The car in base model is very resonably priced in my opinion. Even my LX (ps, ac, am/fm cd) was a great deal. The dealership gave the max. on my trade in (110%) and I drove away with a payment $50 less per month and 2 years less!
From a 17mpg average Chevy truck to NEVER getting less than 29mpg city, need I say more? Well okay, how about 37mpg on a freeway run. I have only got 13000 miles on the vehicle, and can imagine the fuel economy will improve still more.
Last Kia I sat in was about 8 years earlier - cheap flimsy plastic. When I sat in the Rio, I was immediately impressed by the improvements they have made. When I get passengers who have never ridden in a Kia before, they often say they are surprised to.
All controls within easy reach. Simple no frills interior. Only complaint would be the cheesy manual window winders whose knobs fall off! I ran out of room to mention this before, but the clutch is super light with great feel at the biting point.