Autobytel puts the Kia Rio on the Best Small Sedans of 2012 list! Never doubted it!

The ability to create an attractive small sedan for 2012 requires significant design expertise, something for which Kia has become well known. In fact, the recently introduced Kia Rio subcompact - available in both sedan and hatchback body styles - already has taken home international design awards from two of the globe's top arbiters of style, the Industrial Design Society of America and the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, based in Germany. But the beauty of the Rio sedan is much more than just skin deep. It also offers innovative powertrain technologies like Kia's "Idle Stop and Go" system. The first such feature in its class, the setup stops the engine when the Rio stops, then automatically restarts the powerplant as soon as the driver's foot leaves the brake. In addition, the Rio is one of just two mainstream subcompacts to feature an engine with gasoline direct injection.

http://www.autobytel.com/best-cars/small/sedans/2013/fast-five-best-small-sedans-of-2012-112613/5/