2017 Kia Picanto First Drive Review | Expect Big Things From Kia’s Smallest Package
Kia is clear that its first foray into the light car market with the Picanto last year was something of a test program ahead of the arrival of this new model.
That 2016 car was already five years old when it arrived in Australia, but with city cars a declining market in Australia the opportunity was just right to see if Kia could make the mico car formula work with a low price and highly specced sub-compact car.
The arrival of this new generation Picanto confirms that Kia’s plan worked - in fact the last Picanto managed to grab 40 percent of the market, outselling rivals like the Mitsubishi Mirage, Holden Spark and Suzuki Celerio,
Now, with a fresh new look, extra technology and equipment, but pricing that continues to hold a tight line, the new Picanto seeks to build on the success of its predecessor.
Vehicle Style: Micro hatchback
Price: $14,190 plus on-roads (manual), $15,690 driveaway (automatic)
Engine/trans: 62kW/122Nm 1.2-litre 4cyl | 5sp manual, 4sp automatic
Fuel Economy Claimed: 5.0 l/100km manual, 5.8 l/100km automatic
OVERVIEW
As before, Kia offers the Picanto in a single trim level - in this case the Picanto S, which takes over from the last Picanto Si.
The Korean brand has also added a five-speed manual variant to the range, to go with the four-speed automatic, though the three-pedal version is expected to only account for a small 10-20 percent slice of sales.