2006 Kia Rio (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123)

Visibility is good, with a big rearview mirror and minimal blind-spots, so long as you keep the headrest down low. The ride is really comfortable, actually. (I say "actually" because it's better than I expected.) The chassis happily absorbs bumps and rough surfaces, which you'll hear but not feel. The ride is solid and well dampened with no unwanted sound effects It certainly rides better than a fourteen thousand dollar car, as I know them. It can't handle that well though, can it? Nope, it handles nicely. The last time I drove a Rio, I found the handling to be a bit un-inspired. The tires on the new model, despite being only 14 inchers, are good and sticky, and the suspension seems more eager to be tossed around through corners- its more of a playful feeling car than last years. I noticed only a hint of understeer when leaning into the steering too hard. That's fine- a Rio isn't a car you'll go tearing through backroads or a weekend road-course with. But if, say, you wanted to, go nuts: it does well when you want to have a little fun. What's even better, though, is that despite a half decent dose of fun for the money, the Rio lets you keep more of it in your pocket. Equipped properly, it can approach 50 mpg for fuel economy. The 100,000 warranty guarantees repairs won't drain your wallet either.

The gearbox in my tester was a 5-speed manual. Having driven the automatic model last year, I was excited to see how Kia makes a manual gearbox. I found out before that the auto-box does a good job as far as auto-boxes go, but it failed to bring out the peppy-ness and fun that I felt were buried inside. The manual box is smooth and reasonably accurate I love how it brings the new CVVT engine to life, and I love that Kia have

2006 Kia Rio (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123)

put the pedals close enough together to do some heel-and-toe work while rushing the car through a twisty section of road or to a stop. Hands down, the 5-speed is the way to go with this machine. The engine has surprising low and mid range snap, and the manual box makes it sound like it's always progressing through the gears, rather than droning along, like with the automatic. The engine sounds good- not wimpy or winded, although a little shy of aggressive. It barely makes a peep during idle and cruising. 110 horsepower isn't a lot, but look at it this way: the base Rio has no air conditioning, no power locks, mirrors or windows, nothing to add the extra weight and drag that would otherwise slow the car down. As a result, the car is lean and trim. There are heavier kitchen appliances than the Kia Rio, and that little horsepower goes a long way.

Trunk space is adequate, with seats folding down to accommodate skis, snowboards, bikes, and furniture, if you like the do-it-yourself kind from Ikea. You could probably fit a small apartments worth of Ikea furniture in back if you fold the seats down. You can have a hatchback model if you

2006 Kia Rio (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123)

have a large pet who likes car-rides. Maybe you're still young (at heart) and you can use the hatch to start a tailgate party.

A few weeks back, I saw a concept Rio 5-door to show what is possible with a little imagination, a bit of money and a truckload of decals, rims and performance parts. All this to say that if you have the desire, the Rio CAN be made fast and furious to fit in with the import tuning scene easily. If you're thinking of this, please, for the love of humanity, leave the coffee-can muffler on the shelf in the store where it belongs.