Summarize

Picanto so good our man bought one!


Auto Bakkie Race Legend Tests are selected from our extensive road test archive.
This road test was first published in Cars in Action magazine February 2012.
 
When the new Kia Picanto was shown to the media, I was impressed, so when it arrived at the office I was keen to see what other people thought about it, but everyone in the office soon sang its praises. For starters it looks great — visually very funky and especially good for young buyers.

The interior also received a fair amount of praise — its design is simple but it works well with a most attractive dashboard, well laid out and easy to use, so it gets top marks for ergonomics. Quality inside is also impressive — yes, plastics are hard, but they don’t look or feel cheap — especially at this price. But Picanto’s biggest plus is how well it is equipped — this midrange model gets aircon, an alarm, auto headlights, central locking, driver’s airbag, an MP3 player with a USB slot and a full trip computer.

Under the bonnet, Kia’s thrifty 998cc triple develops 51kW at 6200rpm and 94Nm at 3500 — may sound like small numbers, but this great little unit has excellent throttle response and revs quickly. Steering is light and precise with a decent amount of feel, although a little on the stiff side at the 12 o’clock position when cruising.

Picanto is zippy to drive, handles quite well and offers the kind of agility you need in a city car with a comfy ride that errs on the firm side at times, but for a small car it provides a decent compromise. It’s not perfect though, wind noise is noticeable in the cabin and the brakes take some getting used to thanks to a light and sharp pedal.
 
The new Picanto impressed everyone who drove it during our week-long test - its plucky little three-cylinder engine, if a little underpowered impresses, the car looks great inside and out and there is plenty of standard equipment. On top of that, at just R107K including a five-year/100 000km warranty, it was so good that I bought one! — David Bing

Images - David Taylor

LEGEND TEST — Kia Picanto 1.0LX
Engine: 51kW 94Nm 998cc petrol I3
Drive:   5-speed manual FWD
TESTED (February 2012):
0-60km/h                        4.93 sec
0-100km/h:                    11.32 sec 
400m:                         17.7 sec @ 128km/h
80-120km/h:                 4.59 sec
CLAIMED:                       16.61 sec
Vmax:                             155km/h
Fuel:                         4.9/100km
CO2:                               117 g/km
NEW PRICE (2016):       R156K 
NEW MODEL TODAY: R171K (1.0 Style)
RATED:                           79%