient to remember. “Rio X-Line is designed for young active citizens,” retort in KIA. And due to the decor, they hope to sell it in larger quantities than the previous generation hatchback - up to a third of the total output of Rio against the former twenty percent.

Decorative trim is different from the sedan. The off-road body kit is made up of pieces - not otherwise, it was molded according to the finished body.

Why not. There are not so many disadvantages. In addition to those listed here, it is also noisy, like in a sedan: the engine roars on high revs, pebbles click through the arches, and the tires hum to the point of discomfort. Moreover, the winter non-studded Hakkapeliitta R2 turned out to be quieter than the summer conveyor Kumho and Nexen. Thanks to either Velcro or a reconfigured suspension, the X-Line is a little softer, but still harshly swallows medium bumps. But Rio easily forgives fast driving over large bumps. It is only necessary to avoid optional 16-inch wheels, which increase both shaking and vibration from the microprofile of the coating.

The trunk is voluminous, and in the left niche there are clamps, for example, for a canister with anti-freeze. The carpet on the floor is not fixed properly. Underground around the full-size spare tire, there is some room for small items.

It is pointless to look for differences with a sedan in handling. The five-door follows the wheel just as adequately, and in the parking lot it pleases with a low effort on the steering wheel. Aerodynamics has become a little worse: the maximum speed of hatchbacks is 9 km / h lower. The claimed acceleration time to hundreds increased by 0.4 s, although the weight increased by only 5-15 kg. We only drove 1.6 cars with a six-speed “automatic”: acceleration is quite convenient to control, as is deceleration. The test cars are equipped with optional disc mechanisms at the rear. By the way, now it is not necessary to overpay for a navigation system for the sake of a rear-view camera - it is available in the penultimate configuration of Prestige AV.

A full-fledged Kia-crossover B-class in Russia will not be for a long time. The plant in St. Petersburg is not technologically capable of manufacturing more than four types of bodies at the same time. Today it is Creta, Solaris, Rio and its Rio X-Line.

The basic version has air conditioning, heated front seats and steering wheel, steering wheel adjustment in two directions, a tire pressure monitoring system, four power windows, including an automatic driver's one. Therefore, such an X-Line costs 175 thousand rubles more expensive than Lada and for 125 thousand - Stepway. Yielding to them in adaptability to heavy roads, Rio behaves normally on good highways, practical, well-finished. Advanced citizens, not spoiled by the dogma "Russia is a country of sedans", all hope is on you!

Passport data

Technique Pavel Karin, Nikita Gudkov

Architectural Kia suspension Rio code FB has not changed: McPherson front, torsion beam rear. However, with the change of generations, the location of the parts of the steering mechanism has changed, which has acquired an electric booster instead of "hydraulics", the gearbox support has been changed. The track became wider, the angle caster the front wheel steering axis (the so-called castor) increased from 4.1º to 4.6º, and the camber changed from positive to negative. The rear beam is now the same as the Elantra and Creta models, Mando shock absorbers are behind rear axle at an angle of 8.4 degrees, and not in front of it with an inclination of 25 degrees. The shock absorbers themselves are significantly longer than before. Diameter vacuum booster brakes has increased from nine inches to ten, which means that the effort developed by it has also increased. The differences between the X-Line hatchback and the regular Rio sedan are springs and shock absorbers (the compression stroke is increased by 10 mm) and the corresponding power steering settings.

The share of ultra-high-strength steels in the body has increased from 13% to 50%, eight percent of which are hot-forged steels, which were not in the former Rio at all. Steel in the car is used Korean and Russian (about 12%), which is supplied by NLMK and Severstal. In general, the percentage of localization for the car is quite modest - 47%. Six of eight trim levels have only two airbags, but side airbags and inflatable curtains are added to the top two.

From the factory power unit underneath is not covered. In front of the beam rear suspension- enlarged 50-liter gas tank. In each wheel arch - a plastic fender liner, behind the wheel - an ersatz mudguard. The bottom of the thresholds is covered with anti-gravity, but the silver lining on the bottom of the bumpers is doomed to be scratched on the curbs.

