New Kia Rio against Solaris and Rapid — ZR test. Skoda Rapid: compared with Kia Rio and Hyundai Solaris What awaits around the corner

Today, against the backdrop of a protracted financial crisis, many people are looking for best car, which will meet certain criteria:

• Modern and reliable;
• Safe and affordable.

These models include Hyundai Solaris, Volkswagen Polo and Kia Rio. Three cars - two Koreans and one European. That is, completely different principles for the release of their products from manufacturers. Not surprisingly, the optimal choice is difficult to make. It is for this reason that we propose to compare which is better: Kia Rio, Hyundai Solaris or Volkswagen Polo.

evaluate these vehicles We will be according to several important criteria.

Appearance and equipment features of the interior models

So Koreans. The appearance of these cars is quite interesting and modern. It is immediately clear that the manufacturers relied on the younger generation of motorists, since the appearance of both models is quite aggressive. Yes, these are not elite sports cars, but not the simplest budget cars, which are clearly designed only to move a person from point A to point B.

How can the Volkswagen Polo answer? and the German is no worse in its exterior. True, the designers were aiming at a slightly different category of potential buyers. This model is clearly intended for the typical middle-class person who lives in the city, works in a good office, has a beautiful wife and a couple of kids.

What's in the cabin? In the cabin of all three competitors, you can see the so-called universal standard. That is, nothing superfluous and special for the actual cost of the machines. Inexpensive plastic, but decorated very high quality, ordinary, but quite comfortable chairs, a minimum of technological inclusions, but everything is quite interesting and comfortable for the average buyer. Does the person want improvement? Please!

Customize interior trim, install a powerful audio system and other bells and whistles for your property yourself.

Technical features of the three cars

If we compare the Hyundai Solaris, Kia Rio and Volkswagen Polo in this regard, we also get an ambiguous picture. The thing is that you will not find serious differences in technical characteristics. Yes, there is a certain difference, but it is minimal.

• For example, Korean cars use two variants of gasoline engines;
• German - three, also running on gasoline.

Yes, Polo has a better choice, but Korean options are more powerful:

• German power power units from 90 to 110 horsepower, with 1.6 liters of volume;
• The power of the engines installed on the Hyundai Solaris and Kia Rio is 108/124 horses with a volume of 1.4 / 1.6, respectively.

Everything else is also quite similar and standard: the same type of suspension, brake systems and so on. Even in choosing a gearbox, the buyer will not be able to win much, since in all three cases both automatic transmission and manual transmission are offered. True, Solaris has a six-speed automatic, which its two competitors cannot boast of.

Perhaps there is a significant difference in the cost of the models? Let's compare:

• Hyundai Solaris. Price from 375 to 582 thousand rubles, depending on the configuration and equipment;
• Kia Rio. Cost from 380 to 600 thousand in rubles;
• Volkswagen Polo. You can find from 385,000 rubles. The extreme bar is approximately at the level of competitors.

That is, there are no significant differences according to this criterion.

Yes, it's really hard to make a choice. Therefore, a potential buyer is advised to heed the following tips:

1. Find out what bonuses a particular seller provides.
2. Get information about service and warranty service - for which of the options is it more profitable? Find out the availability of service centers in the places of future operation of the car.
3. Listen to your own feelings when examining all three proposed options.

Cars Hyundai Solaris, Kia Rio, Volkswagen Polo Sedan topped the TOP-10 sales in the Novosibirsk region at the end of last year (according to Avtostat). Until recently, the leaders of sales fell and Ford Focus. What manufacturers save on when solving the problem of finding the golden mean of build quality and affordable price? The correspondent studied the reviews of car owners.

Hyundai Solaris: the secrets of directional stability

Hyundai Solaris is a version adapted for operation in Russia Hyundai car Accent. The start of sales of Solaris cannot be called successful. The main headache for car owners since the release of the first generation Hyundai Solaris in 2010 was the unstable “swinging” suspension, with slightly sharper turns, the car easily went into a skid, which was unsafe.

