Ok what do we know so far about the Premier Rio?
• A SUV for just under 6lakhs
• A new niche in the Indian market
• Good valve for money
Or is it?
Premier is trying to pull up a big hollow trick in India with the words SUV and 6lakhs. Rio is construed as a raw diamond but what it actually is, is another black rock! Let me explain why.
If you keep asking the wrong question you won’t get the right answer, likewise if you compare the Rio to a SUV you won’t get the trick but compare it to a Premium hatchback and that’s when reality strikes you hard on the head.
In India a SUV is not a SUV unless it has 3rd row seating and the Rio doesn’t and it doesn’t have off-roading capabilities either. So what you get for your 6Lakh is a car which looks big from outside like an SUV but has the same seating capacity of any premium hatchbacks.
The hatch backs of today are light years ahead of the Rio with their technology and features. The one advantage Rio has over the hatches is a little more boot space but for that the leg room is compromised big time, mind it the “SUV” is just 4meters long to enjoy tax benefits.
Rio has a whole new level of cheapness going on which you have to see to believe. It feels nostalgic in a bad way; it’s like using a mobile phone the size of a cigarette carton in the IPhone age. The Rio is no de Janeiro it’s just degenerate. Even after all this if you are buying one, you would have to be a horse wearing winkers.
