In a bustling town in Tuscany, ideal for small cars. The All New Kia Picanto does the job
Tim Barnes-Clay and Jonathan Humphrey from the UK media launch of this important new Kia.
The 2017 All New Kia Picanto is one of the best looking new city cars to hit the competitive city car segment. With great value, it raises the bar a level higher. Well priced from just £9450 for the basic ‘1’ trim level edition through to £13950 for the more exciting Picanto GT-Line S model. Kia has updated their city car with striking, bold and sophisticated looks and five trim options including the great looking Picanto GT-Line and ‘S’ models.
This is now the fourth generation of the Picanto, it all began in 1991 when the first car reached our shores with the introduction of the Kia Pride. The Picanto city car is the smallest Kia available. Take a look at their extensive range now, with the recently launched, Rio above this and the Kia Stinger performance car coming soon.
Picanto is available with a choice of two petrol engines, a 3-cylinder 1.0-litre with a power output of 66bhp and a 4 -cylinder 1.25-litre with 83bhp. Later in the year a diesel model will also become available. The cars are available with a choice of 5-speed manual or 4-speed auto transmissions. Emissions are as low as 101g/km up to 124g/km for the 4-speed auto.
More spacious and more practical, this New Kia Picanto is not any bigger than the car it replaces. Chief designer Peter Schreyer and his talented team have ingeniously created a package with increased size in the front and the back, room for two adults or three children in the rear and with 255 litres of class leading boot space, on two levels and up to 1,010 litres, seats folded.
The fuel economy is city-car good, the combined cycle mpg for the 66bhp model is 64.2 mpg and the 83 bhp models 61.4mpg. Performance for the 66bhp edition brings a 0-60mph of 13.8 seconds with a top speed of 100mph. The 83bhp model tops it slightly with 0-60mph in 11.6 seconds, topping out at 106mph.
All models are great fun to drive, as we proved driving around the tight turns and streets in an Italian town. New Picanto has a slightly lower waistline making the cars brighter and more roomy inside than their predecessors. On the open road, cornering and braking are excellent. The ride can get a bit harsher with the largest sporty alloy wheels, but that’s what you get for the look.
Prices start at £9450 going up to £13950 for this top of the line Picanto GT-Line ‘S’. The cars are available with a choice of 5-speed manual or 4-speed auto transmissions.
Kia is the brand with the well regarded seven-year warranty and one to watch. Already one of the top five best-selling city cars, expect to see more than 60k of these on the roads in the UK – This All New Picanto deserves success.
Car reviewed: Kia Picanto GT-Line ‘S’ – On the road £13950 0-62mph 11.6 secs Top speed 106mph Fuel Economy combined 61.4mpg CO2 emissions 106g/km Engine 1248cc 4-cylinder petrol DOHC Max Power 83hp@6000rpm Torque 122Nm@4000rpm Transmission 5-speed manual
A Practical but Fun, City Car
Well packaged, great value
Looks, economy and performance
Sunroof and SatNav only available in top models
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