The suspension found bumps in the road even where there were none. After its refinement in 2012, the car became more stable, but overall score work was negative.

The restyled version of Solaris was introduced in Russia in May 2014. Judging by the reviews of the owners, the problem of the "wobbly" suspension was eliminated.

The main headache for the owners of the first generation Hyundai Solaris was the unstable "swinging" suspension. Photo by Ilya Plekhanov from uk.wikipedia.org

The suspension is harsh, it steers well, I didn’t feel any problems with the rear of the suspension, writes the owner of a 2016 Solaris. - On a good road it goes confidently, on a bad one it is necessary to slow down. The car is sensitive to side wind - blows off course, it is necessary to correct the steering wheel. And yet in the reviews of the owners new Hyundai Solaris continues to complain about the "stiff suspension" and poor handling at speeds over 100 km / h.

Solaris' remaining problems include poor noise protection from the front and rear arches, as a result, the audibility of the wheels and suspension worsens the impression. The problem of sound insulation, of course, can be solved, but for extra money.

Another of the most common complaints is the fogging of the windows in the cabin.

About the fogging of the cabin in the rain - well, this is a disaster for everyone. All sorts of ways to change the direction of the air ducts, opening windows do not help,- writes Hyundai owner solaris. - Only the inclusion of the air conditioner and the direction of the flow of cold air and on windshield. In the cold with an open window, you won’t really go. changed cabin filters- Does not help.

KIA Rio: brother of Solaris and "Chinese" K2

In 2011, major changes took place in the fate of the South Korean KIA Rio: the official presentation of the new generation Rio, based on the Hyundai Solaris platform, took place. For Russia, a special Rio model was created, the production of which began at the Hyundai plant in St. Petersburg. The new KIA Rio was based on the version of models for the Chinese market - KIA K2 - and adapted for Russian conditions.

A special Rio model has been created for Russia. Author's photo

The first buyers noted the good build quality of the KIA Rio, complaining about high cost compared to its "brother" - Hyundai Solaris. The rest of the car did not cause serious complaints. The suspension caused controversy among motorists: some consider it “quite nothing”, others consider it too stiff. Among the shortcomings of KIA Rio is also called low ground clearance.

We are driving along a narrow country road, a short wave of asphalt, a speed of 80 km / h, op-pa, there is a penetration - and the suspension is not only stiff, but also short-stroke,- the owner of the new KIA Rio writes in his review. - We must be more careful, where the road "washboard" goes. There is not enough ground clearance, crankcase protection worked in a couple of places on country roads.

According to the masters of independent service stations, the causes of ICE malfunctions lay in oil starvation of the skirt and the lower part of the pistons, which led to “seizures” with subsequent grinding of the part diameter. This diagnosis was repeatedly confirmed to the correspondent of the site by the Novosibirsk owners Polo Sedan- members of the Volkswagen Polo Sedan club. Simply put, the engines of these cars barely lived up to the expiration of the warranty period, after which piston group ICE "died".

Updating the model in 2015 involved “working on the bugs” and eliminating the shortcomings of the previous generation Polo Sedan. However, the old pains remained.

There are still plenty of complaints about the unstable operation of the motor. Author's photo

“The motor eats oil, it took me 3 liters for an interservice run of 15,000 km, and I came to the scheduled inspection already with a dry dipstick, that is, in a good way I had to add another liter,” complains the owner of a 2016 Polo Sedan on the drom forum. - I've been driving for 25 years, driving style is quite moderate. Including price good oil and the rather high cost of maintenance, the operation of the machine costs a pretty penny. ”

In autumn, I began to smell burning oil in the cab, writes another owner of a 2016 Polo Sedan. - Well, I think it hits the muffler. And there is a catalytic converter right next to the engine. I opened the hood to see the oil level, and indeed a general inspection (by the way, many complain about the “zhor” of oil in these internal combustion engines), I saw a drop in the coolant level.

