When I first settled into the Rio5, the sprightly little hatchback that's earning Kia some budget-minded attention, it felt as if I had climbed back into my first car from 25 years ago. There were no power windows, just the old-fashioned hand cranks. No buttons for unlocking all the doors, either; I had to stretch into the back and unlock the doors by hand. To adjust the passenger side mirror, I had to reach across the cabin and move the little lever attached to it, which presents an amusing dilemma I hadn't thought about in years: You can't tell how to set the mirror when leaning into the next seat, totally out of position. I had heard that there are still a few stripped-down new cars sold in the United States, but it was weird to be sitting in one. Would I have to push this econobox up hills too, and wear gloves all winter, as I did in my old Volkswagen Beetle, to compensate for a wimpy heater?

Not at all. The Rio5, it turns out, is an ingenious little buggy. To be sure, there's a lot of corner-cutting on this $14,000 vehicle, which itself is a fancy version of Kia's entry-level car, the $11,000 Rio sedan. The front-seat passenger doesn't get an armrest. There's a grocery-bag hook—but just one, which probably shaves off 79 cents compared with the cost of a lavish set of three or four hooks. And there's no reminder chime when you leave your lights on, another safeguard most people take for granted. But the list of what you do get is impressive too, considering the price. Side-impact and side-curtain airbags are standard, making the Rio5 one of the cheapest cars to come with this important safety gear on every model. Other basics like air conditioning, a rear defogger, and a decent radio are there. And the Rio5 has a few sporty touches that Kia must believe are more appealing than power doors and windows: Fog lights, shiny metal pedals, sharp-looking alloy wheels, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

So it must be a dog on the road, right? That's the most interesting surprise the Rio5 delivers. The four-cylinder engine is tiny—allowing gas mileage better than 30 mpg—but the Rio5 squeezes the most out of every single one of its 110 horsepower. It's not a quick car, exactly, but the engine is peppy enough to give you confidence on the highway. And the Rio5 handles far better than I expected, thanks to a nicely tuned suspension and a front stabilizer bar that helps add stability on curves. I took the Rio5 on a 500-mile road trip—with some trepidation—but after the first few miles I settled in for a comfy ride. The seats held up, road noise didn't interfere with my ability to pass the time gabbing on the phone, and I even got a couple nice gestures from other drivers. My old Beetle this ain't.