On a slightly moody Canberra autumn day, Kia revealed its new Picanto to the press corp. It debuted 5 years ago overseas and is due to be replaced by a brand new model sometime next year. Kia has taken this bold move to deliver the current model in time to give it a chance to become a familiar model here prior to replacement.
Kia’s new entry model is a single level single trim, $14,990 drive-way, city-car. Outside you get a pretty standard city-car shape. There are steel wheels with plakky wheel covers, note: A quick look at Kia’s website shows Rio starting at $13,990. Rio is a size up in the rage so Kia will be “repositioning” Rio in light of Picanto’s pricing.
There are 7 colours, such as the imaginatively named Honey Bee and Dazzling Blue and Signal Red. The diminutive package weighs just 994 kgs, so it’s practically a bicycle.
Entry is via a push button key fob. You also need the key to star the car. The profile is pretty much what you expect from a super-mini. The monochrome screen to the audio system, and the 4-speed auto transmission feel slightly last decade. The 1.2L 4 cylinder is sans turbo and with only 4 gears, buzzes at cruising speed.
You probably won’t be doing long stretches at highway speeds. Picanto is a city car, that’s the not-so-new catchword for decently priced uber-compact round-town motoring. You don’t have to be too precious about where you park them, and if you spill the odd drive-through Maccers lunch, it isn’t the end of the world.
The cabin is up to Kia’s current standards. The panel fit is tight both inside and out, and the controls layout is easy to use.
I particularly like the dash layout. It doesn’t feel luxurious, but in no way does it feel cheap and nasty. My only criticism, and it’s a matter of taste, is that I’d prefer piano black instead of the two-tone effect. The metalised lower dash and steering wheel highlights look a bit wrong. Is that picky? No. We all have likes and dislikes right?
There is no Cruise Control, but as I don’t see the mini Kia in any way a “cruiser”. I don’t think cruise-control will be missed. There is currently no reversing camera, but Kia says it’s working on a few option. We should see alloy wheels, probably 14” like the steel wheels they’d replace, and a reversing camera in the options list. They would be dealer-fitted options so the only way to get an LCD reverse camera display would be a rearview mirror mounted model.
I was glad to see 6 direct select radio station buttons where I would immediately tune my 2 favourite stations. The 4 speaker sound is more than adequate for a daily commuter. The buttons have a nice amount of resistance which gives them a quality feel. Kia has done a good job of upping quality across their range. This is a nice surprise, because micro cars have a bad habit of feeling like a down-at-heel, poverty-stricken 4th floor walk-up flat. Picanto has the Euro influence you see in the rest of their models so Kia should be fairly pleased with themselves.
There is a geometric fabric design for the seat covers. The seats are a bit tight for larger boned lads. None the less, they are easily adjustable and comfy with a good driving position. The cabin feels positively capacious considering the exterior dimensions. With a taller driver, the rear legroom becomes a little too bijou to be useful for adults. 4 smaller occupants would have an easier time of it. This is typical of super-minis.
On the road, it quickly becomes obvious that you need to keep the revs up.
As long as you do, you have no trouble keeping up with traffic. The ride was a bit of a surprise. Picanto soaked up all but the worst of the ACT’s roads. Once out of town, there was fun to be had. Picanto showed an unexpectedly frisky side during enthusiastic cornering, and when you accelerate early to get out the other side, you might even feel a slight sportiness in the experience. Keeping the revs up dispatched hills with great alacrity. It feels remarkably well sorted for a such a small car.
The tiny underpowered 4 cylinder, and a slightly outdated 4 speed auto turned out to be so much fun, but there it is. Of course I’d prefer a 6 speed manual, but Kia says city cars do much better with auto transmissions. The sad truth is most newly qualified drivers cannot use a clutch. Kia learnt this lesson the hard way when their fabulous Pro_ceed GT failed to capture the imagination of buyers. At launch, the GT could only be had with a 6 speed manual. Most vehicles sold in Australia are auto whether we like it or not.
Kia knows its new baby will be: a shopping cart, a dosshouse for students, or cut price transport for cranky septuagenarians all of whom are price sensitive.
The world would probably have a lot more space available if urbanites all drove cars like this one, so the idea definitely has merit. Of course the usual inclusions like air conditioning, power windows and a mass of airbags make Picanto both safe and well equipped.
Competitors such as Mica, Yaris and Spark are all jostling for the affections of the same buyers so anything to get an edge will snag the sale, and 7 years’ worth of transferrable warranty might do the trick.
Would I buy one: I might, but I’d have to consider Holden Spark which comes in a manual and has Apple Carplay Audio as standard.
Engine: 1.2 in-line 4 cylinder, 63kw/120Nm, Petrol, naturally aspirated (no turbo), Euro 5
Econ: 5.3 L/100 km, regular unleaded, 35L fuel tank
CO2:125 gm/kg
Kerb weight: 994 kg
Price $14,990 drive away
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