Refreshed 2021 Kia Rio5 Lands in Canada With More Tech at a Low Price

Freshly crowned as The Car Guide’s 2021 Best Buy in the sub-compact car segment, the Kia Rio is now on sale in Canada and we know everything about its price and equipment.

Before we go any further, we should remind you that the company has decided not to bring back the four-door sedan for 2021. Only the Rio5 hatchback remains in the catalogue.

As part of a mid-cycle update, designers modernized and cleaned up the exterior with a narrower front grille, lower and wider front bumper and revised fog light housings, plus new wheel designs and body colours (Steel Grey and Sporty Blue).

Photo: Kia

Four Trim Levels

The 2021 Kia Rio5 is available in four trim levels—one less than in 2020 due to the elimination of the base LX—and some of the names have changed. The lineup starts with the manual LX+ at $17,295 excluding freight and delivery. If you want the CVT instead, you’ll need to spend an extra $1,200.

By the way, the engine is still the same 1.6-litre four-cylinder that generates 120 horsepower. Average fuel consumption ranges from 6.7-7.0 L/100 km.

Photo: Kia

Standard features include 15-inch steel wheels, heated front seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, but most importantly a new eight-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility—stuff that will help attract young drivers.

Higher trim levels add alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, power sunroof, heated steering wheel and blind spot monitoring. At $22,495, the top-line Rio5 EX Premium gains new safety tech such as auto high beams, forward collision-avoidance assist, lane keep assist and lane follow assist, not to mention Kia’s Intelligence UVO connected services.

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