Kia Picanto

Overview

Kia, the elite South Korean automobile brand, may sound little audacious for its automobile platform but one should not be judgmental here. Since its inception in 1944, the brand has a lot to share. Starting as a bicycle part producer, Kia progressed to develop light means of transportation such as scooters and bikes and then excelled to become an automobile pioneer. This brand has a hand on experience of making commercial vehicles, defense vehicle, compact cars, sedans and MPVs. Thus this brand has built itself from scratch and now sky is the limit for it. The brand is the South Korea's second largest automaker following Hyundai motor company and why it should not be after all it has always surprised people by its unexpected superior quality delivery in cars making driving a wonderful experience. The brand always concentrated on making budget cars and one such car is Kia Picanto. It is a compact hatchback manufactured exclusively in a joint venture with Donghee in South Korea. It is a four wheel drive car and also known as Kia Morning in South Korea.

A successor of Kia Visto, Picanto it is said to be a cutely designed car with short bonnet, stretched bumper, grill radiator, swept headlights wing mirrors, prominent side character lines and stop lamp mounted on rear back with the brand presence on front and back as well. The sun roof in hatch back definitely catches attention. Along with exterior description comes the inside machines, the engine which are available in 4 variants namely 1.2 MPI, 1.0 MPI, 1.0 FFV and 1.0 LPGi. The most impressive engine in terms of power is the 1.2 litre MPI engine which can generate a maximum power of 87 PS at 6000 rpm along with a peak torque of 120 Nm at 4000 rpm. The dual tone interiors with all decent features like the audio system with USB and AUX, air condition system, sun visor illumination lamps, under seat storage tray, dual cup holders are addition to the spacious and comfortable seats for passengers with good boot space for luggage. Besides that, Picanto has been loaded with several safety equipments. There is electronic stability system, vehicle management stability system, six airbags, rear parking assist system, hill assist control system in addition to the brakes seat belts and fog lamps making the drive more fun. Thus no doubt Kia has marketed it well by saying “ all in small” and once again surprised all.

Mileage and fuel economy

Kia Picanto is a very economic car to maintain with not much running cost. Despite offering a decent power, the car delivers an appreciable mileage of 20 kmpl which makes it stand tall among its segment of cars.

Acceleration and pick up

Picanto being a city car doesn't offer an exhilarating acceleration but still it picks up decent numbers. With the 1.2 litre MPI engine, you can accelerate from naught to 100 km/hr in 13.5 seconds clocking a top speed of 169 km/hr.

Power

Picanto is available in a wide range of engines and each of these engine is capable of giving an optimum performance blended with appreciable power output The maximum power delivered and the peak torque reached by all the variants is as follows:

The 1.2 litre MPI engine can churn out a maximum power of 87 PS at 6000 rpm along with a peak torque of 120 Nm at 4000 rpm.

The 1.0 litre MPI engine can churn out a maximum power of 69 PS at 6200 rpm along with a peak torque of 94 Nm at 3500 rpm.

The 1.0 litre FFV engine can churn out a maximum power of 80 PS at 6200 rpm along with a peak torque of 100 Nm at 4500 rpm.

The 1.0 litre LPGi engine can churn out a maximum power of 67 PS at 6200 rpm along with a peak torque of 90 Nm at 3500 rpm.

Exterior

Kia Picanto is mechanically similar to Hyundai i10 but a lot more different when it comes to its looks. It is not just the sleekest city car but also one of the most stylish in this segment. Kia says it has rolled this car with a sense of cuteness. The front profile is highlighted by its trademark nose grille that fits into its large bumper and on which the brand Kia smiles. Along side the elegant grille, there is auto light control with escort and welcome lighting giving a solid illuminated view. The short bonnet with stretched bumpers and round fog lamps in it are trademark of Kia and can be seen here also. The side profile is characterized by such character edgy lines and LED folding outside mirrors giving it a youthful look. The rear view is interesting too with bright and big LED rear lamps which makes your presence seen by the following drivers. There is high mounted stop lamp on the rear window and also the rear wiper on it keeping rear view clear. Just beneath the windscreen the brand has its mention on the rear too. An antenna on the rear roof increases its elegance. The sunroof on the top along with power windows on side gives you a feeling of breeziness. This cuddle four wheeler runs on wheels which are either 13 inch 14 inch or 15 inch in alloy adding to the overall aesthetics of the car.

Exterior measurement

The silhouette of Picanto is spread on overall dimensions of 3595 mm x 1595 mm x 1490 mm (L x W x H) with a wheel base of 2385 mm which is standard for a hatch back.

Interior

Step inside the Picanto and the feel will be decorous. Dash of two tone can be seen in the dashboard of cockpit and also on the steering making it look so different. The motor driven power steering gives better response at different speeds and also allows you to adjust it according to ease. The steering has major control buttons mounted on it like the audio and the blue tooth hands free which does not deviate the drivers attention. The three dials in the sport looking cluster provides information like speed, fuel etc. The cabin is also designed spaciously, one has a choice of colors in interior which ranges from black, Grey, brown, yellow.

Interior Comfort

The interiors of Picanto offer style and comfort. The seats are properly aligned making it comfortable for its occupants. The center fascia has an air condition system with vents in side and an audio system with auxiliary and USB connections marking the basic interior features. A distinct feature is the sun visor illumination lamps, luggage under floor box and an under seat storage tray to keep your footwear or other stuff. There are seat back pockets to keep magazines and dual cup holders in the floor console which can be seen with a click of a button.

Interior measurement

A decent wheelbase ensures an appreciable cabin space inside. Several of storage compartments have been provided including a generous boot space of capacity 200 liters with rear seats in place and the space would increase to 870 liters with the seats folded down.

Engine and performance

Picanto is available in 4 engines namely 1.2 MPI, 1.0 MPI, 1.0 FFV and 1.0 LPGi. The maximum power delivered across all the engines vary from 67 PS at 6200 rpm to 87 PS at 6000 rpm. The peak torque reached varies from 90 Nm at 3500 rpm to 120 Nm at 4000 rpm..

Stereo and accessories

Picanto can be a good companion for a long city drive with its advanced infotainment system. It has a complete music system with RDS radio/ CD audio with MP3 disc compatibility with speakers and blue tooth music streaming and USB and AUX ports for connecting a media device. Thus the car is set to paint the world red with you!

Wheels

One gets a wide choice of wheels for Kia Picanto . There are 155/70 R13 , 165/60 R14, 175/50 R15 , 165/ 60 R14, 165/60 R14 and 175/50 R15 suavely designed wheels which add to the sporty quotient of the car.

Braking and handling

For firm braking, Picanto comes outfitted with all-wheel disc brakes which is further accompanied with Hill Start Assist (HSA) preventing rolling back of the vehicle. Talking about its suspension, this car is employed with McPherson Strut with stabilizer for front axle and torsion beam for the rear.

Safety and security

Safety brings peace of mind and keeping this in head, Kia has provided ample safety features in this car. Picanto is equipped with full suite of safety gear including dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags (SRS), SmartVent front side Airbags, Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Outboard Rear Seat Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, Vehicle Stability Assist with Traction Control and Tire Pressure Monitoring System for a stress free safe drive. The Anti Lock Breaking System works in harmonics with Electronic Stability Control to deliver an efficient braking performance.

Pros

Elegant exterior styling
Low maintenance cost

Cons

NVH levels on highways
Lacks advanced infotainment features