To complete the picture, we note that among the reviews of the owners of the Polo Sedan there are a lot of those who do not see the problem of excessive oil consumption in the engine and a drop in the coolant level. However, there are still plenty of complaints about the unstable operation of the motor (“eats oil”, “piston junk”, etc.).

Focus failed.

For the Ford Focus III, a modified Ford Focus II platform was used, but with a lot of improvements, not always successful. Other technical innovations include the Ecoboost SCTi family of engines and a 6-speed robotic box Getrag PowerShift gears with two "dry" clutches (no oil bath!!). Failures in the operation of the box caused and still cause complaints from car owners.

Most often, the box has a “buggy” electronic brain that controls the clutch. Service station workers note that Ford Focus III owners complain about the unstable operation of the gearbox after 15,000 kilometers. Among the main faults: absence reversing when cold weather sets in, jamming when switching, or even completely turning off the electronic transmission control unit.“The box was twitching almost from the very beginning of operation, and when I went through the first two MOTs at the dealer, I paid attention to this shortcoming,” one of the drivers complains on the Ford Focus Club forum. Focus owners III. - But then this disadvantage only increased, and at night, at high speed, I on-board computer reported that the transmission is faulty - urgently for service! I rattled my nerves and the masters of the dealer service. As a result, the clutch was changed for me (the mileage of the car is 30 thousand km.)”.

Ford Sollers monitors compliance with service standards, and dealers in 2014-2016 tried to solve the problem. Masters were trained in training centers at seminars on the service of PowerShift boxes. Ford engineers modified the clutch, gearbox and axle shaft seals, radically redesigned the software, which reduced the number of claims.

However, it was not possible to return the former loyalty of customers to this Ford model. Unlike previous generations(Focus I and II), the third "focus failed." For example, according to the results of sales in 2016 by the Avtostat agency, this once popular car model was not among the leaders in sales in the Russian market.

HOLD

Today, in the sub-$15,000 class, there are several options. Among which, Hyundai Solaris, Skoda Rapid and KIA Rio. Let's go through the main characteristics of these cars and decide which one still claims to be the best.

What will the motor offer us?

Let's start with the Czechs, their designers tried to do something new in the class budget cars. Rapid - an application for a full-fledged sports car, in any case, it follows from the name, rapid is translated as fast. The car is presented in three trim levels:

• active;
• Ambition;
• elegance.

Each of the configurations has MPI, TSI, TDI motors. The engines are bored out to 75 or 105 horsepower. If we take the flagship TDI 5MG engine, then acceleration to hundreds occurs in 9.6 seconds. The indicator, although not very impressive, is quite good for this category of car.

Rapid engine compartment

How will competitors respond?

KIA Rio with a 1.6 liter engine shows even less acceleration, 100 km / h is reached in 10.2 s, provided that the most powerful engine in the line is used. With some probability, the reason lies in not the most convenient transmission, which reacts with a certain delay.

Rio engine

Solaris engine

AT Hyundai comparison Solaris's maximum configuration equipped with a 1.6 liter engine with a power of 123 horsepower. Looks better than competitors? Nevertheless, acceleration to hundreds for the same 10.2 that KIA demonstrated. The only advantage can be called only better acceleration over long distances.

What's around the corner?

Skoda conceptually approached the development of Rapid, so sporty notes are felt in everything. First of all, the pedals deserve attention. They are tuned very sensitively, so acceleration and deceleration look quite dynamic.

This is also true in relation to the steering wheel, just slightly deflect it to the right or left and the car immediately reacts. All turns are very smooth. But, for domestic roads there is a non-standard equipment with a reinforced suspension. It is more “wooden”, but it holds small holes and potholes on the road well.

Hill hold control system works like this

The high-quality performance of the Hill Hold Control system is also pleasing. Sensors read the level of the slope of the terrain and hold the brakes in automatic mode, as a result, the machine does not roll back on a slope. No need to hold the brake yourself and fire the clutch.