The 1.6 G4FG aluminum engine of the Gamma family (left) is made in China. The G4FC differs from the previous unit in camshafts, pistons, an intake tract of variable length - and a second exhaust phase shifter. With the previous 123 forces, the peak torque fell from 155 N m to 150.7, and the crankshaft speed at which it is achieved, on the contrary, increased from 4200 rpm to 4850. Motor 1.4 of the G4LC model (right) of the Kappa family for Rio new. It also has a variable intake manifold length, two phase shifters and a timing chain drive. Power - 99.7 hp against 107 for the previous G4FA unit of the same volume. The thrust peak is 132.4 N m against 135.4 before, but at 4000 rpm instead of 5000. There is no decorative cover on the motor, sound insulation on the hood and gas stop - too.

Six-speed "automatic" - with a modernized torque converter. It now has four clutch discs instead of one, and redirected oil flows. The new torque converter locks up faster, more often and harder. This box is delivered to St. Petersburg from Korea, "mechanics" - from the Czech Republic.

Behind the scenes

A presentation held on the same roads where we met four months ago sedan Rio, diluted the tour by Hyundai plant, which also produces Kia Rio. As expected, at a young enterprise, sterile cleanliness and fresh air are a striking contrast with AvtoVAZ! Production is fully loaded, working in three shifts on weekdays and sometimes on Saturdays. The plan for this year is more than 220,000 cars: this is the second most productive car plant in Russia. Absolutely all welding is robotic, and I did not see guest workers on the assembly line, and salaries, as they say, are very good here - from 45 thousand rubles.

In terms of technology, the new Kia Rio X-Line cross-hatchback, produced at the Hyundai plant near St. Petersburg, is almost an exact copy of the sedan, and the main differences between the models stem from the different body formats. So, the five-door has other dimensions- it is 160 mm shorter, 10 mm wider and 40 mm higher than its "relative". An increase of 40 mm in height is provided by roof rails, which are already included in the basic equipment of the car.

The "off-road" potential of the Kia Rio X-Line is realized not only with the help of a solid plastic body kit, but also through increased ground clearance. True, the clearance of the hatchback relative to the sedan has grown quite slightly - only by 10 mm (up to 170 mm). For reference, pseudo-crossovers have a much more impressive clearance of 200 mm under the bottom.

The five-door body configuration of the X-Line version seriously affected the capacity of the trunk. Compared to the sedan, the volume of the cargo compartment has decreased by 90 liters and amounted to 390 liters. However, for a B-class hatchback, this indicator is very good - competitors with Renault and Lada nameplates are inferior here quite decently. Plus, there is always the opportunity to fold the backs. rear seats, thereby increasing the useful volume of the trunk to 1075 liters.

Kia Rio X-Line engines

Hatchback motors inherited from the sedan latest generation. There are only two of them.

1.4 G4LC (Kappa series)

"Junior" 1.4-liter gasoline unit everyone has a new Rio now. The engine with the G4FA index was replaced by the G4LC engine of the same volume. Specifications the new "four" is slightly worse - the power is 100 hp, and the torque does not exceed 132 Nm. However, limit values ​​are now available at more than low revs, for example, the torque reaches a maximum already at 4000 rpm, while the previous power unit had a peak at 5000 rpm. New engine equipped with two phase shifters, a variable geometry manifold and a timing belt with a chain drive.

Engine 1.4 Kappa 100 hp

1.6 G4FG (Gamma series)

The 1.6 liter engine from the Gamma family has remained the same, but has been refined. The camshaft and pistons were replaced, the intake tract received a variable geometry, and phase shifters appeared at the outlet. As a result of the modernization, there was a slight adjustment in traction characteristics - if the peak power remained at the level of 123 hp, then the torque decreased from 155 to 151 Nm.

Engine 1.6 Gamma 123 hp

Gearboxes

There are two boxes in the Rio X-Line arsenal: “mechanics” and “automatic”, both with 6 steps. automatic transmission got an improved torque converter with four clutch discs.

Suspension and steering

Configuration Kia suspension Rio X-line provides for the presence of MacPherson struts in front, and a torsion beam in the back. Moreover, the beam of the Rio hatchback and sedan is the same as that of the c. The five-door, of course, received “its” original springs and shock absorbers, providing a compression stroke increased by 10 mm. The power steering has also been recalibrated accordingly. By the way, in all Rio fourth generation, including on the X-Line version, an electric booster is installed, although before that there was "hydraulics".

Fuel consumption

Both engines of the cross-hatchback Rio comply with Euro-5 requirements, which means they are optimized in terms of fuel efficiency. Versions with a 1.4-liter engine burn on average about 5.9-6.6 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers, modifications with a 1.6-liter unit consume about 6.6-6.8 liters. Models with 6-speed mechanical box slightly better fuel economy. By the way, car engines are adapted to work on 92-octane gasoline.

