This week's relentless cavalcade of small cars continues with Kia opening the order books on the first three-door version of the Kia Rio, the Korean automaker's ever-popular hatchback. It has the same engine and trim line-up as the five-door model and prices start from £9,995 OTR. The warranty extends to seven years or 100,000 miles on parts and labour. There are also two service packages available – the £259 Care-3 package which covers the first three services – either 36 months or 30,000 miles or the £499 Care-3 Plus package which covers the first five services – either 60 months or 50,000 miles.

There are four engines on offer – two petrol and two diesel. The most efficient is the 1.1-litre 74bhp diesel with CO2 emissions at 99g/km and fuel economy at a rather pleasing 74.3mpg. Torque is at 125lb-ft, not bad at all for a compact car. Bump yourself up to a 1.4-litre diesel and you'll get 89bhp, 162lb-ft of torque, emissions at 105g/km and fuel economy at the 70.6mpg mark. The stop-start feature is standard on all new Rio diesels.

The two petrol engines are the entry-level 1.25-litre Kappa engine with 83bhp and 89 lb-ft of torque, also on offer in the new Picanto, Kia's smallest car. The 1.4-litre Gamma engine offers 107bhp and 101lb-ft of torque as well as the option of an automatic gearbox.

Four levels of trim are on offer, just like the five-door version and at the entry level there are still plenty of good standard features such as daytime running lights, body-coloured bumpers, door handles and wing mirrors, speed-variable front wipers, headlamp levelling, front electric windows, 15-inch steel wheels, a height-adjustable driver's seat, two-way steering column adjustment on the petrol model, a tachometer and trip computer, split folding rear seats, a boot light, a 12-volt power socket and an MP3-compatible RDS radio and CD player with USB and AUX ports.

At the top of the range, the level '3' specs include17-inch alloys with low-profile tyres, LED daytime running and rear combination lamps, automatic air conditioning with auto de-fog, rain sensing wipers, cruise control, automatic projection-type headlights, heated front seats and six speakers.

Standard safety specs include electronic stability control, electronic brake-force distribution, emergency brake assist, emergency stop signalling, Hill-Start Assist Control, front and rear crumple zones, twin front, side and curtain airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners with load limiters in the front.

www.kia.co.uk

By Georgia Lewis

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