When I first saw the new KIA Picanto on the road, I was pretty impressed at how sporty the Picanto had become. Though, I was concerned that it may be a bit small and under powered for me. I have just spent a week driving the 2018 KIA Picanto 1.2 Smart. Were my initial thoughts wrong? Let’s find out.
The 2018 KIA Picanto is actually the same as the 2017 Picanto. KIA are much slower than other manufactures who bring out an updated vehicle each year. I was told that the current KIA Picanto was already announced a year before it made its way to South Africa. The KIA Picanto that we are seeing here is the 3rd generation and has evolved since generation 2.
Exterior:
With bold lines, the Picanto is more youthful and energetic than ever before. The new Picanto is exactly the same length as the out going model but with an extended wheelbase of 15mm the Picanto looks like a much larger vehicle. With the Tiger nose grille on the front, angular wrap around headlamps and straight horizontal lines, the Picanto has a strong and confident new look. Making use of a wide C-pillar, the Picanto stands more upright than previous models.
I was excited to see that the Picanto had a sunroof which adds more space to the already spacious interior. Sunroofs are also loads of fun!
Now you are able to express your personalty with a choice of 11 vibrant colours. The model on test came in Shiny Red which looked really sporty. I’d also look at titanium silver or clear white. Finishing off the look, you either get 13 or 14 inch wheel covers or 13 or 15 inch aluminum alloy wheels.
Interior:
Climbing inside the Picanto, you enter a more modern and refined cabin than the previous generation. With a centrally aligned dashboard, a large display and new materials, the new Picanto certainly gives a better sense of quality. You will also find the controls are in a better position, so you can keep your eyes on the road. The steering wheel is kitted out with volume controls and hands free call buttons for easy access.
When it comes to comfort, KIA have made sure that the Picanto has comfortable seats with the same seat base materials and construction found in larger KIAs. As standard seats are covered in black cloth while the high spec models come in two tone black and grey leather. The front seats have independent headrests to give more comfort. I found the seats to be comfortable and they keep you in place. Adjusting the seats is done so manually but it is pretty easy.
While the new Picanto is the same body size as the previous model, it is much larger on the inside. There is loads more leg and head room, something that I always need. In fact, the Picanto has more leg and head room than rivals in the A-segment. Together with a lower step height, getting in and out of the Picanto is very easy.
There are loads of storage compartments for all your goodies. You will find storage under the centre arm rest, dashboard and an area under the centre console for your drink or your phone.
You may be thinking the Picanto has a small boot. Well think again. The 255 litre boot, which is 55 litres bigger than the previous generation, is the biggest boot in the A segment. The boot has a two-step boot floor, which gives a lower compartment, between the boot and spare wheel for small objects. Folding down the rear seat with the one touch lever increases total cargo capacity to just over 1 litre. Impressive. 60:40 split rear-folding back seats are a standard feature on all Picanto models.
Girls will love the optional new vanity mirror that comes with bright LED lights and a strip of mood lighting.
Tech:
The KIA Smart comes with a 7 inch touch screen infotainment system. This system allows you to play music from your phone via Bluetooth and supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for navigation. Your phone can also be synced for making calls. While the higher specked models have the full colour touch screen, lower specked models have a 3.8 inch TFT LCD display.
If you like to play music straight from a flash drive, there is one USB port, as well as an auxiliary port to play music off your phone, if you don’t want to use Bluetooth.
The KIA 1.2 Smart also comes with a rear view camera to make parking easy. You should not have any problems parallel parking, though you never know when you are going to have to squeeze into a tight place and a rear camera always helps. You also get rear parking sensors to warn you if you are close to another vehicle.
Performance:
The Picanto comes with either a 1.0 or a 1.25 Litre engine. The model that I had on test had the 1.25 4 cylinder engine. Producing 61 kW of power with 122Nm of torque, acceleration and power response was really quick. You have the option of a 5 speed manual gearbox or an automatic gearbox. Gear changing is quick and smooth. First gear actually has lots of oomph to get you going before you get hooted at the robot.
You also get a 1L engine which gives 49kW and 96Nm of torque. Both engines are really fuel efficient. The stated fuel consumption is 5.0 L/100km but I got 7.1 L/100km. I do have a bit of a heavy foot, blame cars like the Ford Focus RS 😉 Regardless the Picanto will certainly save you money on fuel. On half a tank, I could still do 223 Km!
The Picanto is very quiet on the road. Inside you barely hear any noises from the road, engine or wind. This is all thanks to soundproofing panels placed beneath the dashboard, in the flooring and in the pillars. The new Picanto produces a quietest-in-class 39 dB of noise at idle – 3 dB less than the current A-segment leader – and 68 dB at a steady cruise.
Racing-inspired aluminium pedals add to the fun of driving and the raised rubber gives grip. The pedals also looks really sporty!
The Picanto has a really small turning circle which ensures you can do turns in the smallest of places. This makes parking really easy as well.
Safety:
Usually small cars aren’t as safe as cars in other segments but the new KIA Picanto is the safest car that KIA has ever made in the A-segment. The new Picanto features more steel with a much stronger body. You also get driver and passenger airbags, ISOFIX child seat anchors as standard and ABS on all models except the entry level model.
To always be visible you get LED daytime running lights and automatic lights as standard on the Smart model.
Pricing:
Even though the new KIA Picanto has really been improved from the previous generation, KIA has manged to keep the pricing nearly the same.
Picanto 1.0 START Manual          R 134,995
Picanto 1.0 STREET Manual               R 149,995
Picanto 1.0 STYLE Manual          R 159,995
Picanto 1.0 STYLE Auto            R 172,995
Picanto 1.0 SMART Manual          R 179,995
Picanto 1.2 START Manual          R 150,995
Picanto 1.2 START Auto             R 163,995
Picanto 1.2 STREET Manual         R 165,995
 Picanto 1.2 STYLE Manual          R 175,995
Picanto 1.2 STYLE Auto             R 188,995
Picanto 1.2 SMART Manual           R 195,995
A sunroof is available as an option on the SMART models for an additional R8,500. Adding even further value to the KIA Picanto package is KIA’s class-leading 5-year / Unlimited Kilometre Warranty, inclusive of 3-years / Unlimited Kilometres Roadside Assistance, as standard. A service is available as an option through KIA Financial Services.
Verdict:
So were my initial thoughts about the All new KIA Picanto wrong? I really enjoyed driving the Picanto. It is a fun, funky vehicle to drive. On the inside, you can get all the bells and whistles you need to keep you safe and comfortable on the road. On the outside, the Picanto is sporty and fun looking. The drive is quick and nippy and very fuel efficient. Parking in busy areas is a breeze. I could certainly see myself owning a Picanto as my daily driver.
