Comparison test of KIA Rio and Nissan Almera

Inexpensive cars with automatic transmissions are very popular in Russia.

The very fact that the car has an “automatic” makes it more prestigious in the eyes of our compatriots, not to mention the higher comfort, as well as the convenience of driving in city traffic jams. The departure of some manufacturers from the Russian market has significantly reduced the number of such models, but the most popular options are still available to domestic consumers - we are talking about Nissan Almera and KIA Rio.

If you are thinking about which car to choose: Kia Rio or Nissan Almera, you should familiarize yourself with their main advantages and features, which you will learn about from this article.

A matter of technology

The Japanese company Nissan developed its mid-size sedan taking into account the Russian operating conditions with their low-quality fuel and the lack of spare parts for modern technology. That is why Nissan Almera is equipped with far from the newest 1.6-liter unit, the power of which is only 102 horsepower. To call the car the main slug in its class, you don't even need to make a comparison with the Kia Rio and other competitors. It takes almost 13 seconds to accelerate to "hundreds" of Nissan Almera with automatic transmission - its dynamics is comparable to domestic "nines".

The second significant disadvantage of the Nissan Almera can be called the prohibitively high fuel consumption, which, when driving dynamically on city streets, can reach 12-13 liters / 100 km. This is due to the archaic four-speed automatic Nissan, which does not go to another stage for a long time even with measured driving - as a result, the engine has to constantly work at increased revs. However, if you ignore the weak dynamics and increased fuel consumption, and just relax, you will notice that the power unit of the Nissan Almera also has an undeniable advantage, represented by good traction at low revs.

Of course, it is difficult for the Nissan Almera engine to keep the car in a fast moving stream outside the city, but it very smoothly and quickly accelerates the car from the start, allowing you to quickly respond to changing situations in a traffic jam. In addition, it was not in vain that Nissan made the decision to use such units - the engine and automatic transmission are absolutely unpretentious to operating conditions, and can also be repaired in almost every service station.

But Kia was clearly trying to make its compact Rio sedan as high-tech as the budget allocated for the development of the new model allowed. The power unit of the Kia Rio has the same volume as that of the Nissan Almera, but develops 123 horsepower, and also has better traction at medium and high revs. A classic hydromechanical "automatic" with 6 steps works together with it.

The Korean transmission on the Kia Rio works very clearly and logically, but when trying to achieve "kick-down" by pressing the gas pedal, it seems to take a couple of seconds to think and only then select the desired gear. When overtaking on the highway, this feature of the Kia Rio gearbox does not really interfere with the driver, but in the city it makes it difficult to perform many maneuvers.

The acceleration rate to 100 km / h in the Kia Rio corresponds to the average values ​​for modern small cars - the car takes just over 11 seconds to overcome this threshold. When driving in the city, the car also quite often switches to high engine speeds. However, the reason for this is not the archaic design of the "automatic", as in the Nissan Almera - just the low thrust of the Kia Rio engine forces the driver to press harder on the gas to keep up with the flow. Fortunately, this does not lead to a sharp increase in fuel consumption - in most cases, Kia Rio is enough for 7-8 liters / 100 km.

Comfort

The Nissan Almera salon at first glance makes a rather depressing impression - it reminds more of the Romanian-French Renault Logan than of other models of the Nissan brand. The simplest devices here side by side with a primitive on-board computer, an angular multimedia system module on the center console, inexpressive round deflectors and an archaic plastic knob of the transmission mode selector.

However, this simplicity can be forgiven Nissan Almera for the spaciousness in the cabin, comparable only to business class cars. If desired, the Nissan Almera can be used as an official car by middle-ranking executives - the distance between the two rows of seats is so great that the passengers sitting in the back can work with full-size laptops or large tablets. The front of the Nissan Almera is also very spacious, but the seats are much better suited to the needs of large people - very weak lateral support and flat cushion shape makes others feel a little uncomfortable.

