If you are looking for an affordable automobile and do not need a lot of bells and whistles, this is the car for you.

The Kia Rio is perfect for students or anyone looking for a commuter car with good gas mileage.

Features on the basic model are limited, but the Rio comes standard with air conditioning and AM/FM/CD. Power windows and door locks are optional.

The 5-door / hatchback design is sporty. Manual transmission helps make the 1.6L feel peppy.

Kia’s pricing and Total Protection Package make this car even more enticing. The Rio starts at $14,040 and by adding all of the available options on the Kia Build & Price section of the Web site (www.kia.com) has a new car price of less than $16,000. According to Kia, the Total Protection Package “consists of various warranty components including a 10-year or 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, a five-year or 60,000 mile limited basic warranty, a five-year or 100,000 mile limited anti-perforation warranty, a five-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance plan and a 1 year/12,000-mile tire & wheel road hazard coverage, each of which provides coverage until either the yearly or total mileage figure is reached, whichever occurs first.”

Safety features include:

• Six airbags, impact-absorbing steering column, front and rear crumple zones and side-impact door beams.
• The advanced airbag system (SRS), monitors the severity of an impact, the seating position of the occupants and seat-belt use, and then controls airbag inflation accordingly. Of course, don’t forget to wear your safety belts. On every outing, just consider them a necessary matched pair.
• Occupant Classification System. This advanced system is designed to evaluate whether or not someone is seated in the front passenger seat and the position of the front passenger seat occupant to determine the activation of the front passenger air bag.
• Independent MacPherson strut front suspension and stabilizer bar with available ABS help you steer clear of difficulty in a variety of driving conditions.

Rear-window defroster and halogen headlights help you clearly see what’s going on around you.

The Rio5’s trunk comes with an illuminated interior trunk release handle that’s easy to find and operate, providing a quick and ingenious method of escape for anyone who is unfortunate enough to be locked inside.