Kia Picanto 2 – Review

By Liam Bird

It would be untrue to say that there isn’t more than just a hint of self-indulgence involved when it comes to booking the cars I review. You see, not only do I do all the driving and all the writing, I do all the admin too. Hence perhaps one or two emails to Ferrari and McLaren every now and then, plus a few to Bentley, the odd one to Rolls-Royce, and regular correspondence with both Porsche and Aston Martin. After all, what’s the point of all of this extra work if, significant lottery win not forthcoming, you don’t get to drive the stuff you’ll probably never be able to pay for?

“Fancy car nonsense”

The downside to all of this “fancy car nonsense”, as someone once so succinctly put it, is that on more than one occasion (usually by a former editor) I’m, perhaps inevitably, faced with the question “When are going to review something we might actually be able to afford?”

Therefore dear reader, and in the interests of balance you understand, I bring you the new Kia Picanto.

In the 2 spec, as tested here, Kia’s latest version of their now perennial city car – can you believe Kia have been making the Picanto for 20 years? – could be all yours for the not-so princely sum of £15,595. You’d struggle to get a boot carpet, Apple CarPlay, and a set of mud-flaps on a Lamborghini Urus for that!

“Packs a lot”

AppleCar Play comes as standard on the Picanto. So does Bluetooth, ISOFIX, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, forward collision avoidance assist, cruise control, Lane keep and Lane follow assist, Hill start assist, an 8 inch touch screen, tyre pressure monitoring, LED running lights, ABS with EBD, ESP, and a whole host of other abbreviated electro-witchcraft that you can’t see.

And of course you get Kia’s 7-year/100,000mile warranty, and their 12 year/unlimited anti-perforation warranty. Haggle hard with the dealer and you might get them throw a set of mud-flaps in for free too. The Picanto might be a little car, but it packs a lot of useful kit.

You may also be glad to hear it has proper, tactile, controls for heating and ventilation, a good old-fashioned lever-operated handbrake, and you start it… by putting a key in an ignition switch, and turning it. Hallelujah!

“Hard and scratchy league”

It could be said that some of the plastics used lower down in the cabin are still very much in the hard and scratchy league (what did you expect in on of the cheapest cars currently on the market?)

Nevertheless, everything feels as though it’s been screwed together with precision and overall this little Kia’s interior is quite an attractive, comfy and a rather mature feeling place to be.

Also worthy of note is that the Picanto will accommodate five people – just – there are five seat belts, and Kia claim, it’s good for 54.3 mpg on the combined cycle too. Albeit probably not when travelling “five-up”.

However many passengers you choose to, or perhaps not to, travel with, you certainly won’t be setting any land speed records.

“In no-way a sportscar”

European styling (It was designed by the same bloke as was the original Audi TT), sharply creased body, and trademark Kia “Tiger grille” aside, one look at the Picanto is all it takes to tell you that it is in no-way a sportscar. Power – in the case of the shamelessly thrummy 999cc 3-pot on test – equates to just 62 bhp at a heady 5,500 rpm. Fast the Picanto isn’t.

0-62mph takes a leisurely 15.4 seconds, and with just 69 lbft of torque available at 3,750 rpm you’ll be stirring the 5 speed gearbox time and time again to keep things on the boil. I haven’t driven the auto, but I’m reliably informed that unless you really have to, don’t. That said, things remain surprisingly smooth, and once up to speed the Kia Picanto 2 rides reasonably well even at motorway speeds – which incidentally it seems happy to do all day.

At lower speeds the stiff suspension set-up and dinky 14 inch wheels do sometimes thump into potholes, and both the clutch and the brakes are a tad snappy in their action.

But, once you’ve acclimatised, in town, the combination of light steering, and excellent all-round visibility, together a well thought out driving position more than make up for those minor foibles. The Picanto’s short wheelbase makes it a doddle to park too.

“More than capable”

Priced at £15,595, for this entry level model, the Kia Picanto 2 certainly isn’t as inexpensive as it once was. What is? And many-a-manufacturer has stopped making their similarly-sized city-car simple because they can no-longer make the numbers work well enough to make a profit. I make no secret of the fact I like small cars (VW’s now no longer made Up! remains a firm favourite), and I’m glad Kia, now twenty years since they first introduced the Picanto, have stuck with format.

Quite whether it’s right to still refer to the Picanto as cheap I’m not sure. But after week spent in its company, I can say that if you’re looking for a very capable little car that doesn’t feel totally out-classed when out of town Kia’s perennial little run-around is still more than capable of making you cheerful.

Kia Picanto 2 1.0 litre 5-Speed Manual
Engine: 998cc 3Cyl, 12V, petrol.
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive.
Power: 62bhp @ 5,500 rpm
Torque: 69lb-ft. @ 3,750 rpm
0-62 MPH: 15.4 Sec
Max Speed: 90 mph
CO2: 116 g/km
MPG: 54.3 (WLTP combined)
Price: from £15,595 (on the road)