Driving a Kia Rio5 is not exciting in itself. Like an Aveo, a Swift+ or an Accent, it is above all a convenient and affordable mode of transportation, nothing more. This tiny little thing falls into the category of subcompact cars measuring less than four metres, where the notion of performance is decidedly absent.

Around 300 units of the Rio5 SX Tuner will be produced, and only for the Canadian market.

That's why young buyers looking to stand out choose to tune their tiny little thing. And Kia Canada has understood this.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado (drum roll)... the Rio5 SX Tuner. Ta-dah!

An astonishing Rio5. Astonishing? Absolutely, because it actually manages to turn heads! To get one, you have to order a Rio5 EX Convenience at your local dealership and make sure you check the "SX Tuner" box on the sales contract. Upon delivery, the ugly duckling will have magically transformed into a sleek machine right out of the movie The Fast and the Furious. 'Sup, dude?

Exclusive to Canada
Launched last June, the Rio5 SX Tuner is exclusive to the Canadian market. The manufacturer plans on building only around 300 units. But it's better this way: who wants to see a carbon copy of an expensive tuned car on every street corner? Tuning and frugality don't rime, neither here nor in an independent tuning shop.

Its the dealer who you buy your car from that makes the transformation, adding enough special equipment to justify the extra $4,500 tagged onto the EX Convenience's sales price.

This Rio5 nevertheless cuts a fine figure. Like Henry Ford used to say, buyers can ask for any colour, as long as it's Midnight Black!

To turn you into the next DJ Rio Rapper, the car is delivered with a six-speaker set, including two tweeters normally reserved for the Rio5 EX Sport, a swankier model. Add to that a Clarion DXZ375 MP sound system and a 10-inch subwoofer with 240-watt amplifier and you've basically got everything you need to transform this midget into a disco on wheels.

The original wheels have been replaced by Fast Inferno alloy ones equipped with Z-rated Falken tires.

Other than the fact that this equipment is powerful enough to blow the roof, the subwoofer takes up a lot of trunk space. Not very convenient, true, but the buyer of an SX Tuner is undoubtedly not the type of person who does the weekly grocery run! In any case, the subwoofer is detachable.

In the trunk, a 10-inch subwoofer with 240-watt amplifier takes up a lot of space.

The source unit sports a contemporary style that suits a young'un's car well. However, the mass of tiny buttons gathered on the front left side really requires a lot of attention and dexterity from the driver. But that's obviously equally unimportant to our young buyer.

Style and performance
We have to admit that the parts specialists at Kia Canada did a good job touching up the body. The rocker panel trim and front and rear spoilers catch the eye without overdoing it.

They've also made a few mechanical changes that alter the driving dynamics and give the car a sportier flavour. The EX's humble 14-inch wheels have given way to elegant, 17-inch, Fast Inferno alloy ones. Black, they sport a machined edge and low-profile Falken FK452 tires, size 205/40ZR17. You read it right: a Z speed rating.

A Tanabe strut tower brace and harder Eibach lowering springs (1 inch shorter in front and 0.8 inch in back) replace the original springs. All these components ensure a firmer suspension, I would even say bum-smacking, but nothing like the Dodge Caliber SRT4.

It's a far cry from the sedate urbanite, but there is a drawback...

No mechanical changes
The engine remains COMPLETELY unchanged, thanks to the guarantee: it's the same 110-horse stable unde the hood. For this 1000-kilo-category car, it's acceptable, but the tuned-car aura takes a hit when you accelerate from a stop. Even more so when it's time to shift into first gear with the au-to-ma-tic transmission, a puffing, 4-speed affair. Might as well install an artificial nitrous oxide system between the front seats.

The 4-speed automatic transmission that dispels the aura created by the car's fantastic styling.

For a Rio5 destined to navigate downtown streets at rush hour, it can be acceptable. As long as you and your SX Tuner are merely extras in the next installment of the The Fast and the Furious. Kia Canada does allow you to save face though: the SX Tuner is also available with a manual transmission.

The Rio5 SX Tuner may not live up to its looks, but it's a new car protected by one of the best guarantees in the industry.

But some buyers are looking for the style without necessarily needing the performance. If they're ready to shell out several thousand dollars (that they won't get back on resale) to tune a tiny thing not even four metres long, the Kia dealer may just offer the ideal solution. After all, the SX Tuner is a new car benefiting from one of the best guarantees in the industry. It's nothing like the decrepit, used subcompact cars that are transformed into pseudo-machines with the help of lots and lots of money.