WORLD OF WHEELS
Kia’s latest generation Picanto has evolved
THERE are good things and bad things about the fact that technology is filtering down from upper models. If you are in the mood for a bit of downsizing, then it means you no longer have to forego some of those great items such as touchscreen infotainment, hands-free telephony and multiple USB ports. The flip side is that where the cost of tech disappears into a price tag involving multiple zeros on a luxury car, lower down the spectrum prices are increasing to accommodate it. Korean brands Hyundai and Kia have been at the forefront of offering some of the tech for some time now. Years ago we remarked on how the brand was including USB ports and iPod connectivity in many of its models, when other car makers weren’t even looking at it. The Koreans ticked the value-for-money box with a long list of standard kit that occasionally made you wonder how they managed to make any money at all.
One of the standout models was the Kia Picanto. Not the original models of course – they were a bit drab and very much of the A-to-B car variety, but then things got interesting.
A big reason was that Kia poached designer Peter Schreyer from Audi. The last generation Picanto was funky and stylish. It was affordable, fairly spacious for its class and you could connect your music device.
It also drove reasonably well, with a punchy little engine that made light work of urban traffic chaos and had tourists zipping around in their rental cars.
Kia SA doesn’t tell anyone their sales figures but judging by how many Picantos we see on the roads, it was a winning package. Now the new generation has arrived and just in time too because it has been losing out of late to rivals such as the Renault Kwid and Sandero, Volkswagen Up and, of course, its sibling, the Hyundai i10.
So confident is Kia SA in its new baby that it says it is expecting to sell 650 a month, although we will never know.
The styling is definitely not as dramatic a change as that originally instituted by Schreyer and his team.
Instead it is more of an evolutionary step, with a slightly angrier face, LED indicators and taillights and what the company calls a “more sophisticated” look and feel. One of the major points is that of space. As well as a shorter front overhang to give it a slightly sportier look, there is a longer overhang at the rear.
It also has a longer wheelbase. All of this is said to translate into not only more interior space for passengers, but 25% more boot space than the last generation at 255l. That boot space is split by a shelf though.
There are four model derivatives, starting with the Start followed by the Street, Style and range-topping Smart.
Pricing starts at R134 995 in a market where entry-level pricing is not as entry- level as it once was. The Picanto tops out with the Smart, which starts at R179 995.