Kia Picanto

Kia's Picanto has earned a reputation as a no frills city scoot but the third generation model feels a far better finished item. Jonathan Crouch reports.

Ten Second Review

In third generation form, Kia's Picanto is a little citycar that's big in importance for its Korean maker. Stylish, frugal and practical, it may just redefine the way many people think about this smallest category of car.

Background

Here's how we used to understand small car categorisation and the difference between Fiesta-sized superminis and their smaller, cheaper citycar counterparts. You paid extra for a supermini because it was slightly bigger, because it was better finished and more stylish and because it had more refined engines that made possible longer journeys. So where does that kind of thinking leave us with a product like this, the third generation Kia Picanto? It's very nicely built and acceptably stylish. Here is the citycar, all grown-up.

Where that leaves today's supermini sector is something we don't have to worry about here. Suffice it to say that most of what you'd pay up to £15,000 or more for in that class of car is delivered by this Kia. Kia has used the underpinnings from this best-selling design, then refined them, improved the build quality and added a sharp new suit of clothes on top. On paper, a pretty effective route to creating a class-leading contender. Let's see if it's worked.

Driving Experience

Underpinning this Picanto's quicker, more responsive steering is a range of highly efficient small-capacity petrol engines. Three units will be available to buyers. The 1.0-litre 67PS and 1.25-litre 84PS naturally-aspirated multi-point injection (MPI) engines have been carried over from the previous model, with a range of enhancements to improve efficiency and driveability. More interesting is the news that at the top of the range, Kia is introducing the pokier and more efficient 1.0-litre T-GDI (turbocharged gasoline direct injection) power unit borrowed from the larger Rio supermini. All engines are paired with a five-speed manual transmission, delivering power to the front wheels. The 1.25-litre MPI engine is also available with a four-speed automatic transmission.

On the move, buyers familiar with the previous model should find that refinement is much improved thanks to a range of modifications designed to isolate the cabin from vibrations and noise from the road, wind and the engine. The result is a car that Kia says offers the quietest cabin of any A-segment model, both at idle and at a steady cruise.

Design and Build

This third generation Picanto has a more assertive stance with bolder body lines. It's bigger too, with a 15mm wheelbase increase, though this MK3 model is no longer than the previous version. This time round, there's a single five-door bodystyle and strong, straight lines run horizontally across the front of the car, emphasising the 'tiger-nose' grille and angular wrap-around headlights. Vertical lines that encompass the side intakes and lower grille enhance the Picanto's more confident new 'face'.

Inside, Kia designers have created a more modern, refined cabin than the second-generation model, with classier materials and a smarter layout. The dashboard is now more centrally aligned, with a large 7.0-inch 'floating' touchscreen sitting at the heart of the centre console and moving many of the car's controls further up into the driver's line of sight.

Market and Model

Expect pricing to be pretty similar to what went before, which means a Picanto range priced in the £9,000 to £13,000 bracket. If without that range, you can stretch to a plusher model, you'll get yourself a citycar fitted out with some of the most advanced infotainment and convenience technologies available in the A-segment. Primarily, we're referring to the large, 'floating' 7.0-inch touchscreen at the centre of the dashboard which houses a navigation system with 3D mapping and is available with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for full smartphone integration.

As for safety, well Kia says that this is the safest A-segment car it has ever made, featuring double the proportion of Advanced High Strength Steel compared to the outgoing model and a selection of active safety technologies. The stronger, lighter body is supported by six standard airbags (front, front side and curtain airbags), and an optional knee airbag, as well as a range of active safety features. These include standard Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) to ensure stability under braking and cornering. In addition, this Picanto is available with Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB).

Cost of Ownership

No car in this class has a sniff of a chance unless it can guarantee tiny day to day running costs and the Picanto certainly answers that particular call. All three engines have been designed to offer maximum efficiency, from their continuously variable valve timing to their low-friction valve springs. The net result is that the 1.0-litre MPI unit emits just 89g/km of carbon dioxide in ISG form with engine stop/start fitted. Expect about 56mpg from this variant on the combined cycle. With the 1.0 T-GDI turbo variant, around 65mpg should be possible, along with a sub-100g/km CO2 figure.

Couple the titchy fuel bills with free road tax and cheap insurance and you have a car that makes all kinds of sense for city drivers. It's exactly because it stacks up so well on the balance sheet that residual values look set to be very healthy. The much-trumpeted 7 year / 100,000 warranty helps in that regard since it's transferrable to future owners.

Summary

The Picanto doesn't do anything that's particularly fresh or radical but its blend of affordability coupled with solid engineering, impressive build quality, generous equipment and clean styling build upon its tiny ongoing running costs to form a convincing buying proposition. Back that up with a great warranty and the Kia Picanto emerges as one of the very best citycars we've seen in quite some time.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Kia Picanto

PRICES: £9,000 - £13,000 [est]

INSURANCE GROUP: TBC

CO2 EMISSIONS: from 89g/km

PERFORMANCE: [1.0 T-GDI] 0-62mph 10.1s / top speed 111mph

FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.0 MPI] (combined) 56mpg [est]

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: six airbags, stability control, hill start assist, ABS brakes

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height mm 3595/1595/1485