Let’s find out:

The number of changes made to the interior of the refreshed Premier Rio are certainly less than those made to the exterior. The 2 main changes are – beige interiors and a new steering wheel and that’s about it.

Stepping into the Rio+ can be a daunting task for women and the elderly because it sits quite high above the ground and has no side step to assist the ingress. Once you climb in, you notice that the Rio+ has very basic interiors. The beige upholstery does not completely match with the sea gray plastic of the dash but does give an airy feel to the cabin.

A pinch of chrome has been added to the steering wheel which make it look slightly upmarket than the older one. The normal positioning of indicator stalks and wiper stalks is very much appreciated. The steering wheel does not come mounted with audio controls but has extra cushioning for the palms at the 10-and-2 positions.

The outside mirrors are electrically adjustable but if you want to fold them, you have to roll down the windows. The Rio also gets a rear washer and a defogger but the switches that operate them feel like they were taken from Fred Flintstone’s car.

The Rio comes with an aftermarket stereo from Nippon which has USB and AUX compatibility. As the sound quality is not that great and I would advise you to convince the dealer to knock it off and save a few bucks and fit a better one from established brands such as Pioneer or Kenwood. The gear knob feels very thin to hold in your hands and does not offer adequate grip when changing gear.

The dial cluster looks outdated with its blue background light. For the first time in my life, I have seen a white flash light instead of the ambiance light, probably a segment first as well.

The Rio gets negative points because only the front windows are electrically adjustable that too from a switch which is mounted on the door and not on the armrest. Thus, using the switch does take time to get used to.

The Rio’s compact dimensions has taken a toll on the interior space. If a well built person sits next to the driver, it could give rise to many ‘awkward situations’. When you get in the back seat of the Rio, you notice that this is strictly a four seater vehicle. Although it is possible to make a small child sit in the rear seat between two adults, it would be a bit inhuman. The rear does not get its own cooling vents, just a small astray for your sutta needs.

The luggage space is quite ample at the very rear of the car and because the rear seats fold flat, it can be further increased. A small light in the luggage space makes loading and searching simple when it is pitch dark. As the spare wheel is on the tailgate, you get more storage area for your tools under the floor.

Time to answer the big question – Build quality. This is a tricky one. The build quality of the Rio is exactly the same quality that you see on the Mahindra Bolero. Everything is hard and tough and can take sustained abuse (even with a hammer) but nothing is aesthetically pleasing.

Do tune in tomorrow for the final leg of the review – Driving impressions!

Maruti Suzuki recently launched their contender for the CS market – Swift Dzire and rest of the manufacturers such as Tata and Mahindra are expected to follow suit.

Coming to the Compact SUV market; now this is going to be extremely interesting. Ford, Renault and Mahindra are honing their challengers as we speak. But little known rival is already present in the market from a long forgotten company called ‘Premier Auto’. Does it ring a bell?

Premier Auto, once a prominent Indian auto manufacturer, is now only famous for coating the Mumbai streets black and yellow with their Padmini taxis. The company was long forgotten from the Indian automotive scene and was secluded from the growth of the auto sector in recent years.

However, when the company finally decided to come back to the scene, it knew that it had to come out with something innovative. With limited research/manufacturing capabilities, a whole new product developed from grounds up was definitely out of the question.

Hence, Premier decided to partner with a manufacturer from China – Zotye and decided to bring their compact SUV – Nomad to India. The principle ideology of the product was quite simple

1) Indians roads are at times quite terrible, a raised ground clearance will definitely be appreciated.

2) The Nomad is essentially a Daihatsu Terios. Thus, it’s a 10 year old proven engineering; near perfect for Indian conditions.

3) Indians love a BIG car but very few can afford one. A 5-6 lakh SUV should be well appreciated by the market.

Thus, the Nomad was rebranded as Rio and put on sale for the customers. The product bombed quite badly. Forget limited sales outlet and budget marketing activities, people detested the outdated looks of the Rio. Moreover, the design of the SUV had the air of the Chinese design which made it look like the odd one out. Didn’t take long for Premier to fix the problem.

At the 2012 New Delhi Auto Expo, Premier Auto presented Rio+, basically a Nomad II with Premier badges. The Rio+ overcomes one of the major flaws of the Rio – its looks. Where the Rio looks dated and old, the Rio+ looks sharp and stylish. Lets looks at the major changes that the Rio+ offers.

At first glance, you can easily notice that the Rio+ has got new headlamps making the overall front fascia much pleasing to the eye. The double barrel headlamps have sharp bulges that cut into the body. A new front grill with a pinch of chrome, a new front bumper, a chin spoiler and new foglamps work wonders for the design bringing it bang up-to-date.

On the side profile, Premier has updated the gaudy plastic side body cladding and wheel arches with body colored ones.

To make it look sophisticated, the Rio+ comes with turn indicators integrated in the ORVMS.

The roof rails give the little soft roader an outdoorsy look. The chunky 15’ inch alloy wheels give it a very masculine stance and are the real highlights of the overall design.

Coming to the rear, the tailgate mounted spare wheel give it’s the classic SUV look. A sporty spoiler with integrated brake lights and chrome tip exhaust bring a breath of fresh air in a rather old design.

The Rio+ will be sold alongside the Rio with a marginal price difference. However, when you compare both body styles side-by-side, it’s difficult to make a case for the Rio’s design. Here is what we are talking about:

Overall, the Rio+ will make more heads turn than the outdated Rio. The Rio+ looks young and energetic and, in terms of design, fits the bill of a modern compact SUV. Do tune in tomorrow for the interior review and driving impressions.