Movement with comfort

Both KIA and Hyundai are positioned as clear competitors not only in price but also in quality. Not surprisingly, both compared cars have similar characteristics. Suspension in the Rio is made with the expectation of a safe city ride. It is quite soft and provides smooth turns. The gas and brake pedals have a slight play, which is important for constant traffic jams on the main highways.

Solaris in this regard loses to both competitors, since the scourge of Korean designers is the demolition of the rear axle. Turns are somewhat risky, especially at speed. Adrenaline adds punchy throttle and a responsive steering wheel.

To sum it up, you can give away one point each for Skoda and KIA, given that their suspensions are designed for completely different driving styles. Solaris loses in this comparison.

At the limit of the speedometer

Rapid can justifiably be called budget sports car. The average speed on the highway, at which maneuverability and controllability is maintained, is 140 km/h. At the same time, there is no interior extraneous sounds, which is not typical for the class budget.

In a similar comparison, Solaris and Rio cannot stand side by side. Both cars do not behave very well at speeds over 100 km / h. In the first case, the risk of skidding due to axle displacement increases greatly, it is not recommended to go around an obstacle or overtake for safety reasons. In the second, there are no problems in management, but saving points become visible. Naturally, we are talking about soundproofing. The rumble in the cabin is so strong that it causes a certain nervousness.

It is appropriate to recall the fuel consumption. For Solaris, this figure is 6 liters on the highway and 8 in the city. Another Korean shows results in 6.2 liters and 7.7 liters, respectively. Against this background, Rapid confidently earns another point. Average consumption outside the city 5.5 liters, the city 8 liters, but this is with traffic jams. If you drive smoothly and keep the speed, then the indicators fall by 1.5-2 liters per 100 km.

What can you take with you?

Rapid, although it looks compact, is actually a very roomy car, with a trunk that is not inferior to city jeeps, the volume is 530 liters. The designers tried to minimize the protruding parts as much as possible, so nothing interferes with the installation of the load. Folding rear seats allow you to increase the volume up to 1470 liters.

Trunk Skoda Rapid

Rio hatchback can only answer 389 liters, and the sedan - 500 liters. At the same time, the internal performance does not look very convincing. Soft bags will be no problem, but solid overall cargoes may not fit due to the inconvenient design of the rear wheels, which is made in the form of a cascade and steals usable space.

Trunk Kia Rio

Against the background of these two machines, Solaris looks better. Although the trunk volume is only 460 liters, it has the most correct geometry, which allows you to make the most of the usable space. With the rear seats unfolded, you can carry almost any load.

Let's move on to design

All three cars are far from claiming the laurels of the most elegant or daring cars. Their style is quite classic. The Koreans continue the line of smooth forms, the Czechs stick to the more familiar concept of a standard sedan.

None of the cars have any special distinguishing features. But the score should still be written in favor of Solaris. Curiously, this car looks for the reason that the design can be compared with the famous Mercedes S Class. On the other hand, this is only an attempt at inheritance, while Rapid and Rio are full-fledged design developments.

What's waiting inside?

Solaris lures the buyer not only with interesting appearance but also a beautifully decorated interior. The spectacular control panel immediately catches the eye. On closer inspection, the front end is perfectly balanced, everything is at a comfortable distance for the driver. Nose rear seats not everything is so good anymore, passengers will have to pick up their knees, since there is very little space for them.

But compared to Rio, Hyundai looks a little better. In addition to the limited space, the cheapness of the material and the simplicity of the solutions immediately catch the eye. Ordinary plastic, synthetic, in a word everything to do Kia available the widest possible audience.

Rapid is beyond competition. First, the cabin is very spacious. Secondly, the design does not look cheap. Thirdly, there are many useful functions and electronics even in the basic configuration. One of the advantages is the large rear windows, which do not cut visibility.

What will electronics tell us?