On the go, the Nissan Almera also pleases with its desire for the upper class, since the car calmly passes even large irregularities, practically not annoying its passengers with the shaking and clanking of the suspension. The tranquility of the running gear of the Nissan Almera can only be shaken by speed bumps, high rails, as well as long waves of asphalt, on which the car body begins to sway unpleasantly. The price to pay for comfort in Nissan's midsize sedan is mediocre handling. The Almera is prone to deep rolls in corners, which forces the driver to slow down when actively maneuvering. In addition, the sensitivity of the steering of the Nissan Almera also leaves much to be desired, which somewhat spoils the pleasure of a comfortable ride.

Despite its simplicity, the Kia Rio interior looks like the cabin of a spacecraft after getting to know the Nissan Almera. The driver is struck by the brightly illuminated instruments located in deep wells, as well as the center console turned to the steering wheel with a multimedia system screen and a compact display of the climate system. In addition, the interior space of the Kia Rio attracts attention with a two-stage layout of the front panel, in the decoration of which plastic of different colors is used.

However, in the field of comfort, the Kia Rio is much inferior to the Japanese sedan Nissan Almera - the passengers sitting in the back noticeably lack of headroom, due to which tall people take a position that is uncomfortable for a long trip. The front seats of the Kia Rio delight with moderate stiffness and good lateral support, but upset with the small length of the cushion, which makes the driver and passenger sit with a straight back, constantly straining their muscles.

The Kia Rio suspension pleases with its high energy intensity, which allows you to avoid breakdown even when passing by “speed bumps”. In addition, the Kia Rio handles superbly - the driver feels feedback on the steering wheel and can predict the car's behavior long before making a maneuver. However, the Rio's undercarriage will seem overly stiff to many. It makes passengers flinch even when driving through small cracks in the road surface, and also annoys with a strong knock when overcoming larger bumps. The stiffness of the Kia Rio suspension is a forced measure to improve the handling of a car with a simple twisting semi-independent rear axle beam.

A simple conclusion suggests itself. Nissan Almera is ideal for the role of a company car, which will be driven by a hired driver. In addition, the acquisition of Nissan Almera will also be justified for people living in the suburbs or in regions remote from large settlements, since the car is capable of providing excellent comfort even when driving on poor-quality roads.

But the Kia Rio, with its perfected handling, but an overly stiff suspension, is better for residents of large cities. Kia Rio is perfect for driving on the main streets of the city, as well as on a suburban highway with a flat surface.

Practicality

The mid-size Japanese sedan Nissan Almera will delight its owner not only with a roomy interior, but also with a spacious trunk. A capacity of 500 liters is enough to carry the luggage of four to five passengers going on a long journey or to deliver small household appliances from the store. However, using the cargo compartment in the Nissan Almera is not very convenient, since to increase its space, you will have to completely remove the rear seat backrest.

In pursuit of cheaper cars designed specifically for Russia, Nissan specialists abandoned the interior transformation mechanism. As a result, the Nissan Almera can only carry one passenger if there is a bulky cargo in its trunk.

The comparison shows that the Kia Rio is not inferior to its Japanese competitor in terms of cargo space by one liter, despite the shorter body length. In addition, in the cabin of this car there is a full-fledged transformation mechanism, which allows the seat backs to be lowered in a ratio of 40:60. Thanks to this, it is better to transport a large TV or other purchases from the store to the Kia Rio. However, it also has its drawbacks, which are represented by a small width of the trunk, a large loading height and the presence of a step formed when the rear seat is folded.

Therefore, the Kia Rio, although ahead of the Nissan Almera in terms of usability of cargo space, still cannot be considered a leader in this area.

Summing up

The Japanese sedan Nissan Almera is ideal for the average Russian city with a population of less than 500 thousand people. It is roomy, well prepared for poor-quality roads, but lags behind modern design trends and does not come out on top in terms of ease of management. But the more compact Kia Rio is suitable for ideal roads in megacities and suburban highways - its excellent handling is somewhat set off by the excessive rigidity of the chassis. In addition, the arguments in favor of purchasing a particular machine may be as follows: