Payless wasn’t fooling around with their car classifications this time. They handed me the keys to a 2018 Kia Rio Quinto and sent me on my way.
This is an interesting base trim spec. It has A/C (unlike a certain famous Forte sedan), automatic transmission (ditto), and alloy wheels (guess what?). There’s also a radio with touch screen, aux input, USB, and Sirius XM, a trip computer display in the instrument pod, power locks and windows, and remote key entry. And that’s where the blank filler panels begin.
This spot here only has two blanks, but the larger one may as well be covering for two buttons. Also, the illumination level control seems unusually tall, probably covering another blank spot.
One! Two! Three! Three blanks! Ha, ha, ha! *thunder clap* Interestingly, it seems that one could option out a Rio with heated seats. Seeing that it was 89ºF here today, and it’ll be 89ºF for the next week or month or year, I don’t think I’d have a use for them.
And for the magnum opus, we have this bulge. Or dent. Or bunt. Or something. It’s supposed to have an overhead console with map lights, hands-free microphone, and maybe a storage compartment for sunglasses. Instead you get a memory of what you don’t have.
The Rio Quinto isn’t all bad, though. It has a decent amount of space under the hatch for a car in its class.
Payless wanted $11 per day for it. At that rate, I’ll take all the blanks they can fit.