Kia Rio

If dullness was a winning feature then consider the Kia Rio hatchback a gold medal winner. Dull, dull, dull. But cheap and well-equipped. But dull.

• Comfort

  OK, so the Rio rides well. It might not iron out absolutely everything that Australian roads can throw at it, but there's a lot to be said for not being a Cerato.

  

• Performance

  Choose between a 1.4-litre or a 1.6-litre petrol. Both are pretty loud. The faster 1.6 manages 82kW and takes 10.2 to get to 100km/h, figures for the 1.4 are similar to a snail.

  

• Cool

  Straight to video.

  

• Quality

  At least the engines should be reliable - they've been around for long enough - but the revised interior is spoiled somewhat by cheap plastics and some wandering shutlines. A place where you can see the budget cuts before your very eyes.

  

• Handling

  The Rio won't crash and envelops itself in safe, predictable and incredibly early understeer to make sure that fun doesn't ever happen. It's not actively bad, it just discourages all but the most practical of driving styles.

  

• Practicality

  The boot is tiny for the class at 270litres, but at least you can seat four. And you won't care about parking dents, so that's a bonus.

  

• Running costs

  The Rio will be cheap to run. If you buy one new, be ready for depreciation graph that looks like something from a Wall Street office wall, circa 1930.