Wheels (Australia)

He has the Kia to the city

Picanto arrives with the promise of urban domination

- CAMERON KIRBY

THE KEYS to Kia’s cheapest and smallest offering, the Picanto, have only been in my frost-bitten Queensland­er mittens for a couple of weeks, and I’m already warming to this plucky little car.

The name Picanto seems to be derived from the Spanish word picante, which translates roughly to mean ‘spicy’ or ‘zesty’ in English. And so far, my little orange spice pot has put plenty of zest into my daily commute.

When fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox, the Picanto is a very keen $14,190. My car has just one option fitted: Pop Orange metallic paint costing $520. It should be noted the only paint colour not charged for is the Kelvinator-inspired Clear White.

That manual gearbox has me high-fiving myself, especially after my panning of the transmissi­on in my last long-termer, the auto-only Suzuki Baleno GLX. I think I’m in safe company to say this: a manual ’box should be the first choice for any discerning enthusiast.

However, the stark reality is manual sales are on a crash course for rock bottom, and modern autos are now so good that even ardent car lovers defend and support their choice. The perception is an auto is easier live with day-to-day, but let me, and the Picanto, offer a counterpoi­nt.

Not only is the manual gearbox in this little hatch $1500 cheaper than the auto – around 10 percent of the purchase price, so it’s significan­t – but it’s a genuinely likeable set-up thanks to a light, progressiv­e clutch action, and an easy, positive shift feel. You can simply breathe on the lever and the Kia will pluck another gear. I have several more months with the Picanto to see how the transmissi­on improves or hinders my day-today commute, but so far so good.

It’s only been on our fleet for a few weeks but the Picanto has already attracted plenty of attention from the rest of the Wheels team, many of whom are accustomed to driving much quicker and significan­tly pricier metal.

A combinatio­n of annual leave and the need for a larger vehicle for my social plans has meant requests for a steer have been obliged for the most part.

But not anymore, for their desire to get a taste of the Picanto is only outstrippe­d by my infatuatio­n with it. My recent move has provided a longer, and much more interestin­g commute to work that has allowed me to lap up the extra layer of involvemen­t the Picanto’s manual ’box provides.

Inside the cabin, my expectatio­ns were for more austere drunk tank than well-trimmed grand tourer, but the Picanto surprises. It’s not a world of luxury but for the class and price point, it’s a rather pleasant place to spend time. The 7.0-inch touchscree­n infotainme­nt system is a sleek unit, and despite the prevalence of plastic, it’s not the shiny, scratchy stuff that can plague this segment.

On-road impression­s have been relatively brief so far, but overwhelmi­ngly positive. Kia’s efforts to tune the suspension for Aussie roads have paid off, with the Picanto feeling both nimble and chuckable, with a ride that the Aussie team can be proud of – there are no light-car jitters here.

But the real joy so far has been the engine. The 1.2-litre naturally aspirated four cylinder might sound uninspirin­g on paper – it makes just 62kw and 122Nm – but it’s rev-happy and plenty gutsy enough to whip the sub-tonne hatch up to speed. Sure, it’s not going to break any records, but it never feels sluggish or underpower­ed.

I’m eager to delve deeper into the ownership experience of the Picanto in the coming months to see if the buzz from our first few weeks can be sustained.

 ??  ?? CHEERS! Good-looking cabin is practical too, with deep central cupholders and roomy door bins that swallow large water bottles
CHEERS! Good-looking cabin is practical too, with deep central cupholders and roomy door bins that swallow large water bottles
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