The very last time I drove a Kia Picanto was in early 2018, when I embarked on an bold roadtrip throughout South Africa. I walked absent from that epic journey with a new-discovered regard and admiration for the South Korean automaker’s micro car or truck, staggered at how it could manage every little thing thrown at it, which includes extensive freeway jaunts, irresponsible off-highway driving, and every little thing in involving.
Not long ago, I expended a 7 days with a further Picanto and, this time, made a decision to see how it promotions with every day driving responsibilities, managing it with a good deal additional treatment than the rental I experienced on the other aspect of the world.
Modest and fashionable
In Australia, the Picanto is marketed in 4 various guises, starting off with the entry-amount S design outfitted with a one.25-liter MPI 4-cylinder motor and mated to a guide transmission. A single compact phase up in the variety requires clients to the S one.25L MPI Petrol Computerized with, you guessed it, an automated transmission. Those people right after anything a minimal ‘sportier’ and additional eye-catching can decide for the GT-Line styles, also offered in guide and automated kinds solely with the one.25-liter 4-cylinder. We drove the GT-Line with the adhere change. Other variants incorporate the X-Line one.25L Handbook and Computerized as very well as the Picanto GT with a one.-liter turbocharged a few-cylinder motor and a guide 𠆋ox.
Overview: Why Did We Take A Kia Picanto On A Road Trip To South Africa? Because It’s There
As you𠆝 anticipate, the one.25-liter motor producing up significantly of the variety isn’t especially spirited, making just 83 HP (62 kW) at 6000 rpm and 89 lb-ft (122 Nm) of torque at 4000 rpm. Earning up for that deficiency of electrical power is a relative deficiency of pounds. In truth, the Picanto GT-Line Handbook weighs just 976 kg (2151 lbs). The effects are shocking. Plant your foot to the flooring and the metropolis car or truck pulls remarkably very well and is additional than satisfactory to city use, hardly ever leaving you seeking for additional electrical power. The motor is also incredibly successful, sipping just five.-liters/100 km (47 U.S. mpg) of gasoline in excess of the merged cycle.
Measuring just three,595 mm (141-inches) extensive, one,595 mm (62-inches) huge, one,485 mm (58-inches) tall, and sporting a two,400 mm (94.-inches) wheelbase, the Picanto is compact. Quite compact. There is just 255 liters (nine cubic-toes) of baggage house with the rear seats in their upright placement, but it feels even a lot less than that. Of system, a single doesn’t get a Picanto pondering it will be extremely functional and excellent for a loved ones trip with suitcases and backpacks.
I’ve often been fond on compact cars and trucks and, roomy inside apart, the Picanto feels just about the ideal sizing for city driving. Visibility is exceptional and the car or truck’s small sizing definitely will make it truly feel like you’re driving a go-kart.
Stuffed with tech
Individuals will be delighted to know that the Picanto GT Line, as very well as all other variants in the variety, appear full with a range of essential and valuable security characteristics. These incorporate Ab muscles, ESC, VSM, Hill Begin Help Command, Autonomous Unexpected emergency Braking with Ahead Collision Warning Technique, reverse parking sensors, a rearview digicam with dynamic parking pointers, dusk-sensing automated headlights, a rear fog light-weight, seatbelt reminders, and kid restraint anchorage factors. Cruise handle is also typical throughout the variety.
The inside of the Picanto GT Line is a incredibly awesome area to commit time in even although it lacks the frills of quite a few larger sized and additional high priced cars. Kia’s a few-spoke steering wheel is wrapped in delicate black leather-based and full with purple distinction stitching. Our examination car or truck’s inside topic ongoing with black and purple throughout the seats and doorway panels. There aren’t quite a few frills but, hey, you shouldn’t anticipate significantly from a car or truck of this type in any case.
It’s straightforward to discover a awesome driving placement, whilst the seats aren’t especially supportive nor at ease on extensive journeys. At the rear, there is a fair sum of headroom, but for those people a little taller in character, there is nearly no leg space. When you could definitely transportation 4 men and women in the Picanto, you𠆝 be tough-pressed to discover two older people that can easily in shape in the rear – except they are incredibly compact, that is.
Mated to the aforementioned motor of our examination car or truck was a 5-pace guide transmission that we suspect sells in reduce quantities than the offered vehicle 𠆋ox. The shifting system is clean and properly weighted, but it’s practically 2020 and we just can’t visualize all that quite a few clients preferring the adhere change in excess of the automated. It’s tough to blame them as a car or truck of this type isn’t a single that benefits you for driving it on the ragged edge. The Picanto GT Line significantly prefers to be be pushed in a quiet fashion, and when accomplished so, the guide is definitely satisfactory, many thanks mostly to the extremely light-weight clutch making certain it’s not a suffering to use in website traffic.
Sticking the car or truck to the pavement are 195/45 tires sitting down on 16-inch alloys on the GT-Line, X-Line, and GT styles, whilst the entry-amount S styles have smaller sized 14-inch wheels. Must you truly feel motivated to up the tempo on your generate household, the Picanto GT Line allows you have pleasurable at fair speeds, nonetheless it hardly ever feels all that at ease pushed tough and is susceptible to understeer.
A excellent micro car or truck, but it can get expensive
In advance of on-highway expenditures, the Kia Picanto begins at AU$14,190 (US$9718) and jumps to AU$15,690 (US$10,746) for the GT Line with the typical guide 𠆋ox. Those people right after the sportier Picanto GT, full with its turbocharged a few-cylinder, can select a single up from AU$17,990 (US$12,321) whilst at that place it’s in all probability really worth on the lookout at the mostly entry-amount Kio Rio S one.four Handbook that’s starting off from AU$17,490 (US$11,978).