Full technical specifications of Kia Rio X-line 2017-2018

The Rio X-Line is 30,000 rubles more expensive than four-doors in similar configurations, but the price list starts only with the 1.4 Comfort version, which is average for a sedan, for 775,000. The top-end Prestige AV (965,000 rubles) and Premium (1,025,000 rubles) come only with a 1.6 engine and an “automatic”.

The crisis has hit the little ones hardest. The B-class hatchback segment nearly died out. It is easier to list those who remained: Renault Sandero, Ford Fiesta, Lada Kalina with Datsun plus Chinese extras. The newcomer is among the leaders - pseudo-crossover Lada Xray, and when they talk about Sandero, in four cases out of five they mean an elevated Stepway. People need ground clearance, so the five-door Kia Rio is only being put into production in a pseudo-off-road version of the X-Line. The term "cross-hatchback" has even been coined. Not a crossover yet, but almost.

The new B-class hatchback is an extraordinary event for the Russian market. Kia insures itself against market inattention with the help of an off-road body kit and roof rails, passing off the Rio X-Line as almost a crossover.

Compared to the four-door Rio, the trunk was shortened by 16 centimeters, however, even 390 liters is a very decent volume. Lada and Renault have less. You can’t get a flat floor with the rear backs folded down, but a five-door body is, by definition, more functional. The roof over the rear passengers has risen by 14 mm, and I no longer prop up the ceiling with the top of my head, sitting down “by myself”. Although still forced to slouch to look out the side window. At the front, the cabin is unified, which means good ergonomics and an adequate finish for the price. True, I don’t remember such a strong chemical smell in the sedan.

Differences from a sedan in a pleasing to the eye hard interior can not be found. It's a pity there is no cruise control - like on all Russian "state employees" KIA. Visibility in the sedan is mediocre, while in the hatchback the rear window is narrower and more blocked by head restraints.

The body kit made of unpainted plastic works primarily for the crossover image. It is assembled from many small parts and is glued to the panels on the doors, and not snapped onto the caps, as on the arches. Bumpers and deaf facing of a radiator are original. Alas, because of the silver inserts along the lower edges of the Rio bumpers, you are with curbs. Dark roof rails rely on all versions and are screwed into the same cage nuts where the trunk is attached to the sedan. That's all. Even the size and model of the tires are the same as those of the four-door, and in swollen arches the wheels look small.

The cheerful coloring of the fabric is only in the pre-top configuration, and the maximum Premium is trimmed with unhygienic leatherette. Behind it has become more spacious overhead, although tall passengers are still cramped in the knees.

Under the power unit - the same aching emptiness: there is no protection. Ground clearance grew by just a finger. The manufacturer promises 17 cm, my tape measure shows 16. The owners of West, Sandero and other Datsuns will laugh at such “off-road” - their cars have 170-180 mm. Stepway and Xray with a 20-centimeter clearance and it is inconvenient to remember. “Rio X-Line is designed for young active citizens,” retort in KIA. And due to the decor, they hope to sell it in larger quantities than the previous generation hatchback - up to a third of the total output of Rio against the former twenty percent.

Decorative trim is different from the sedan. The off-road body kit is made up of pieces - not otherwise, it was molded according to the finished body.

Why not. There are not so many disadvantages. In addition to those listed here, it’s still noisy, like in a sedan: the engine roars at high speeds, pebbles click along the arches, and the tires hum until discomfort. Moreover, the winter non-studded Hakkapeliitta R2 turned out to be quieter than the summer conveyor Kumho and Nexen. Thanks to either Velcro or a reconfigured suspension, the X-Line is a little softer, but still harshly swallows medium bumps. But Rio easily forgives fast driving over large bumps. It is only necessary to avoid optional 16-inch wheels, which increase both shaking and vibration from the microprofile of the coating.

The trunk is voluminous, and in the left niche there are clamps, for example, for a canister with anti-freeze. The carpet on the floor is not fixed properly. Underground around the full-size spare tire, there is some room for small items.

