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YOU wouldn’t expect a tiny car like the Kia Picanto to be that much of a crowd puller.
After all, it’s too small to cause a sensation and it’s not as if it’s a rare sight.
Kia have sold 160,000 of the things in the UK alone since it first went on sale here in 2004, so you don’t hear little boys shouting: “Look daddy, it’s a Picanto.”
Strange thing, then, that the Picanto stirred up a real storm at its launch in Italy last week. So many people came to look at it you’d have thought it was a mind blower.
Kia took a party of journalists to the seaside town of Grosetto, in the north west of the country, and after about 15 Picantos rolled into the main square we left them parked in a circle around a massive statue, where they soon became a major attraction.
The amount of people suddenly appearing to examine the cars was amazing. Blimey, one chap tried to buy my car off me! I’m not joking.
Clearly Kia have got things right. You can’t deny that this is a bright and trendy looking little motor. And better than that it’s good to drive, too.
Delight
Starter models, cunningly called the “1” and, wait for it, “2” get a three cylinder motor with 69hp and 96Nm (71lb) of torque.
It may not sound a lot but stuffed into a 11ft 10in car that weighs just 935kg it’s a genuine delight. Let loose on near-empty country roads I couldn’t help but hurl it around, such is the accuracy of its steering and astonishing levels of grip.
Fair enough, with a top speed of 100mph and 0-62mph in 14 seconds you’re never going to be ripping up the rocks but its addictively fantastic fun. Move up to the next level, shockingly called the, er, “3” and that gives owners the chance to keep the three cylinder motor or move up to a 1.2-litre with 85hp. Sporty versions of the 1.2, named the GT and GT Plus offer racy seats, bigger 16-inch alloys with low profiles and extra kit such as sat-nav, climate control and stitched leather seats but somehow all three were nowhere near as much fun as the starter cars.
Smile
The “grown up” Picantos make good motorway cruisers or even long distance machines, which is surprising for such a small car, but somehow the cheeky sparkle seems to have vanished as quickly as the extra £500 to £2,700 cost will disappear from your bank account.
To be honest, nothing for a long time has put such a huge smile on my face as the perky Picanto with a little engine.
On sale now, it gets a total makeover, including upgraded suspension arms and a new platform with twice as much high-strength steel as the 2011 model it replaces. And it’s not just its fun-filled handling that makes it pure joy. Whatever model you choose you’ll get a practical but pleasing interior with lots of storage spaces, huge front door pockets that include bottle holders, twin cup holders, a height adjustable steering wheel and enough leg room in the rear for all but the tallest of adults.
Add to that a 1ft 6in deep boot that holds two suitcases and turns into a 4ft deep luggage space with the rear seats folded down plus attention grabbing looks and the new Picanto looks like being a big draw.
In fact, I should have sold mine there and then. It may be big on character but it’s so small I doubt Kia would have noticed they’d lost it.