The Kia Rio is a vehicle that keeps drawing you back to the driver’s seat. That’s because this subcompact is a riot to drive. Why? Rio is not a car that’s more concerned about pleasing the gadget and gizmo freaks, so the interior isn’t awash in buttons, switches, and screens that connect the vehicle to the Internet, a shopping channel and the space station. There’s lots of room in Rio’s interior for short and tall adults. Fold down the rear seat on the five-door Rio and there’s nearly 50 cubic feet of cargo volume. The fuel gauge pointer doesn’t head downward after driving 20 blocks. But he little Rio isn’t a performance slug, either. Redesigned in 2006, the 2008 model hasn’t tampered with what makes this car cool. (The LX and SX trims do add an auxiliary audio input jack as a new-for-2008 feature.) Rio5, the designation for the five-door version, is flush with standard safety attire, including full-length side curtain airbags and front seat-mounted side airbags. The Rio sedan and the Rio5 are powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder that produces 110 horsepower 6000 rpm and 107 pounds-feet of torque at 4500 rpm that’s matched to either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic transmission. Rio provides standard 14-inch wheels (or 16-inch optional wheels), an independent front suspension and a semi-independent rear suspension. The front wheel drive hatchback is a fuel tightwad with estimated mile per gallon counts of 29 city and 38 highway when fitted with the automatic transmission. MSRP of Rio5 is $14,595.