KIA PICANTO 5-DOOR SMALL HATCHBACK
01 November 2007 - Kia

The Picanto is a small car with the ability for big sales.

Perhaps not as big as the 12,500 annual registrations recorded in the UK in 2006 when Kia were involved in ‘shifting the metal’ at any price.

Today their UK aspirations are to sell 6,000 Picantos a year in the UK at realistic prices. The published starting place for the range of £5,995 and this rises to £7,995 for the top model. There are two petrol engine options, 1.0-litre, 61bhp and 1.1-litre 64bhp with automatic transmission options available for the larger unit. Manual versions achieve more than 40mpg in town running and more than 50mpg on the official combined cycle.

Whereas the previous Picanto was available in just three derivatives, refreshed Picanto comes in six varieties with 1.1-litre Ice version likely to be the most popular and priced at £6,995.

The entry-level Picanto now has four seats instead of the five in the rest of the range, and runs on 13-inch wheels. These measures reduce weight and rolling resistance helping the car to emit just 117g/km of CO2 – a figure low enough to put it in VED Band B at £35 a year and make it exempt from the proposed London Congestion Charge.

The revamped Picanto keeps its distinctive grille but there is a new design front bumper, a new bonnet, new front wings and new headlamp units that give the car a fresher look. The rear bumper and lamp units have also been revised. Together, these changes add 40mm to the car''s overall length of just 3,535mm, very compact but still a five-door hatchback

Inside, there is a redesigned interior, now with all-black dash and door trims to give the car an even more premium look and feel. There are new upper and lower fascia sections and a new floor console, plus a new steering wheel featuring a chrome Kia badge. The instruments are now backlit in orange, echoing the style introduced for the cee''d family.

Seat height adjustment becomes standard on Picanto Ice, Picanto 2 and Picanto 3. The Picanto 3 also gains iPod, AUX and USB connection sockets.

Full cloth seat trim and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear selector knob are standard from Picanto 2 upwards as well as seat inserts colour-co-ordinated with the exterior paintwork. Ice and Picanto 3 versions, as the more luxurious and sporty offerings in the range, have all-black trim.

For the Picanto 3 there is also a sports body kit that adds front and rear bumper skirts, a black mesh grille and a roof spoiler as well as different instrument trim and front headrests.

As a person’s first car, or a couples only car, or a single person’s cost effective pride and joy, nobody can quibble at the price and the specification they will get for their money. Kia admits they will get very little profit from the Picanto but their view is that it will get new customers into the brand. It cannot fail to impress at these prices.

Certainly it is not the most sophisticated car of its size on the road, but it is safe, relatively roomy for its size, well equipped, drives pretty well in town or at 70mph on the motorway. It is certainly not the most frugal for fuel with the latest generation of ‘green’ cars coming thick and fast to the market, but it is easy to drive, easy to park and easy on the pocket.

MILESTONES. Kia Picanto Ice 1.1-litre manual. Price: £6,995. Engine: 1.0-litre, four-cylinder, petrol 64bhp, 97Nm of torque. Performance: 96mph, 0-62mph 15.1 seconds, 53.3mpg, CO2 126g/km, VED Band C £115. Insurance group: 3. For: Five-door layout, compact in length, easy to park, well equipped, low price, low running costs, low insurance.
Against: Limited rear seat legroom, not as well finished inside as Kia’s European built models, choppy ride on poorer road surfaces with high-ish road noise intrusion.

Miles Better News Agency

http://www.kia.co.uk

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