What can be expected from budget cars, of course, savings on modern electrical equipment. Neither expensive systems there is no climate control, no fancy stereo system here. But the simple on-board computer Solaris, Rapid and Rio has all the necessary functions. It monitors fuel consumption, controls on-board equipment and the emergency braking system. Simple but tasteful. And if additional devices are needed for personal comfort, then there are two options: purchase advanced equipment or install them yourself.

In this situation, the Czechs decided to offer a rather non-standard solution. Instead of trendy gadgets, they supply cars with the tools necessary for every driver. Including a snow scraper, a set of keys, a phone holder. Quite interesting is the decision on automatic backlighting when cornering. If the speed is less than 40 km / h, the headlights light up when the steering wheel is turned.

conclusions

The engine and other technical characteristics of Korean cars should have made them the undisputed leaders, but in practice this did not happen. Both companies save a lot on creativity and new technological developments, in the end we get everything the same, only in a new body. In this light, it makes no sense to spend money on a car that in a couple of years will look completely ridiculous, while significantly reducing the price.

Skoda Rapid, on the contrary, is designed with the expectation that vehicles will be used for a long time. Everything is thought out to the smallest detail, from the convenience of the driver himself, to the maximum comfort of passengers. It can be quite confidently assumed that the Czechs have adopted the Ford Focus success story and want to implement it in their segment.

The car is completely original, albeit not the most spectacular, but reliable and practical. It really can be called a budget sports car. The only significant drawback is the cost. If Solaris and Rio in a complete set really cost about 15,000 USD, then Rapid - 20,000 USD. Such a solid difference is due to the type of engine and additional electronics. Decide for yourself which is better, but in this review, the first place belongs to Skoda.

Few car enthusiasts can boast that they know exactly which car will replace the one they have now. Most still rush about in the choice of at least two models. In this article we will discuss which is better: or Hyundai Solaris.

External Data

Specifications

1. Fuel tank capacity and fuel consumption. Here, too, the values ​​are different and look like this: 43 liters of gasoline enter the tank, and 55 liters of fuel are already placed in a Czech car. As for consumption per 100 km, for Hyundai Solaris "on the mechanics" when traveling around the city, 7.9 liters and 4.9 liters on the highway will be spent, on the "automatic" these values ​​​​will be 8.8 liters and 5.2 liters, respectively. For Skoda Rapid, these figures are slightly different: the manual transmission will show 8.9 liters in the city and 4.9 liters for a country trip, and the automatic transmission is already 10.2 liters and 6 liters.
2. Speed. of these two brands is approximately the same - about 190 km / h. Acceleration to 100 km / h also does not differ much, despite the fact that they have a different number of “horses” under the hood - 105 for Skoda and 123 for Hyundai. So, for the Czech model, these values ​​are as follows: 10.6 s on the "mechanics" and 11.9 s on the "automatic", while for the Korean model - 10.2 s on the manual transmission and 11.2 s on the automatic transmission.
3. Checkpoint. We looked at cars with a 1.6-liter engine manufactured in 2014. Here Skoda Rapid cannot argue against Hyundai Solaris. Solaris has a wider choice - 4 automatic transmissions, 5 manual transmissions have been added to the existing ones. The sixth gear will not add speed, of course, but it will increase the efficiency of the engine. Skoda has only two options - a five-speed "mechanics" and a six-speed "automatic".

What to choose in the end?

If we focus on design, then those drivers who focus on rigor and some broken lines will choose Skoda. It's a pretty classic car. Hyundai, on the other hand, is distinguished by a more modern interior and, in general, the car looks more dynamic and youthful. The Korean car seems to be a more urban model than its rival from the Czech Republic, which is clearly a workhorse and, or something, which is facilitated by just a huge trunk.

Approximately the same, despite the fact that each machine makes noise in its own way. Changing wheels when buying will slightly reduce the noise effect.

As for driving, then around the city in both models. On country roads, the Hyundai Solaris is somewhat inferior to the Skoda Rapid, mainly because the problem with rear suspension. This problem generally distinguishes some Korean cars from European ones. The suspension itself is set to medium. When the road is rutted, the car starts to chat. Skoda, in this regard, feels somewhat more confident. In general, all Hyundai owners know that this car is more stable and light, but after 70 km / h it starts to vibrate slightly, although this moment is leveled by 6 automatic transmissions.

