Kia raises the style bar

It can now be carved in stone with absolute certainty that the dumbed-down, stripped-bare small-car era is officially over. And we have cars such as the 2012 Kia Rio to thank for pushing high-tech and comfort features down to the lowest limb on the automotive tree.

The all-new Rio sedan and Rio 5-Door hatchback bear little resemblance to their predecessors that took a minimalist approach and backed it up with styling and features that defined utilitarian.

But, hey, that worked for the Rio and its Hyundai Accent relation (Hyundai owns Kia), as well as for just about every other entry-level car on the planet.

It's amazing what a little bar-raising competition has done for what was once the low-rent category. Nowadays, the market is teeming with really decent base rides, including the Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris, Mazda2, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and the upcoming Chevrolet Sonic, to name some of the class leaders.

Kia's California-based stylists really sharpened their pencils (or computer programs) in designing the new Rio duo and devised a larger canvas on which to do it. Both the sedan and hatchback 5-Door are a bit longer and wider than their predecessors and the distance between their front and rear wheels has grown by a leg-stretching 3 inches. The sheetmetal is now much more pleasing, especially the slinkier hatch that has its own grille, bumper and, of course, rear door.

The dashboard layout is also attractively shaped, clearly presented and, due to a reduction of hard plastic surfaces, is far richer looking than that of past Rios. The toggle switches for the air conditioning and the rear-window heat and ventilation are a particularly nice touch and contribute to the control panel's overall simplicity.

The already generous trunk space found in the sedan has been modestly enlarged, while the Rio 5-Door's cargo volume behind the rear seats is down just a touch. The total volume measurements with the rear seat folded are not yet available.

What has been significantly increased is the power output. The 1.6-liter four-cylinder produces 138 horses and 123 pound-feet of torque. That's a gain of 28 horses and 16 pound-feet of torque compared to the outgoing 1.6, which is significant on a 2,500-pound vehicle.

The lighter-by-29 pounds engine is connected to a six-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed automatic.

Beyond the power bump, the Rio engine's claim to fame is the adoption of what Kia calls Idle Stop and Go (ISG). This feature, available only in combination with the automatic transmission, shuts down the engine when the Rio comes to a complete stop, then instantly fires it up again when the brake pedal is released. ISG is part of an optional Eco Dynamics Package that includes a special alternator that disengages under high engine load (such as when heading up a hill) to reduce power-sapping drag and improve fuel economy.

Kia claims the ISG reduces overall consumption by about 3 percent. That's a small number, but every little bit helps and the Rio sedan's 30/40 mpg city/highway estimate (29/39 for the Rio 5-Door) is a no-contest improvement over the previous 27/34 numbers.

As of this writing, the final content has not been nailed down, but expect the base Rio LX with the manual gearbox to be somewhat light in that department, while the midrange EX will include air conditioning, plus lots of power-operated and convenience accessories.

The top-end SX adds fancier interior trim, 17-inch wheels (15-inchers are standard), LED (light emitting diode) running lamps in place of the standard four-bulb lamps and a Microsoft-based voice-activated audio/communications package with backup camera. The SX can also be outfitted with leather-covered seats, keyless start and a navigation system.

At an estimated $15,000 ($15,500 for the 5-Door) the thrifty Rio models have established category benchmarks for fashion and substance that will be hard to top, but easy for small-car shoppers to swallow.