Thursday, December 28, 2017

Back to basics: Rio prompts appreciation, memories

A menu of Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website  www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California – A recent week in a 2018 Kia Rio LX five-door hatchback enhanced my appreciation of driving on two levels.

The simple pleasure of just driving was boosted, and I was made even more grateful for all the technology that we take for granted in today’s new motor vehicles.

The tester was the most basic car I’ve driven in probably the past 25 years.  You had to turn the key in the exterior door handle to lock it.  Exterior mirrors had to be adjusted with old-school knobs mounted inside front doors.  Windows had to be rolled up or down by hand.

Yeah, welcome back to the 1970s.

And yet, I couldn’t help but feel that I’ve been spoiled all these years, with all the electronic gadgetry at my fingertips in the cockpit.  Remember just getting into a car and driving off … on a simple errand or a much-anticipated road trip. Simple pleasures.

The Rio returned these memories.

At the same time, it made me think hard about the blizzard of comfort/convenience/safety features that are stuffed into motor vehicles these days.

Power/heated/cooled seats.  Blind spot-warning systems.  Mega cruise-control systems.  Automatic braking systems.  It’s amazing when you ponder it.  Just think for a second how much more we get in new cars now than we did just a generation ago.

So, thanks to the tested Rio for all that.

Oh, by the way, my no-frills Rio handled well.  The 1.6-liter, 130-horsepower, in-line 4 engine moved the vehicle around impressively.  The Rio was nimble and easy to steer.  The back storage area was surprisingly roomy.

Gas mileage was exceptional at 28 miles per gallon in the city and 37 mpg on the highway.

And that bottom line sticker price of $16,315 was pretty easy on the eyes as well.

If you want basic transportation for a college-bound youngster or a suburban daily driver to handle all those errands, the Rio shapes up as a strong contender.

The appreciation enhancements are a bonus.

No comments:

Post a Comment