The 2012 Kia Rio subcompact car was available with a manual transmission only in its lowest trim level. If didn’t want a very basic car, you had to get the automatic. Car reviewers complained, so Kia is offering a small batch of the top trim SX hatchback with a manual transmission. Reading the accompanying press release, many people have concluded that, like some other auto makers (BMW, Ford with the Focus Titanium), Kia is passing along no savings to people who opt for the manual. True, the base MSRP is the same with either transmission. But there are savings with the manual.

To figure out what’s going on, I tracked down the actual press release. It’s brief, yet there are no fewer than 13 footnotes for this and that. Go figure.

Working to translate the information in the press release into TrueDelta’s configurator, I noticed that navigation and proximity key were mentioned as standard with the manual. They’re part of a $2,350 Premium Package with the automatic, along with heated leather seats and a sunroof.

So, we’re left with two implications, one good, one not so good. You are getting about $1,000 of extra stuff (but losing the UVO system, as it’s incompatible with nav), if you opt for the manual. Compare the two configurations using our car price comparison tool, and they’re very close to even when including the default values for the transmissions. So an identical sticker price makes sense.

So what’s wrong? You still can’t get a manual transmission with seat heaters, leather, or a sunroof.