Overview

KIA’s tiny Picanto five-door hatch is the most affordable new car on the market listed from $17,890 + ORC for the five-speed manual Sport model with a four-speed auto (where Kia would source a four-speed auto from is anyone’s guess) adding $1600.

The manual GT-Line tested is from $19,690 + ORC with the auto option also adding $1600.

MG’s superseded 3 model is around the same money but won’t last long as eager buyers snap them up.

The Picanto has been around for yonks first seeing the light of day back in late 2016 but has gone through something of a metamorphosis along the way resulting in the latest iteration complete with current Kia’s “Opposites United” styling, droopy lights and funky detail features including the wheels.

At a pinch you may be able to squeeze five people inside but there isn’t much luggage space down the back at 255 litres.

However, that’s missing the point here as the Picanto doesn’t pretend to be an SUV and is really only a runabout with a rear seat that can be folded (creating 1010 litres) to carry more stuff.

Its compact dimensions, lightly weighted electric power steering and a reverse camera make for easy parking, the upright body contributing to good all-round visibility.

Access for larger people may be problematic because of the smallish door apertures.

The GT-Line looks cute, is surprisingly well equipped and is relatively simple mechanically with a 62kW/122Nm 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine driving the front wheels.

It drinks regular (91 RON) unleaded petrol at a claimed combined rate of 5.4 litres per 100km from a 35-litre tank.

The suspension is a strut front and rudimentary torsion beam at the back with four-wheel discs behind stylish 16-inch machine-finished diamond cut alloy wheels on the GT-Line.

The top model scores pleather (artificial leather) upholstery and a D-cut tilt adjustable sports steering wheel, gloss black dash accents, and alloy pedals among a raft of enhancements over the Sport model.

Replacing the previous model’s analogue dials are new digital gauges set in 4.2-inch screens complemented by a decent size 8.0-inch floating touchscreen infotainment display in the middle of the dash.

Rear seat passengers in the GT-Line can stay connected with the addition of USB Type-C charging ports.

Safety kit includes a range of Kia’s ADAS as standard across both trims that includes blind spot collision avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, lane follow assist, and lane keeping assist.

Electric and folding side mirrors with integrated indicators are newly standard across both trims with a heating function on the GT-Line.

Picanto is available in a seven-colour palette with a new Adventurous Green being added this time around.

Driving Impressions

Driving a little car like this creates a whole new set of issues due to the shocking disrespect shown it by other road users.

During our stint in the Picanto, we lost count of the times we were squeezed off the road, not given right of way, tailgated, forced to take evasive action and generally treated poorly.

Why is anyone’s guess, but it is a serious attitude problem that needs to be addressed because we were driving the test model the same way we drive other testers and that, dear reader, is not timidly, erratically, aggressively or stupidly.

As the French adage goes c’est la vie, but really, plenty of peeps out there need to get their act together on this one…

Though holding some trepidation about the size and drive feel of the Picanto, we were pleasantly surprised by Kia’s tiddler across a range of applications including, funnily enough, its performance which is impressive for what looks pretty doughy on paper.

Its naturally aspirated engine mates sweetly with the test car’s manual transmission to deliver spritely acceleration with (even) decent roll-on at highways speed sometimes requiring a down change but not always.

Hand on heart, the five-speed ‘box could probably do with a smoother shift action, especially going into reverse, and another cog to optimise performance and economy but it is not absolutely necessary as on test we saw combined fuel consumption fall to 4.5 litres per 100km.

That correlates to cheap transport, as at the time 91 RON unleaded was around $1.50 a litre, meaning a 100km drive would cost roughly $6.75. Not even a bus fare!

The engine can be heard working some of the time, but we muffled it via the decent audio system fitted to the GT-Line. We got to cram in five adults too which was, erm, interesting, but do-able albeit only for a short time.

Loaded thus, the Picanto showed no real ill-effects save for slightly dented acceleration.

We folded the rear pew and used it effectively as a small delivery van and if we owned the beast, would probably take the rear row out and stow it in the shed creating a full-time two-seat minivan.

Like the powertrain, other driving aspects of the Picanto measure up as it offers a controlled ride from a relatively simple suspension comprising struts up front and a flex beam down the back.

Even on the pitifully potholed local roads, the Picanto delivered a decent level of comfort aided by the quick steering that allowed us to avoid most of the bigger holes but only after switching off the lane keeping assist.

The GT-Line has larger 16-inch wheels and lower profile tyres compared to the Sport model but no diminution to drive feel or NVH generation was perceptible.

Four-wheel disc brakes capably stop the 993kg Picanto GT-Line manual aided by grippy rubber.

You sit close together for sure but interior space has been well laid out making the Picanto easy to drive and ride in with plenty of kit to keep you comfortable, entertained and safe.

After a week of driving the Picanto GT-Line manual we grew to like the little rascal on several fronts, in particular its frugal fuel use, decent performance, cute looks generous amount of standard kit and engaging drive feel… in its own runabout kind of way.

Pity about all the boofheads out there who have an issue with size…