It is pointless to look for differences with a sedan in handling. The five-door follows the wheel just as adequately, and in the parking lot it pleases with a low effort on the steering wheel. Aerodynamics has become a little worse: the maximum speed of hatchbacks is 9 km / h lower. The claimed acceleration time to hundreds increased by 0.4 s, although the weight increased by only 5-15 kg. We only drove 1.6 cars with a six-speed “automatic”: acceleration is quite convenient to control, as is deceleration. The test cars are equipped with optional disc mechanisms at the rear. By the way, now it is not necessary to overpay for a navigation system for the sake of a rear-view camera - it is available in the penultimate configuration of Prestige AV.

A full-fledged Kia-crossover B-class in Russia will not be for a long time. The plant in St. Petersburg is not technologically capable of manufacturing more than four types of bodies at the same time. Today it is Creta, Solaris, Rio and its Rio X-Line.

The basic version has air conditioning, heated front seats and steering wheel, steering wheel adjustment in two directions, a tire pressure monitoring system, four power windows, including an automatic driver's one. Therefore, such an X-Line costs 175 thousand rubles more than Lada and 125 thousand more than Stepway. Yielding to them in adaptability to heavy roads, Rio behaves normally on good highways, practical, well-finished. Advanced citizens, not spoiled by the dogma "Russia is a country of sedans", all hope is on you!

Passport data

Technique Pavel Karin, Nikita Gudkov

Architecturally, the suspensions of the Kia Rio with the FB code have not changed: McPherson front, torsion beam rear. However, with the change of generations, the location of the parts of the steering mechanism has changed, which has acquired an electric booster instead of "hydraulics", the gearbox support has been changed. The track became wider, the angle of the longitudinal inclination of the axis of rotation of the front wheels (the so-called castor) increased from 4.1º to 4.6º, and the camber changed from positive to negative. The rear beam is now the same as the Elantra and Creta models, with Mando shocks 8.4 degrees behind the rear axle instead of 25 degrees in front of it. The shock absorbers themselves are significantly longer than before. The diameter of the vacuum brake booster has increased from nine inches to ten, which means that the force developed by it has also increased. The differences between the X-Line hatchback and the regular Rio sedan are springs and shock absorbers (the compression stroke is increased by 10 mm) and the corresponding power steering settings.

The share of ultra-high-strength steels in the body has increased from 13% to 50%, eight percent of which are hot-forged steels, which were not in the former Rio at all. Steel in the car is used Korean and Russian (about 12%), which is supplied by NLMK and Severstal. In general, the percentage of localization for the car is quite modest - 47%. Six of eight trim levels have only two airbags, but side airbags and inflatable curtains are added to the top two.

From the factory, the power unit is not covered from below. In front of the rear suspension beam is an enlarged 50-liter gas tank. In each wheel arch - a plastic fender liner, behind the wheel - an ersatz mudguard. The bottom of the thresholds is covered with anti-gravity, but the silver lining on the bottom of the bumpers is doomed to be scratched on the curbs.

The 1.6 G4FG aluminum engine of the Gamma family (left) is made in China. The G4FC differs from the previous unit in camshafts, pistons, an intake tract of variable length - and a second exhaust phase shifter. With the previous 123 forces, the peak torque fell from 155 N m to 150.7, and the crankshaft speed at which it is achieved, on the contrary, increased from 4200 rpm to 4850. The 1.4 engine of the G4LC model (right) of the Kappa family for Rio is new . It also has a variable intake manifold length, two phase shifters and a timing chain drive. Power - 99.7 hp against 107 for the previous G4FA unit of the same volume. The thrust peak is 132.4 N m against 135.4 before, but at 4000 rpm instead of 5000. There is no decorative cover on the motor, sound insulation on the hood and gas stop - too.

Six-speed "automatic" - with a modernized torque converter. It now has four clutch discs instead of one, and redirected oil flows. The new torque converter locks up faster, more often and harder. This box is delivered to St. Petersburg from Korea, "mechanics" - from the Czech Republic.

Behind the scenes

The presentation, held on the same roads where four months ago we got acquainted with the Rio sedan, was diluted with a tour of the Hyundai plant, which also produces the Kia Rio. As expected, at a young enterprise, sterile cleanliness and fresh air are a striking contrast with AvtoVAZ! Production is fully loaded, working in three shifts on weekdays and sometimes on Saturdays. The plan for this year is more than 220,000 cars: this is the second most productive car plant in Russia. Absolutely all welding is robotic, and I did not see guest workers on the assembly line, and salaries, as they say, are very good here - from 45 thousand rubles.