The Kia Picanto is a nice city car for use in the city or even on the highway. Like most of its competitors, this car is efficient, economical, practical, reliable, and fun to drive. But is the Kia Picanto a good car?
Yes, the Kia Picanto is a good car if you’re in the market for a compact, reliable, economical, well-performing, practical, and fun-to-drive car. On the flip side, this car is not ideal for you if you desire a larger, more spacious, advanced, and high-performing car.
History of the Kia Picanto
The Kia Picanto is a city car that is produced by Kia. This car has been in production from 2003 to date. It is also referred to as Kia Morning in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Chile. In Vietnam, it is known as Kia New Morning and referred to as Naza Picanto or Naza Suria in Malaysia.
What’s more, this car has been produced in compliance with the “light car” category in South Korea that provides tax incentives for cars with exterior dimensions below 3,600 mm in length, and 1,600 mm in width. On top of that, the Kia Picanto is in its third generation, which has been in production from 2017 to date.
Features of the Kia Picanto
Appearance
The Kia Picanto may be small, but this doesn’t mean that it is poorly designed or uncomfortable. Surprisingly, the Kia Picanto is beautifully designed with the most recent models have upgraded features.
Some of the features that stand out are tinted glass, body-colored bumpers, standard paint, automatic headlight control, speed variable front wipers, 15-inch wheels, and high-mounted brake light. The interior also looks spectacular and spacious. It boasts features such as tilt steering wheel adjustment, sliding & reclining front seats, and steering wheel-mounted controls.
The Kia Picanto also comes with a wheelbase of 94.5 inches, a length of 141.5 inches, a width of 62.8 inches, and a height of 58.5 inches.
Performance
When it comes to performance, it will depend on the trim option or engine you select. The base engine is the 1.0-liter Kappa II 3-cylinder in the multi-point injected, 1.0-liter Kappa II 3-cylinder engine turbocharged direct engine, and the 1.2-liter Kappa II 4-cylinder engine. Note that the first two engines came with a 5-speed manual transmission, while the 1.2—liter engine features an optional 4-speed automatic transmission.
If you want the best performance, you should consider getting the Kia Picanto GT-Line S trim. It has a top speed of up to 112 mph and it can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in just 9.9 seconds. Nevertheless, it is also much costlier than other trims as it comes with added features like Autonomous Emergency Braking.
Comfort and cargo space
The Kia Picanto may be a city car, but it is still pretty spacious when compared to most of its rivals. This car can carry up to five passengers and it has a boot space of up to 255 liters. However, if you fold the rear seats, you will get a total of 1010 liters of cargo space.
Fuel efficiency
In terms of efficiency, the Kia Picanto is very economical. This is because it comes with an efficiency rating of around 48.7 mpg in the city, 65.7 mpg on the highway, and a combined 58.9 mpg. With such ratings, this is a very efficient city car.
Safety
The Kia Picanto is also a pretty safe car. This is because it comes with lots of safety features. Some of them include electronic stability control, brake assist system, emergency stop signaling, hill-start assist control, and tire pressure monitoring system.
Aside from an active safety system, this car also comes with passive safety systems, such as impact-sensing auto door unlocking, all-around height adjustable headrests, ISOFIX child seat top tethers & anchor fixings, and much more.
Price
Even though the Kia Picanto is slightly costlier than some of its rivals like the Hyundai i10, it is reasonably affordable. It has a price range of $16,290 to $20,790. At such an affordable price, the user gets lots of advanced features and exceptional performance.
FAQ
Is Kia Picanto a good car?
Yes, the Kia Picanto is among the finest city cars on the market. Nonetheless, some people may not find it worth investing in. The Kia Picanto is a great car if you’re looking for an efficient, compact, practical, and fun-to-drive city. On the other hand, it is not suitable if you’re looking for a comfortable, luxurious, and spacious car.
What are the common problems with the Kia Picanto?
If you want to invest in the Kia Picanto, it is crucial to find out some of the common problems that you will face along the way. Some of these issues include crankshaft problems, erratic idling, rear brake noise, fuel pump issues, creaking noise while steering, fuel pressure regulator failure, cracked rubber hoses, and difficulty changing gears.
How fast is the Kia Picanto?
The Kia Picanto is faster than most of its rivals like the Hyundai i10. The Kia Picanto 1.0 T-GDi GT-Line S is the fastest trim option. This variant is fitted with a 3-cylinder turbocharged engine that delivers up to 99 bhp and 172 Nm of torque. It also has a top speed of up to 112 mph and it can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in just 9.9 seconds.
Is Kia Picanto a good daily driver?
Yes, the Kia Picanto is a wonderful daily driver. This is because this car is fuel-efficiency, compact, and practical. Being a city car, the Kia Picanto is easy to maneuver in traffic and park in public car parks. What’s more, this car is cheap to maintain, meaning you won’t spend a lot to keep it on the road on a daily basis.
Which car is better – the Hyundai i10 or Kia Picanto?
The Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto are based on the same platform. Therefore, choosing one over the other is quite challenging as they share lots of features. However, the Hyundai i10 has a slight edge over the Picanto as it comes with a wider range of engines. Nonetheless, the Kia Picanto is more spacious, faster, and with a larger trunk space.
Summary
Generally, the Kia Picanto is an outstanding car for individuals looking for a stylish, compact, reliable, efficient, and practical car. But it is not ideal for people searching for a powerful, luxurious, spacious, and advanced car. With proper care and maintenance, the Kia Picanto is a car that will last for more than 250k miles.
