NEW Kia Picanto Review, Price, Interior & Boot Space
New Kia Picanto: A Small City Car with Big Potential
Kia reckons the number of new small city cars has halved since 2018, and it does seem like everything’s getting bigger and heavier. But this is the new Kia Picanto—a simple, small, fuel-powered, and affordable new car that could make a lot of sense to many people. In this review, we explain why.
A Brief History of the Picanto
The Kia Picanto first arrived in 2003. Then, there was a second-generation model in 2011 before a third-generation model followed in 2017. That car had a pretty big update in 2020. This new Picanto is still the third-generation car but has had another significant update.
Design and Exterior Updates
There have been big changes at the front, where you can see that almost everything is new. There’s a new bumper, new gloss black accents, new headlights, and a new light bar. In effect, this now looks a bit like an EV9 that’s far away. However, not every Picanto will look exactly like this. This front end is reserved for the so-called sportier trim levels, GT Line and GT Line S. If you opt for one of the other trims, it will look different.
Wheel and Paint Options
As for the alloys, they range from tiny 14-inch wheels to these 16-inch ones. Across the lineup, there are new designs as well. At the back, there is a new look too, with small things like the badges being moved down, whereas before, they were higher up. The bigger difference is now having this light bar across the back. The light bar at the front isn’t standard on all Picantos, but this setup at the back is standard across the entire lineup. There’s also a choice of nine paint colors, including four new options, and the key itself has had a makeover too.
Interior Updates and Features
Inside, things aren’t wildly different from before, but you now have a digital driver display. You also have an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system on every Picanto across the lineup. To be honest, this is reasonably impressive in a no-frills kind of way. It’s got nice graphics, good response time, and helpful physical shortcut buttons along the bottom. Of course, it would be better if there were even more physical buttons to help operate it, but by the standards of touchscreen infotainment systems, this is actually pretty good. You also get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, although it’s not wireless. You can get wireless phone charging if you go for a Picanto in three trims or in the range-topping GT Line S.
Seating and Trim Options
Whichever version you go for, you’re going to get an interior that broadly looks like this. The only significant difference to point out is that on entry-level two trim, you get black cloth seats, but on the trims above, you get this black and gray artificial leather upholstery. There’s also a Shadow Edition trim, which is a limited-run model available from when the Picanto first launches in the UK, and it apparently has a kind of green color scheme in its interior.
Also Read 2024 Kia Carnival: Release Date, Price, Specs, Pros & Cons
New Sunroof Option
Another new feature for the Picanto is the option to get a sunroof, but in the UK, it’s only available in GT Line S models. Everything else remains the same as in the previous version of this car, which, to be fair, isn’t a bad thing. While the interior quality isn’t amazingly plush or full of really dense, nice-feeling materials, this is a class of car that’s focused on the budget end of the new car market. Yes, the dashboard is pretty hard, but it all feels well-put-together and is not very unpleasant at all. Compared to its rivals, this interior is actually pretty decent.
User-Friendly Climate Controls
Isn’t it nice to be able to get in a car and think, “Oh, it’s hot; I want to make it colder,” and you can do that by simply twiddling these dials down here rather than going through a touchscreen infotainment system? It’s a refreshing change that helps avoid taking your eyes off the road and getting frustrated.
Steering Wheel Adjustment and Driving Position
However, one thing that remains the same from before that isn’t so good is the fact that the steering wheel only adjusts for height and not reach. So, while I can move it up and down, I can’t move it in or out. To be fair, this isn’t an issue for my driving position, and the Picanto gives you a very sound driving position overall. This might not be a complete deal breaker for many potential Picanto buyers.
Back Seat Comfort and Space
There has been a change in the back. In the old Picanto, you got four seats as standard, so two in the back on this bench. But if you went for a Picanto X Line, you got five seats. Now, for this new model, X Line has been discontinued, but you get five seats as standard across the lineup. However, the actual dimensions and proportions of the car haven’t changed at all, so the space is exactly the same as it was in the old Picanto. That means it is surprisingly accommodating for adults in the back.
Headroom and Legroom
I’ve got the driver’s seat set up in my driving position, and while it’s not like a limo back here, considering the small proportions of the car, I can fit in perfectly fine. If you were over six feet, headroom might be an issue, and if you had very long legs, that could be a problem too. But overall, I can fit in fine. It’s not uncomfortable back here, and there’s plenty of space for your feet under the seat in front of you. If you’re seated in the middle seat, you’ll be higher up than you would be in the outer two seats, but there’s still a bit of clearance above your head, and there’s not much of a lump in the floor either.
Challenges with Seating Three Adults
The difficulty, however, will be squeezing in three adults side by side because this is a fairly narrow car. Still, overall, given the class of car and its small proportions, the rear seats are still pretty good.
Boot Space and Versatility
Now, the boot dimensions haven’t changed, so this is still the same size as it was before. There’s a fairly simple load space here with a bit of wheel arch intrusion on either side, but the fancy feature to point out is the height-adjustable boot floor. In its highest position, it reveals rather a lot of underfloor storage, which is very handy. If you put this in its lowest position, it increases the overall capacity to around 255 liters, which is the same as the old car. We could fit three carry-on-size suitcases into the back of the previous Picanto, and we reckon it’ll be exactly the same in this car.
