With Its Subtle Interior Design Giving It A Much Classier Look, The Picanto Has Finally Grown Up
It’s funny how even the smallest of details can turn an already pretty decent product into something that’s pretty spectacular.
Well, that’s just what those interior designers at Kia have done with their latest incarnation of the little Picanto.
Gone are those acres of yucky battleship grey plastic and fabrics that really did overwhelm the interior of the funky city car.
Now they have been replaced by blacks and charcoal greys, which without question give the latest offering from the Korean marque a much more refined and luxurious look.
Those Korean equivalents of Trinny and Susannah have also given the car new upper and lower facia sections and a new steering wheel featuring a chrome Kia badge.
And, following on from the Cee’d, the instruments are now backlit in orange.
In another master stroke, Kia have at long last gone with the flow and housed the indicator stalk on the left-hand side of the steering wheel.
So, although the Kia has already become a firmfavourite with the British car-owning public, I reckon these changes will see more and more buyers flock to the Picanto.
And it doesn’t stop there. For up front it also gets a new bumper, headlamps, bonnet and wings, and a revised radiator similar to that fitted to the Cee’d and Carens. At the rear there’s a new bumper and lamp clusters.
Four models make up the range: Ice, Picanto, Picanto 2 and Picanto 3.
The entry-level Picanto is powered by a 61bhp one-litre engine, while the rest of the range gets a more powerful 64bhp 1.1-litre unit, all mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.
However, a four-speed automatic choice is also available on both the Ice and Picanto 2.
For a city car, the new Picanto was quick to show its capabilities.
On the tight, back roads and lanes around Chesham the little machine was in its element, ripping through the country lanes like there was no tomorrow.
But the final leg along the M25 to Heathrow Airport also proved a delight.
Cruising along at the speed limit there was no hint of any stress coming from the Kia.
With a price tag of Ł6995, the new Ice model looks set to become the best-seller.
With its classy black trim, built-in MP3-compatible audi sound system, air-conditioning, electric front windows and remote central locking, it offers more than you could ever expect from a small city car.
Factfile:
Model: Kia Picanto Ice Engine: 1.1-litre petrol Power: 64bhp 0-62mph: 15.1 seconds Top speed: 96mph Economy: 53.3mpg Warranty: Three years/unlimited miles Price: Ł6995 On sale: Now [Source: Daily Record, Scotland]
November 13th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
Is the Picanto available in leather? I was looking around in the Kia site of several countries, and couldn’t seem to find one trimmed in leather! It is a shame that the Picanto isn’t sold in the U.S. With over 50 MPG, americans would eat it up!
November 13th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Also, is it just me, or does the front of the Picanto sort of resemble the Cee’d?
November 14th, 2007 at 6:50 am
Americans won’t eat it up because apparently we have the… SUV mania…. hey don’t blame us i mean…. big roads big houses big parking lots most of the US except maybe in the few crowded cities like NY, MIAMI, LA ect.. Sadly i love small cars… makes me one with the car and the road but hey…. you gotta be nuts driving that thing that weights almost 1 ton here when there’s 3-4ton SUV all around you…. if one of those nuts rear hit you, ya will get crushed like a BUG between 2 SUV’s
November 14th, 2007 at 6:53 am
Here I’ll put it better, driving small cars in America surrounded by SUV’s is like riding a bicycle in europe surrounded by cars….
November 14th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Good comparison Len!:) I don’t know how Americans would accept such a mini car!? But the market (US) is opening for smaller cars. Smart is coming to US, which is even smaller than Picanto.
In the future we might see Kia Picanto also in US. But I don’t expect to see it there atleast 10 years!
Yes it has a bit of Kia’s family look. Cee’d, Rondo and Picanto have similar grille.
I think it’s not avaliable with leather.
November 16th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
I am working on submitting to Kia an idea that will make Kia go to the top in 3 days! Right now me and Kia officials are looking for a legal loophole. Hope to see this idea by next November! P.S. It will be incredibly secret, the cars of my idea will just show up on the lot.
November 17th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
I like the Picanto but prefer a tad bit bigger size. That doesn’t make the Picanto a bad car and I would like to see the Picanto sold in
the U.S. I, too, love smaller cars. But I consider my current drive, a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS, a small car. It is a compact and I
consider compacts the biggest of the small cars.
This Picanto should, and it looks like it does sell well, in Europe. Kia did it’s homework well in selecting the right kind of car to build and
sell in Europe(cee’d and Picanto). Love this website and all of this Kia information. I recently(March ’07)bought my Lancer GTS, however,
before that my last two news cars were a ’99 Kia Sephia and a ’01 Kia Sportage 4X4. So, a return to Kia Motors for my next new car, in
probably 5 or 6 years, is possible, indeed. One can never start car shopping too soon now! Keep the detailed Kia news and photos coming, himi!
Thank you!