Road Test - Kia Picanto

Author: Ian Strachan

The newly-revised Kia Picanto is a small car that thinks it’s big. Although the second generation Picanto is slightly larger than its predecessor, when you’re inside it feels much bigger.

And this pint-sized Korean is one of the cheapest cars on the road. It starts at just £7995.

Unlike a lot of small cars it's nicely styled and doesn't feel at all cramped inside. Performance is described as "peppy" which sums it up nicely.

I test drove the 1.25 litre powered Picanto EcoDynamics (at £10,195 - this is serious money!) and was pleasantly surprised by its zip.  This 84 bhp unit takes a little bit of winding up, but when it's cruising at 70 mph it does so easily and without the sort of underbonnet screaming you sometimes get in cars of this size. And you get 65.7 miles to the gallon in mixed driving.

The manual gearshift is pleasant to use, and the ride feels sure and stable, with nicely rated suspension and confident cornering.

But the real surprise is the interior space. Kia has pulled off a clever trick here. Sitting in the Picanto you feel as if you're in a much larger car - certainly bigger than its city car size.

Legroom and headroom are quite adequate for front and rear passengers. The front seats are big enough to feel comfortable on a long drive, and the rear seat accommodates two adults easily - and they don't have to be really good friends.

Open the tailgate and you'll see how Kia has done this. The luggage area is quite small - just about large enough for one medium suitcase. Clearly to get the interior space something had to be sacrificed. That said, there's no wheel arch intrusion so what you see is what you get.

That apart I like the Picanto. It has a personality all of its own and at just 3.6 metres long it will slot into the smallest parking space. 

Standard equipment includes 14 inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, 60-40 split rear seat, air conditioning, all-round electric windows, electric heated door mirrors, steering wheel-mounted controls and all round airbags. Plus you get Kia's seven year warranty. 

Cars in this class are becoming increasingly popular and the Picanto, with its great range of body colours and appealing looks, could well cash in.

Road test by Ian Strachan Communications Ltd

Ian Strachan is a motoring and business writer and PR consultant. He can be contacted on 01543 490932 or 07949 202596 or via email: ian@strachan13.freeserv