Folding the Rear Seats
If you want even more space, you can remove the parcel shelf, though it’s slightly annoying that this is just too big to fit in the actual car itself. If you find somewhere else to store it, you can fold down the rear seats, which split-fold 60/40. With all the rear seats down, the overall capacity from the boot to the front seats increases to around 1,000 liters. However, there’s a significant step up to the rear seats and a considerable loading lip as well, which isn’t particularly convenient.
Practicality of the Boot
If you put the height-adjustable boot floor back up to its highest position, you’ll see that it’s actually pretty flat with these rear seats, which helps for sliding items along if needed. This also reduces the loading lip, making it more practical. While there are cars with bigger boots than the Picanto, for this price range and type of car, the boot you’re given is usable. If it’s not big enough for your needs, you might want to consider a different class of car altogether.
Engine Options: What’s New and What’s Gone
The big news in the engine department is that the 1.0-liter turbocharged option from before is no longer available with the Picanto. This means that the lineup now has two engines to choose from: the entry-level choice is a 1.0-liter MPI, a three-cylinder petrol engine with no turbocharger, delivering about 65 brake horsepower. Above that is a 1.2-liter MPI offering 77 brake horsepower. The 1.0-liter was available before and continues in the Picanto lineup. The 1.2-liter used to be available, then it went off sale, but now it’s back, albeit with mild updates.
NEW Kia Picanto Performance Figures
These engines still make for some comical reading when it comes to 0-62 mph times. The quickest version of this car can do 0-62 mph in 13.1 seconds with the 1.2-liter engine. If you’re in the 1.0-liter, it’ll take 15.4 seconds. The Kia Picanto is one of the slowest accelerating cars on sale, and that’s if you have the 5-speed manual gearbox, which is the version we have here. It’s very light and reasonably satisfying to use.
NEW Kia Picanto Transmission Options
There’s also an automated manual transmission, which is essentially the same setup as this manual but with a robot doing the clutch and changing the gears for you. With that gearbox, the car is even slower: 0-62 mph takes 16.5 seconds in the 1.2-liter and 18.2 seconds in the 1.0-liter. It’s a real shame that the 1.0-liter turbocharged option from before has been dropped because it was significantly quicker and by far the pick of the Picanto lineup.
NEW Kia Picanto Engine Performance in Real-World Driving
These naturally aspirated options have to be thrashed to get pretty much anywhere, but then, how quickly do you need to get from one traffic light to another? If you’re considering this kind of car, you’ll probably do most of your miles in a city, where 0-62 times don’t really matter. What is more relevant is fuel economy. The official figures suggest that the 1.0-liter engine in this Picanto can achieve 54.3 mpg, and the 1.2-liter can achieve 51.4 mpg. These numbers are pretty good.
NEW Kia Picanto Handling and Ride Comfort
You can reach motorway speeds with these engines and do long-distance motorway trips with little fuss. It just takes a while to get up to cruising speeds. In other respects, the Picanto is quite a nice car to drive. There have been no fundamental mechanical changes compared to the old car, so it rides and handles much the same way. This is a decent car to drive, with a good sense of connection to what the front wheels are doing through the steering. It feels light and alert in terms of handling, and the firm suspension setup means it’s good through corners as well.
NEW Kia Picanto Ride Quality and Noise Levels
On the flip side, the firm suspension setup impacts ride comfort at low speeds, but it’s still comfortable overall and decent on the motorway. The main drawback on the motorway is the interior noise levels, but broadly speaking, this is a tidy car to drive, albeit a little lacking in power.
NEW Kia Picanto Trim Levels and Equipment
Let’s talk about the trim lineup now because it is different from before. The old Picanto started with entry-level one trim, which had hardly any equipment at all—14-inch steel wheels and not much else. It wasn’t particularly recommendable, even though it was the cheapest version of this car. That trim has been scrapped, so now the lineup starts with two trim, which actually gets quite a lot of kit as standard. You get that infotainment system, rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera.
NEW Kia Picanto Higher Trims and Features
Above that, there’s GT Line, then confusingly, there’s three, and the range-topping model is GT Line S, with the limited-run Shadow trim somewhere in the middle. As mentioned earlier, it’s GT Line, GT Line S, and Shadow that get the slightly sporty exterior styling seen on this car. But if you’re not fussed about that, the most recommendable trims are two, to keep the price as low as possible, or three, which is effectively mid-spec and still offers useful features like heated front seats and a heated steering wheel.
The New Kia’s Warranty and Reliability
Whichever version you go for, you’ll get Kia’s fantastic 7-year warranty as standard. The Korean manufacturer has an excellent record for reliability.
NEW Kia Picanto Price and Competitors
There has been a change to the pricing, and the new kia Picanto is more expensive now than it was before. It looks like there’s been a huge jump in the starting price, but that’s because the entry-level one trim, which had hardly any equipment but was very cheap, is no longer available. This means the Picanto lineup now starts with entry-level two, which costs ÂŁ15,590. The most expensive version of this car costs just over ÂŁ19,000.
Comparing the Picanto to the Competition
This means that a Dacia Sandero, for example, is significantly more practical, has better engines, and is also cheaper than an equivalent Picanto. But the Picanto remains one of the cheapest new cars you can buy. If you’re looking for a simple, small, fuel-powered car that isn’t electric, isn’t big, isn’t heavy, and doesn’t cost a fortune, the Kia Picanto is highly recommendable.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading this review of the new Kia Picanto. We’re going to take this car on a road trip group test against its closest rivals very soon.
