The 2020 Chevrolet Spark is a small car with a big personality. It has all the fun from its spunky, energetic attitude to its choice of vibrant shades of color. The Spark can navigate through crowded lanes and maneuver in and out of tight spaces while showing its style. Let’s compare the 2020 Chevrolet Spark to the 2020 Kia Rio and you can decide. After that, head over to Burlington Chevrolet for a test drive.
Design
You’ll be able to choose your color from shades like Caribbean Blue, Orange Burst, Raspberry and Passion Fruit on this energetic small car. The 2020 Chevrolet Spark is a fun little hatchback that seats up to four people, with plenty of front row space. It is available in four trim levels, with each trim adding more conveniences: Spark LS, 1LT, Activ, and the 2LT. The Activ trim even tacks on roof rails for your active lifestyle. Additional available conveniences include, synthetic leather upholstery, a leather wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats, and 15-inch wheels. There is 11.1 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 27.2 cubic feet when the seats are folded down.
The 2020 Kia Rio offers a solid amount of support for front-row occupants in either a sedan or hatchback body styles. It features 13.7 cubic feet of trunk space in the sedan. The hatchback will offer a little more space with 17.4 cubic feet of space behind the back row and 32.8 cubic feet with its standard 60/40 split-folding rear seats folded down. There is seating for up to five people, but while the front seats are roomy, the rear seats are cramped. If you are a taller driver, you might find it awkward to find a comfortable position with the tilt-only steering wheel.
Safety and 2020 Tech
The Chevrolet Spark LS offers plenty of standard and available technology features, including an easy-to-use infotainment system, with a 7-inch touchscreen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, and a four-speaker audio system. OnStar communications system is also standard, including a 4GLTE car Wi-Fi hotspot. Available features offered on higher trims include cruise control, remote keyless entry, fog lights, and a six-speaker audio system. The Spark comes standard with a rearview camera. Available active safety features include rear parking sensors, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and automatic emergency braking.
The Rio features an upgraded infotainment system with a 7-inch touch screen. Standard tech features include Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a USB port, Bluetooth, and Siri Eyes Free. Safety features include a rearview camera, with forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking that are optional.
Power, Fuel and Price
All Sparks come with a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 98 hp and 94 lb-ft of torque. It is offered in a five-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable automatic transmission. With one of the lowest base prices in its class, the Chevrolet Sparks starts at an affordable $13,220 and ranges to $16,620 for the Spark 2LT. This compact hatchback offers high fuel economy, with 29/38 mpg city and highway for the manual transmission and 30/38 mpg for the automatic transmission.
The Rio’s new 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine makes 120 horsepower. A continuously variable automatic transmission replaces the previous model’s six-speed automatic. The power is adequate, but it takes a hard press on the gas pedal to get up to highway speeds, and the higher speeds cause it to be a bit noisy. The front-wheel drive Rio has fairly agile handling and is stable through turns and over rough roads. It delivers 33/41 mpg in the city and on the highway. The Kia Rio sedan starts at $15,750 and the hatchback starts at $16,690.
Overall
The 2020 Chevrolet Spark and the 2020 Kia Rio are two similar small compact cars that will get you quickly around town and in and out of parking spaces, but Spark’s abundance of technology features at a great price tag is a great choice. Stop by and take a drive at Burlington Chevrolet.
