The Rio competes against the Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa, Honda Fit, Chevrolet Aveo, and Hyundai Accent. This latest generation of subcompacts offers better fuel economy with little loss of interior space when compared to the larger, compact cars such as the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic.

The Rio gets an EPA-rated City/Highway 27/33 miles per gallon with the manual transmission and 26/35 mpg with the automatic. All models are powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder, a sophisticated, modern engine, with dual overhead camshafts and variable valve timing, which is rated at 110 horsepower.

These are roomy cars. The hatchback offers lots of cargo space. Rio comes standard with six airbags, a safety feature normally associated with expensive luxury cars, not subcompacts. The Rio offers agile handling, particularly the top models with their upgraded wheels and tires.

For 2009, the biggest change is a new AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with SIRIUS Satellite Radio capabilities and complimentary service for three months; it's standard equipment on all models.