Overview Released in Australia in December 2016, the Kia YB Rio was a light, five-door hatchback. Manufactured at Kia’s Sohari plant in South Korea, the front-wheel drive Kia YB Rio was powered by a 1.4-litre petrol engine that was mated to either a six-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. Upon its release, the YB Rio […]
Category: Review
Review: Kia JB Rio (2005-11)
Review: Kia JB.I Rio (2005-06) Overview Released in August 2005, the Kia JB Series I (JB.I) Rio was available as a sedan or five-door hatchback. Manufactured in Gwangmyeong, South Korea, the front-wheel drive Rio was powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that was mated to either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission. The […]
Review: Kia JD pro_cee’d GT (2013-15)
Overview Released in Australia in October 2013, the Kia JD pro_cee’d GT was a three-door, hot hatch. Manufactured in Zilina, Slovakia, the front-wheel drive pro_cee’d GT was powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine that was mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Turbocharged C4FJ engine Shared with the Hyundai FS Veloster , the 1.6-litre C4FJ […]
Review: Kia DC Rio (2000-05)
Review: Kia DC.I Rio (2000-02) Overview Released in July 2000, the Kia DC Series I (DC.I) Rio was available as a sedan or five-door hatchback. Manufactured in Gwangmyeong, South Korea, the front-wheel drive Rio was powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that was mated to either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission. B5-DE […]
Review: Kia JA Picanto (2017-on)
Overview Released in Australia in May 2017, the Kia JA Picanto was a light, five-door hatchback. Manufactured in Seosan, South Korea, the front-wheel drive Kia JA Picanto was initially powered by a 1.25-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that was mated to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. In April 2018, the JA Picanto range […]
Review: Kia TA Picanto (2016-17)
Overview Officially released in Australia in April 2016, the Kia TA Picanto was a light, five-door hatchback. Manufactured in Seosan, South Korea, the front-wheel drive Kia Picanto was powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine that was mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. Upon its release, the Kia Picanto had a recommended retail price of $14,990 […]
Review: Kia MS Optima (2001-06)
Review: Kia MS.I Optima (2001-03) Overview Released in May 2001, the Kia MS Series I (MS.I) Optima was a mid-size sedan. Manufactured in Hwasung, South Korea, the front-wheel drive Optima was powered by a 2.5-litre V6 petrol engine that was mated to either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission. Engine The 2.5-litre G6BW ‘Delta’ […]
Review: Kia TF Optima (2011-15)
Review: Kia TF.I Optima (2011-13) Overview Released in January 2011, the Kia TF Series I (TF.I) Optima was a mid-size, front-wheel drive sedan. Manufactured in Hwasung, South Korea, the Optima was powered by a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine that was mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel gearshift paddles. The Optima range initially consisted […]
Review: Kia JF Optima (2015-19)
Review: Kia JF.I Optima (2015-18) Overview Released in Australia in November 2015, the Kia JF Optima was a mid-size sedan. Manufactured in Hwasung, South Korea, the front-wheel drive JF Optima was powered by 2.4-litre petrol and 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engines for the Si and GT variants, respectively, while six-speed automatic transmissions were standard for both […]
Review: Lotus Series II Exige (2004-12)
Overview Released in April 2004, the Lotus Series II Exige was a mid-engined, two-door coupe. Manufactured in Norfolk, England, the rear-wheel drive Series II Exige was powered by a naturally aspirated 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that was mated to a six-speed, close-ratio manual transmission with a single-plate dry clutch. 2ZZ-GE Engine The 1.8-litre Toyota 2ZZ-GE […]