Kia Rio VS Renault Clio

R

robdutchmonkey

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Hi guys

So I'm moving on up in life and I'm in the market for a car, budget around R230k moving up from a ye olde Ford Bantam MK2.

So I've written off Ford, although pricewise the Fiesta's are good, it feels too small for my needs, and used Fiesta ST's and Focus ST's although within budget are too uncomfortable for distance driving.

I've narrowed down my search (for the moment) to two cars:

Kia Rio 1.4 Tech manual
Renault Clio 0.9 Turbo

Yes they're not too much bigger than the Ford, but the Fiesta Ambiente I tried felt tiny to say the least.

I've given the Clio a test drive and I like it, and although it doesn't come with all the extras the Rio has, I prefer the touch screen media display and Sat Nav

I'm test driving the Rio on Saturday, love all the options but does anyone have any suggestions or other options I should look at?
 
Whatever you choose its a huge upgrade from your Bantam...lol

Seriously so many of these "Rio vs Clio" threads.

Clio all the way...
 
How about a used Polo GTi 6R? 2013 model would be best.

If that's a tad too sporty, I'd go with an Audi A4 1.8T (2013). Fantastic cruisers. Plenty options with less than 50k on the clock in your price range.
 
mpower111 said:
How about a used Polo GTi 6R? 2013 model would be best.

If that's a tad too sporty, I'd go with an Audi A4 1.8T (2013). Fantastic cruisers. Plenty options with less than 50k on the clock in your price range.
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Hell yeah.

I can't speak for the Rio, but I have driven the Clio, and fark me, but R200k+ is a hell of a lot of money for not very much car.
 
I have to consider insurance costs into this and I'm looking at something where service & warranty is basically covered for the time while the car is financed.

Also, while I've been involved in a few private deals, I've had some bad experiences, so wanting to get something through rather quickly and effortlessly

And have a guaranteed sale of one of the above after a year or two of purchase at the full price I'm still owing on the above two vehicles so it's basically just a cover for at least the next year unless I decide to keep it
 
robdutchmonkey said:
I have to consider insurance costs into this and I'm looking at something where service & warranty is basically covered for the time while the car is financed.

Also, while I've been involved in a few private deals, I've had some bad experiences, so wanting to get something through rather quickly and effortlessly

And have a guaranteed sale of one of the above after a year or two of purchase at the full price I'm still owing on the above two vehicles so it's basically just a cover for at least the next year unless I decide to keep it
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Older cars will depreciate less than a new car if you're only keeping it for a year or two
 
I'm not sure why you're mentioning the Fiesta ST & Focus ST in the same post as the Rio & Clio. They're 2 vastly different flavours of car. The fact that you're looking at the Rio & Clio indicates that power isn't your focus (pun not intended), ergo I'd have a look at the following as alternatives, which will range from new to possibly older than 5 years:

  • Honda Accord (2.0 or 2.4)
  • Honda Civic (Coupé, Sedan or Hatch - though I don't think we get the coupé here - which is a pity.)
  • Honda Jazz
  • Hyundai i20
  • Hyundai i30
  • Lexus IS250
  • Nissan Juke (If you can live with the hideousness of it)
  • Mazda 2
  • Mazda 3 (Hatchback or Sedan)
  • Toyota Corolla
  • Volkswagen Golf
  • Volkswagen Polo

My pick of the litter would be a 2012 Honda Accord 2.4 V-TEC, manual if I'm doing vastly more highway travelling and automatic if I'm doing bumper to bumper daily.
 
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I think the Clio is a better sorted car but long term reliability would be a concern.
 
Have you looked into an Opel Adam? I'm not going to sing it's praises because I'd be biased, but just have a look. It has more power and a better touch screen interface.
 
ChrisThomas said:
Have you looked into an Opel Adam? I'm not going to sing it's praises because I'd be biased, but just have a look. It has more power and a better touch screen interface.
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I just remembered you felt the Fiesta was too small, never mind - scratch the adam. I vote Clio - but keep in mind there is a new model out with a 1.2 turbo which is a bit better, not sure on pricing though. Rio's are nice cars, but useless engines.
 
To be honest I was a bit of a Hyundai & Kia fan just a few years ago but these days they have the balls to price themselves out of the market + relatively old tech engines & gearboxes + local models all have ****ty infotainment systems = not my 1st recommendation. Competition is that fierce; by no means is the current Rio bad just....(fill in the rest)....

For me Clio easy peasy...Adam might be too small buts it's a classy car so is the new Corsa.
 
robdutchmonkey said:
I've given the Clio a test drive and I like it, and although it doesn't come with all the extras the Rio has, I prefer the touch screen media display and Sat Nav
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Satnav etc is available on the clio.
I would suggest going for the new EDC expression.
Better motor, better economy, better standard satnav, cruise control and some other stuff as standard.
Just a bit more pricey at R234k.

Since both models depreciate quite quickly as soon as they are driven off the showroom floor, you should be able to get a slightly used model for quite a bit less.

I've driven the Rio and messed around with the infotainment system quite a bit and it's crap...
A cheap aftermarket system is fitted to out local models whereas in the UK the i20 and Rio has a factory fitted very decent system.
 
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