• Curvy Headlamps
• An integrated Grill
• A rear spoiler
• Beige upholstery

Currently the Rio is available with a 1.2L petrol engine with 77 bhp. Premier promises 15 km/l of fuel efficiency.  It is also available with a 1.5L diesel engine delivering 65bhp and 16 km/L.

The diesel engine that is available on the Rio is a very old technology hence the company is testing a 1.3L Multijet engine for more refinement. Premier said the Multijet Rio will be available by April 2012.

It is available in Red, White, Silver and Black. All models come with:

• Power steering
• Front power windows
• Electrically operated mirrors
• Central locking
• CD/MP3 Player

Higher models come with ABS, keyless entry and alloy wheels

Prices of the Rio start from 4.7 lakhs right up to 6.35 lakhs (ex-showroom Pune)

Premier Rio facelift Image Slideshow

In case you can’t see the slideshow above, head over to the Premier Rio Flickr page for images.

Premier plans to launch the successor of the Rio at the Delhi Auto Expo. The old Rio was the Nomad and the successor quite conveniently is the Nomad II. It is powered by a 1173cc engine, delivering 77BHP and offers 15 kmpl.

Premier may also showcase the diesel version of the Rio with a multijet Fiat Engine developing 66PS of power and 150Nm of torque. It will be available in four versions with additional features such as anti-lock breaking system (ABS), keyless entry and alloy wheels.

Unfortunately, they failed to capitalize on the idea because the product was not-so bang on. They basically rebadged the Zotye Nomad and brought it to India. This did not go very well with the Indian customers. So Premier has gone back to drawing board to rethink their strategy.

Our good buddies at Motorbeam have snapped a few pictures of the Facelifted Rio in Pune. They report that there were a few changes to the Rio such as:

• Beige interiors
• Crystal clear headlamps
• ABS
• Better Interior quality
• New alloy wheels

Keen eyed viewers will notice that this test mule is actually a Nomad II – the successor to Nomad from Zotye.

The new Nomad II comes in two engine options:

• 1.3L petrol engine with 68.5 PS @ 6000rpm and  113.5NM of torque @ 4500rpm
• 1.5L petrol engine  78 PS @ 6000 and 134NM of torque @ 4500

A detailed look at Nomad II

Premier is reported to have finalized a deal with Fiat for their Multi-jet diesel engines which will be used in the new Rio. The new Rio will debut in 2012 as soon as Premier completes its testing.

Are you excited about the new Rio?

Source: MotorBeam.com

With an outdated diesel engine, Premier chose not to enter the BS4 cities and played its game in smaller towns and cities. Premier Automobiles have rung their long lost partner Fiat to plonk the most popular diesel engine – Fiat Multijet in the Rio. This is the same engine that powers most diesel cars in India.

Maitreya Doshi, Chairman and Managing Director of Premier told EconomicTimes -

We have been in talks with Fiat for quite some time. There are a couple of vehicles in Italy right now which are being tested; once the technical integration is ready, we will enter into a component supply agreement with Fiat.

Of course, just an engine change will not work for the Rio and Premier knows it. So the company is also focusing on few improvements like better NVH and improved interiors. The company is gunning for a very conservative volume of 8,000 to 9,000 units in a year.

So now for the Big Q: Would you buy a Rio with a Fiat MultiJet knowing that the biggest player of the SUV segment – Mahindra&Mahindra is working on a mini SUV and Ford’s EcoSport is wearing its boxing gloves?

Premier Rio Image Slideshow

Source: TheEconomicTimes

The petrol will be a 1.2 L engine producing 77PS and 104nm of torque while the existing diesel displacing 1.5 L engine producing 65PS and 152 Nm of torque is expected to carry on.

Note – Image used in the Zotye EV using the Rio as the donor model.

When we asked Premier about the Rio’s BS4 plan, this is what they had replied -

Mumbai-based Premier Automotive spokeswoman to Indian Autos Blog -

At this moment, we are in discussions with various engine manufacturers, including FIAT, for a Euro IV engine for the RiO. The outcome of these will be known shortly. Preliminary tests are currently being conducted to determine engine compatibility for the RiO. The current situation is that we are in a pre-production mode and a few vehicles have been seeded in the market to gauge initial market response. The feedback has been very positive, and based on this the product has now been fine tuned to meet customer expectations.

The Multi-jet Rio could give Premier access to crucial BS4 markets where a compact SUV concept is unheard of. If priced right, the Rio could experience a surge in sales. Premier has to work out a marketing campaign pulling into the frame factors like lack of parking space, high fuel cost, advantages of a high seating position, the Rio’s looks, features and the fuel efficiency of the award-winning Multi-jet diesel engine.

Goa On Wheels states that the beige stimulates the interiors. The headliner is also bathed in beige giving the interiors an airy feel. Quality has been stepped up and the new gear knob looks snazzy. The interior quality is marginally better and the door panels are beige treated too.

Premier is working out plans for a new Rio. A cosmetically overhauled Rio is in the testing phase and the 1.3L Multi-jet motor will land up under its hood. This will make the Rio a silent, refined and more drivable vehicle. There are still no sports utility vehicles under 7 lakh rupees in India. The Rio continues to be this segment’s torchbearer.

GOW adds that Premier could run this variant alongside the facelifted BS4 version. The Rio is a rebadged Daihatsu Terios sourced from China’ Zotye Auto. The kits are assembled in Pune and vehicles are equipped with the 1.5L TUD5 Peugeot engine.

What do you think Premier needs to do to better sales?

Premier RiO official video

Premier Rio beige interior Images

[Source - GoaOnWheels.com]