Sam says it packs a punch

After selling over 100 000 cars in South Africa over the last 20 years, the latest Kia Picanto released earlier this year. It features what Kia calls a bold new look incorporating their award-winning ‘opposites unite’ design philosophy. It also features their ‘always forward’ engineering mindset.

My vehicle falls into this segment making me quite the critic on the segment. I have not upgraded for a few reasons – one of which is that it is difficult to find as many perks at such a good price point as what I did when  buying my car. Thus, where does the Picanto measure up? Very well I would say.

The drive

In the strives to reduce fuel consumption, power is often sacrificed to a degree. While I still feel my older vehicle has a bit more spark than most smaller hatches, the Picanto does quite well, nonetheless. In fact, I believe it is the best thus far, even better than some higher spec’d vehicles.

After driving around in the Picanto I was rather reluctant to give it back. It has a zippy drive that is the perfect for drivers that mostly travel around locally. I would not, however, discount it on longer trips though – unless you have a larger family because the tiny boot is really something else.

It is an agile little car that can slip into any gap, handles solidly and can even allow taking corners on the highway at a decent speed and has a smooth transmission to top off the benefits of the Kia Picanto.

The Kia Picanto has a 1.0 MPI three-cylinder engine which produces 49 kW of power and 95 Nm of torque. There is also a four-cylinder 1.25-litre engine with 62 kW of power and 122 Nm of torque. There is either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission.

Fuel consumption is claimed at 5.1L/100km which is not far off from the actual figures we obtained of between 5.8L/100km and 6L/100km. These figures are adequate for the intended target audience.  

The design

One of the biggest changes according to Kia is the exterior of the vehicle, yet, I did not think it was drastically different to the previous gen. The design philosophy, ‘Opposites United,’ harnesses the creative tension of the divergent values of nature and modernity to deliver a harmonious look. The result is a bold and futuristic impression with a modern and sporty design.

At the front, the new Picanto has a new light signature, front bumper, iteration of Kia’s signature ‘tiger nose’ grille, and a revised fender and bonnet. It is intended to create a wide, confident stance.

At the rear, the sporty, wide stance is reiterated through redesigned taillights that are horizontally connected just beneath the rear windscreen. It has a new rear light signature match the redesigned rear bumper.

There are three new colours available: Sporty Blue metallic, Smoke Blue metallic and Adventurous Green metallic. Three different wheel designs are also available depending on the derivative.

The Picanto is one of the smallest cars on the road, which may be intimidating or some on the SUV and Bakkie flooded roads. It did not bother me, likely because I am accustomed to driving a small car.

What is strange, is that there are other more spacious options to choose from at better prices. An example is the Suzuki Swift which is cheaper, more spacious and has good spec. Thus, why would a buyer choose the smaller but more expensive Picanto over the Suzuki Baleno or Toyota Starlet?

Despite this, there are plenty of Picanto’s on the road. Currently, smaller proportions do not seem to be a deterrent but there is a definite move away from such small cars so it will be interesting to see what the future holds.

Where a lot of this space is lost is in the boot. It is there for basics only. As soon as you want to fit more, like a pram or a full month of grocery shopping, you are most definitely going to struggle. As a first car or for someone without children, however, this is should not be a huge problem.

Stepping inside

Where the Picanto performs significantly well is in quality. From the solid drive to materials used to the other features in the interior. Kia’s sales and marketing director, Stephen Cross, says they have identified that while consumers want smaller vehicles this does mean they want to sacrifice quality, reliability and features.

The quality of the interior is immediately felt as soon as you get inside. High quality materials transfer the solid feel of the drive to a solid feel in the interior.

The floating 8-inch colour touchscreen which is the main focal point, is the same as the previous derivative. Controls are intuitively positioned to reduce distracted driving. Black cloth-upholstered seats are standard, but higher specifications have two-tone black and grey leather upholstery.

Other derivative-dependant features in the Kia Picanto includes keyless entry, leather clad steering wheel, voice recognition, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, four speakers as standard, USB ports in the front, electric side-folding mirrors, rear occupant alert function,

The top of the range EX Plus includes Smart Key with push-button start/stop, an illuminated driver vanity mirror, automatic climate control, park distance warning sensors at the rear, artificial leather upholstery, and high-gloss trims on the centre fascia and LED rear combination lights.

Safety

Kia aims to make the Picanto one of the safest A-segment vehicles. As much as 44% of the bodyshell is cast in Advanced High-strength Steel (AHSS). This reinforces the floor pan, roof rails, A- and B-pillars and engine bay to strengthen the car’s core structure and passenger cell through hot-stamping technology.

The inherent ‘big car’ engineering present in the Picanto equips it with various other safety features:

• ABS
• ISOFIX child seat anchors
• Dual front airbags as standard
• Reverse camera
• ESC (Picano EX)
• Hill hold assist (Picano EX)

The Kia Picanto packs a big punch for a small car. Ultimately, the choice between the Picanto and other similar vehicles comes down to whether you prioritise quality or competitive pricing more. If quality is the priority for you, then you cannot go wrong with the Kia Picanto.

Good to know

The specs

Engine: four-cylinder 1.25-litre engine

Transmission: 5-speed manual or 4-speed auto

Power: 62 kW

Torque: 122 Nm

Fuel consumption: 5.1L/100km (claimed)

Price: from R260 995

Warranty and service plan: Unlimited Kilometre/5-year warranty, inclusive of Roadside Assistance and a pre-paid 2-year/30 000 km service plan

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