With all Kia vehicles getting a touch of style and beauty in its design lines of late, the new Kia Picanto wasn’t spared.
The Picanto, a small city car that is powered by a frugal 1.2-litre motor, was launched in Malaysia in Oct 2013.
Its predecessor, an unbelievably ugly and pointless car, was launched some 7 years before. In comparison, the new car is literally world’s apart, and better at that.
Not only does the new car have a catchy appearance, it also comes in funky colours that entices a younger and more vibrant clientele. The interior is also designed accordingly, something that Kia was never able to do previously.
This time around, the Picanto comes in a small package; 3,595mm long, 1,595mm wide and 1,490mm high. The wheelbase is 2,385mm offers a generous interior space and although the car looks small, there is enough space inside for 5 people.
In particular, the front and rear headlamps look catchy with both having LED daytime running lights. And for an entry level car, the Picanto also has quite superior features such as electric folding mirrors, keyless entry, attractive 15-inch alloy wheels.
The model tested was a 1.2L automatic, which was coated in lemon grass, a colour not everyone would want to have. But for this car, it felt perfectly normal. It did attract lots of attention, which was good considering most of it were from younger women.
The interior is also impressive. The centre dashboard has a very contemporary design, angled to accommodate the air-conditioning vents and controls, and the audio system.
This cosy interior is complemented by a funky 2-spoke steering wheel. Under normal circumstances, the 2-spoke would have looked very unattractive but in this car, designers have been able to make it look good.
The steering has multi function control on it for the audio controls and is powered via Kia’s Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS) system. This system limits the power the system needs for steering and providing just enough of it.
Music is beamed out through 6 speakers and two tweeters, and can play MP3 and CDs. It also has a USB port, with the system itself capable of a Bluetooth connection.
Its not much but it does pump out slightly more than 80hp but the 119.6Nm of torque does manage city driving rather comfortably. The power plant is mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission that fairly distributed the torque through the gears.
Kia claims the Picanto returns some 22 litres per km and although it was difficult to verify this, it was relatively close to the claim.
The 6 airbags, including electric stability control (ESC), hill start assist control and vehicle stability managements ensure the safety of the driver and its occupants.
Most cars in this segment would not have such a long list of safety features and creature comforts, which is what makes the Picanto such an interesting proposition.
It is attractive, has a contemporary interior, has superior features including for safety, is able on the road and comes in an all sexy package that offers a cool factor. And better still, all Kia vehicles, including the Picanto, come with a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty.
A perfect city car below RM60,000.
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