Number one Pic
MALL cars have to be big on everything these days and Kia’s new baby Picanto is bursting on to the scene packed with plenty.
With more and more motorists demanding a big car experience whatever they drive, bargain basement models are out.
What’s in is style, comfort and connectivity – performance is welcome but not essential. So ushering in the third generation Picanto Kia has gone for smart new looks and trendy technology all round.
A touchscreen display complete with sat nav and smartphone compatability is part and parcel of the new Picanto GTLine S range topper and so is emergency braking, heated seats and even a heated steering wheel while all versions of the latest Korean mini car have torque vectoring control to aid handling.
In the little car sector that’s a lot and the latest Picanto remains right on the money priced from £9,450 to £13,950 or from £129 a month on contract hire.
That’s a few hundred pounds more than the previous model but what you get with the newcomer is a sea change on all fronts.
Under the bonnet is a choice of two petrol engines – a 1.0-litre developing 66bhp or a 1.2 with 83bhp on tap and later in the year a turbo version of the three pot 1.0-litre block will be joining the range with a lively 100bhp.
While not new the engines have been updated on the emissions front with the 1.0-litre now rated at 101g/km and 106 for the 1.2 with five speed manual transmissions.
That equates to official fuel returns of 64.2 and 61.4mpg respectively.
On the road the new Picanto feels much sturdier than before and handles with no bad habits. Noise levels inside are well suppressed – much quieter than before – and on the road the composure of the car is nicely refined, especially for a model in this class.
Improvements to the power steering have elicited more feel and feedback while the gear change has a positive action which makes it sweet to drive.
Pitched against the likes of the Renault Twingo, Citroen C1 and the Volkswagen up!, Kia’s new offering dares to be different – and it’s got the just the right amount of street cred to make an impression with drivers young and old.