2006 Kia Rio Hatchback

Kia's rising influence in the compact car segment has become a major thorn in the side of the Japanese. Where Honda, Nissan and Toyota were once alone in producing low cost, high-value cars, Kia has quietly slipped to the forefront. Honda and Nissan don't have a car small enough to compete with the Rio, while Toyota must look to its compact Scion division for a match. The little Rio sedan is priced far below the competition, making it an even more tempting option for first-time buyers. Still, the Rio does not have the strong service record or high resale values of its Japanese counterparts, a fact to keep in mind when shopping any car.