But while I was muttering my contempt silently into the night, I was also mighty impressed with the little car that dealt so easily with the harsh elements Mother Nature was throwing at it. Even at high speed on unknown roads, and therefore coaxed into last second maneuvers that without doubt would have unsettled its predecessor, as well as many other cars that cost thousands more, the Rio was a steadfast traveling

The Rio was a steadfast traveling companion, maintaining its grip on the water soaked tarmac at all costs. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

companion, maintaining its grip on the water soaked tarmac at all costs, wipers dancing back and forth silently clearing the windshield in a constant rapid rhythm, seat warmers cranked to maximum while cool air vented onto my face, the former to keep me warm and the latter to keep me awake. It was a harrowing drive, but one in which my admiration for Kia's little subcompact quickly grew.

The next day was warm and sunny, blue sky peaking through a smattering of low cloud cover, an ideal setting for putting the Rio through a different set of tests. I started out, this time with a navigator, Brian Kim, Kia Canada's new product planning manager who I previously got to know while he worked for Hyundai. Brian was not only

Seat warmers cranked to maximum while cool air vented onto my face, the former to keep me warm and the latter to keep me awake. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

helpful with the route book, but also knew more about the Rio than most others at the event. I therefore took the liberty to pick his brain.

My first question was, "Why no ABS brakes?" As it turns out Kia Canada chose not to include them in order to keep the price down, but they did have the choice being that the U.S. division of the South Korean manufacturer is offering antilock brakes as an option. Was it the right decision? Hard to say, but Toyota and Hyundai are offering ABS on their respective Yaris (which replaces the Echo Hatchback) and Accent subcompacts. Hmmm... well, Kia has nevertheless added a larger brake booster for better performance when compared to the old Rio, with 100 km/h to zero reduced from 41.4 to 40.0 metres (135.8 to 131.2 feet).