PICANTO ADDS THE X FACTOR

Kia has expanded the range of its Picanto city car with the addition of a new trim level.

The X-line variant draws inspiration from the Korean brand’s successful SUVS to bring a chunkier, more rugged look to the sharp city car.

Longer, wider and taller than the standard car, the X-line aims to attract a wider audience in a world where the crossover is king.

It makes no pretence at being a full-blown SUV – power is transmitted through the front wheels only – but has a more rugged look. At 75mm longer, 30mm wider and 15mm taller, the increase in height is accounted for by the greater ground clearance. There’s more imposing, Suv-style bumpers with metal-look skid plates at the front and rear, for a more confident appearance.

Unique to the ‘X-line’ model, the grille and fog lamp surrounds are finished with lime green highlights, while black cladding around the side sills and wheel arches enhances the visual effect of the raised ground clearance. The exterior door handles are finished in body colour and privacy glass is fitted to the rear windows and tailgate. Completing the more muscular look are twin exhaust outlets, 16-inch alloy wheels with 195/45 R16 tyres, a shark-fin antenna and projection headlights with LED daytime running lights and fog lamps.

The splashes of colour are carried over to the interior with lime green stitching for the flat-bottomed steering wheel, gear lever gaiter and armrests. The seveninch ‘floating’ touchscreen features DAB radio, as well as Bluetooth, Apple Carplay and Android Auto for full smartphone integration. Other equipment highlights include unique grey faux leather upholstery, a central armrest, satin chrome interior door handles and stainless-steel pedals with rubber inserts, in addition to cruise control with speed limiter, automatic air conditioning and keyless entry.

Prices start at £12,595 for the ‘X-line’ equipped with the 1.25-litre petrol engine and five-speed manual gearbox, with a four-speed automatic transmission available for an additional £650.

Affordability is one of the Picanto’s key features, with CO2 emissions that are as low as 106g/km on the manual transmission, and a combined fuel economy figure of 61.4mpg.