Test drive car Hyundai Solaris:

As for the gearbox, it must be said that Skoda has an excellent five-speed “mechanics”, the car goes so smoothly. In this regard, it becomes even slightly incomprehensible why a six-speed automatic was released for Russian market, because it significantly increases the amount of the purchase. Although, of course, this is a personal matter for each buyer.

If you have not yet decided which scale to choose: Solaris or Rapid, then let's continue the review.

The backrest of the driver's seat in Hyundai Solaris is adjustable in steps and the distance between the steps is large enough, which creates some inconvenience. The driver's seat of the Skoda Rapid is somewhat more comfortable. Both cars have reach and height-adjustable handlebars, but the leather on the Rapid is much more pleasant to the touch.

Test Drive Skoda car Rapid:

As Comrade Ogurtsov from Carnival Night said, “A huge amount of work has been done, I am satisfied with the team, but further, comrades, this will not work.” Indeed, with the change of generation, Solaris sales collapsed by a quarter! Was the absolute leader - and rolled down to fourth place. As we expected in (ZR, No. 5, 2017), Rio of the previous generation immediately picked up the fallen banner: it increased sales by 17% and became a leader. It is cheaper, so the people reached out.

What about the new Rio? Grow up and rise in price. We took version 1.6 with an automatic and in the maximum Premium version - this Rio is offered for 989,900 rubles. A similarly equipped Solaris is even more expensive: 1,035,900 rubles. But the updated Rapid 1.4 DSG, which we invited for the test in the maximum Style version, easily took this bar: for a car with a lot of options like bi-xenon headlights, you have to pay 1,144,100 rubles. Three years ago, for that kind of money, you could take a well-equipped Octavia ...

Classical and rock and roll

All three cars represent the mass budget segment, but this did not affect the chassis settings. They know how to play checkers, and it's not just about taxis. As in the case of Hyundai, I had a chance to work on fine-tuning the chassis new Rio. And if in the design and some little things you can still find differences between them, then in the settings of the chassis they are absolute twins, and the tires determine the scanty difference in sensations. The developers initially wanted to give the Kia Rio a more sporty disposition. But porridge can still be spoiled with butter. Therefore, in the end, it was reasonable to leave the same driving settings as Hyundai, since the new Solaris in terms of handling approached almost the class standard.

So Rio, with the change of generation, made a huge leap towards the stability of the relationship between the rear suspension and the body, especially on. It was enough to put the rear shock absorbers vertically, and there was no trace of the former stern wobbling. The sedan willingly dives into the arc, and the electric power steering supplies the steering wheel, albeit synthetic, but timely weight. Like the Solaris, the Kia's steering wheel is slightly overweight at zero, but that doesn't spoil the overall impression.

Skoda is also not a miss! In a protracted turn, it does not hold on to the trajectory for a “budget” for a long time. At the limit, it recklessly shows a tendency to oversteer, which, as expected, turns into a skid, it is worth turning the steering wheel sharply. Rapid also disables the stabilization system. Although it works well, preventing entry into dangerous corners when the wheels break.

On a straight line, Skoda is stable, it does not react at all to a side wind and a track. Kia and Hyundai require periodic course corrections, but they have sharper reactions to the steering wheel. Despite the nuances, the handling of all cars is reliable. What the mass consumer needs!

Traction armament has always been strong point Rio. The situation has not changed even now: the 123-horsepower engine of the Gamma series, paired with a proven six-speed hydraulic mechanics, is enough for everyday driving. But for “shooting” the pedal needs to be pressed more actively, because the peak of the torque has sat down at almost 5000 rpm, and at the bottoms the engine frankly sleeps. Fortunately, the machine switches quickly, subtly feeling the moment - both time and traction.

