What is it?
The Kia Picanto is a typical small A-segment car of the kind used by companies for general runabouts, or as a first car for new drivers, and has been one of the Korean brand’s strongest sellers ever since it first appeared in 2003.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons the car is still available today in a market many manufacturers are getting out of – there is very little money to be made from A-segment cars, plus little economic viability in adding specification, especially safety equipment, that many buyers now demand.
The current third generation Picanto launched in 2017 and was considered a significant step up from its predecessor, mirroring Kia’s progress from budget to mainstream brand. Now we have a mid-life refresh, and perhaps reflecting how long the current Picanto has been on sale, it is much more wide-ranging than is typical of such revamps.
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
Business Motoring Award Winners 2024
Visually the car looks distinctly different to the outgoing Picanto. It’s adopted the latest styling language seen on the recently launched Kia flagship, the EV9 and which is presented in two distinct varieties – there are four mainstream trim levels and the two more sporty pitched ‘GT-Line’ versions get a more muscular look.
The changes are most notable at the front of the car, with a prominent lower grille with above it vertical headlamps joined by a connecting bar across the base of the bonnet. The rear gets a continuous light bar too while on the GT-Line versions there is an impression of an underbody diffuser such as worn by all the best sports cars. With the fastest Picanto taking more than 13 seconds to reach 60mph, we feel the aerodynamics are merely for show…
The interior has also seen updates but nothing too dramatic – all Picantos still come fitted with an eight-inch central touchscreen with navigation, but the driver’s 4-inch display is now digital rather than the analogue dials of old.
There are powertrain changes and they are slightly unusual. The buyer has a choice of two petrol engines, the mainstay being a 1-litre three-cylinder unit which curiously now has 63hp instead of its former 67. The 100hp turbocharged version of this engine is no longer on offer, but there is a 1.2.5-litre petrol engine that was last on offer in 2020, when it had 84 rather than the now 78hp.
The front-wheel drive car employs a five-speed manual transmission as standard but all versions can be ordered with Kia’s Automated Manual Transmission. According to its makers it is designed to combine the fuel efficiency of a conventional manual gearbox with the convenience of a hassle-free automatic transmission and this it does, the auto virtually matching the plus 50mpg of the manual versions. But it does make the car significantly slower – at 15 seconds to 60mph the 1-litre manual is not exactly swift but the auto drags this out over 18 seconds.
The Picanto’s four trims are dubbed 2, 3 and the two sporty ones, GT-Line and GT-Line S. Apart from a special edition called Shadow, buyers that want the 1.2-litre engine will have to go for the range-topping GT-Line S which only comes with this powertrain.
Standard equipment on all models includes the 4.2-inch driver’s display, auto headlights, parking sensors and rear camera and rain-sensing wipers. Move up the range and you can add such desirables as smart keys with push-button starting, heated seats and wireless smartphone charging.
As well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, all Picantos also come with Kia Connect, the brand’s telematics service which offers a range of over-the-air features, notably real-time updates to the built-in navigation, plus weather updates, parking space availability and such like.
Previous Picantos have been criticised for their standard safety equipment that only earned a three-star Euro NCAP rating, raising to four if one bought an extra-cost safety pack, which you had to do to get autonomous emergency braking.
Since 2022 such features have been mandatory and the current car includes a full suite of active driver assistance systems and would probably score more highly in a test. However to get the best autonomous system with city, pedestrian, cyclist and junction braking, and a blind-spot assistance, you still have to go for the top-line GT-Line S – another consequence of the tiny earning potential small cars represent for manufacturers.
On-the-road prices start from £15,595 for the 1-litre manual transmission in ‘2’ trim and choosing the AMT adds £575. The first GT-Line variant is £16,745, GT-Line S with the larger engine £18,445. These prices are generally good value, and Kia’s standard seven-year warranty emphasises that fact.
What do we think of it?
Small cars are all about simplicity– they are typically driven by those who need to get used to an unfamiliar vehicle quickly, such as with company pool cars, or less-experienced and as a result perhaps mildly nervous drivers. So they need to breed familiarity, inspire confidence and offer no vices.
Kia’s Picanto has always managed this and the latest version maintains the breed, while also giving an impression of being more grown-up – ‘dinky’ and ‘cute’ were phrases easily applied to former versions, not so much this one, particularly the GT-Line models on which the prominent styling, especially those vertical lights, produce a much more purposeful stance.
Inside the general feel has been updated but not to dramatic standards – it’s still what one generally expects in the city car market and some of the plastic surfaces are quite hard. The most notable change is in the driver’s controls where those digital instruments have replaced the previous dials and our reviewer was not convinced the new version was batter.
The driving position is adequate for the market, not the most comfortable in the world but better than some rivals – you at least get some adjustability in the Kia.
The Picanto has one of the longer wheelbases in its sector with short overhangs, which means that for a small car it is in relative terms pretty spacious, both for people and cargo – the boot offers 255 litres of space as standard and extends to 1,010 litres with the rear seats folded.
Business Motoring tried out the 1-litre version of the car on the launch event. As one would expect in this market this is not exactly a quick car (and with the AMT transmission it is positively pedestrian), but it is quite competent, easy to manoeuvre with a tight turning circle.
Once you get used to the power limitations, the Picanto is actually quite fun to drive and more importantly easy to do so. It’s smooth and quiet, rides well and answers commands from the steering wheel with accuracy while the manual gearbox is slick and precise.
Overall the package of updates to the Picanto are welcome and timely, helping this car to remain as one of the major examples in a declining market – there may be far fewer city cars around these days but the Picanto is one of the better ones, scoring most on the fact it still represents excellent value for money.