Solaris has the same box, but it was as if she had not been informed of quick wit. The ride is reminiscent of Linkin Park songs: a calm verse explodes on acceleration with a screaming engine chorus. The machine flatly refuses to downshift until you press the pedal to the floor. Moreover, this damping cannot be cured - there is no sport mode. But Solaris stops more delicately, allowing the slowdown to be finely dosed. The Rio drive is tuned sharper and already in the initial phase creates a decent pressure in the hydraulic system. As a result, you have to get used to a gentle pedal in order to avoid "peck" when braking.

The braking distance of the Skoda is a little longer, but you can’t refuse the informativeness of the pedal. But with its power-to-weight ratio, Rapid makes everyone firewood. If Rio and Solaris just accelerate well, then Rapid's dynamics are almost a reference for the class. And the point is not only in the maximum acceleration, but also in the convenience of controlling the accelerating dynamics.

The Korean Gamma engine sings at very high notes, and the Skoda TSI feels confident throughout the entire rev range, since two hundred Newton meters of torque are available almost from the very bottom. The classic "six-shot" machines of the "Asians" are powerless in front of the DSG preselective, which "shoots" seven gears from two shafts at once. As a result, Rapid is able to quickly dissolve Solaris with Rio in their small mirrors. But will the DSG last as long without repair as conventional machines live? Question!

Shake quietly!

Whether you like it or not, the Rapid must be brought down in front of the potholes: the suspension works harshly on the rebound. Skoda is not particularly ceremonious with road trifles - you feel all the joints! Rio and Solaris treat such flaws more noblely. But if the suspension works confidently on the rebound, then catching a blow on the compression stroke is easy. Therefore, in front of speed bumps and similar hard bumps, it is better to slow down. Of course, all three cars cannot be classified as bone shakers, but before such masters of digesting terrible roads as Lada Vesta and Renault Logan, they are far away.

The Skoda turbo engine is much quieter than the younger aspirated 1.6 with 110 hp, but its voice is the soloist in the general background noise at low and medium speeds. And when the speedometer needle passes over 100 km / h, aerodynamic noise comes to the fore, especially strong in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe mirrors. However, they are not annoying. Road noise also does not exceed an unpleasant threshold at any speed and surface. What can not be said about Solaris.

The bottom of the Hyundai is treated with additional noise, but the noise from the tires is the same as in frankly budget cars. Okay, let's put it down to the fact that we have Solaris from the first batches that did not undergo additional processing of the rear wheel arches. But how to explain vibrations at idle with the fan and air conditioning compressor on? The steering wheel, the driver's seat and the gearbox selector at these moments reduce convulsions.

Surprisingly, there are no such problems in Rio. Although, having opened the hoods, we were convinced that visually the engines were shaking the same way. However, only a subtle itch reaches the Kia's controls. Could it be the engine mounts? But they, judging by the catalog number, are the same. This was confirmed by the factory workers. Miracles!

The Kia is also imperfect, but definitely better: the bottom and rear wheel arches have been processed from birth. The result is "on the ears."

Crossroads

Related Rio and Solaris did not become absolute twins. Solaris slows down better and has a better face. Kia has a more competently tuned box, lower vibration level. However, the differences are so insignificant that we gave the machines the same ratings.

However, something tells that Kia will perform brighter in the market. The base Solaris is cheaper, but inferior in terms of equipment. So, Rio is supplied with air conditioning by default - for many this is a weighty argument. And the most popular version with a gun and the average version of Comfort is almost 30 thousand cheaper.

Rapid to them in terms of sales - to drive and not catch up. And the fact that in today's fight he emerged victorious hardly helps. It's not about the price at all. After all, if you abandon the options, the price tag will drop to the Korean level. At the same time, Rapid has an excellent engine, a fast gearbox and a spacious interior. Everything is with him! So why are Rio and Solaris more popular? Apparently, the Koreans know some special secrets of playing market checkers, which have long turned into chess.

The editors express their gratitude to the LCD "Ecodolie" for their help in organizing the shooting

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