Kia Picanto

The revamped Kia Picanto offers a sleek design and enhanced safety tech. Is it the best in its segment?

The Picanto is one of Australia's most affordable new cars. Does its value still stack up?

This month, we take a decent run down the highway to find out how the diminutive engine copes with an Aussie road trip.

We answer all of your questions and take a look at cabin practicality and storage in the 2022 Kia Picanto GT.

Independent safety ratings for some of Australia's top-selling new models have expired from today.

The updated Kia Picanto is better equipped, but up to $2100 more expensive – handing the title of Australia's cheapest new car to the MG 3.

Find out what cars are eligible for the Drive Car of the Year 2024 – Best Urban Car Under $30K category.

Just one new car remains in the sub-$20,000 drive-away category after price rises for the new-look Kia Picanto pushed it above the threshold.

Australia's fuel excise has once again risen in line with CPI – here's what it means for your weekly tank of petrol.

Aussie new-car buyers love a bargain and these are the affordable models they're snapping up in droves.

Used car values fell in December 2023, but some models held on to their value better than others.

We pay tribute to one of the last new, oft-forgotten examples of the hot hatch... and it's a Kia?

Long term car ownership is not something I am not terribly familiar with. Whilst I won’t bore you with the details, this example of Kia’s smallest offering is my longest owned vehicle. So, I thought it would be good to see how perceptions have changed from it being a brand-new car with 80kms on the clock, to one with now over 36,000kms. CarAdvice already have a good review article on what the Picanto was fighting against on the market (https://www.caradvice.com.au/547140/2017-kia-picanto-s-review/) and it helped me make the decision to purchase one, despite the aged drivetrain. When I signed the dotted line and drove away, I was reasonably happy that I had made a sensible decision. Standard kit was impressive for a sub-$20k car. With radar AEB, phone mirroring, auto headlamps and a decent warranty and service scheme attached. Some cars in the class above didn’t even have these things. The 1.25l 4 cylinder with a 4-speed automatic attached fitted the bill for driving around Bendigo (Victoria) at the time and it returned decent fuel consumption in the mid 6’s, slightly higher than 5.8l/100kms combined rating. Fast forward to 2020 and the car now gets me around Melbourne a couple of times a week and my feelings towards it have changed significantly. City driving is comfortable, with no real offence caused. It regains composure quickly from potholes, yet the tiny wheels do cause some unrest when you hit tram lines, however it is manageable. Outside of the city and up to speed, it doesn’t feel like a truck would blow you off the road. The little Kia is planted and the steering weights up enough to make you feel confident to change lanes. Road and wind noise are reasonable, but nothing to write home about. Though it is getting worse as the months pass. The engine spins a little over 3000rpm when you are doing 110kph and does drone, which is not dissimilar for other cars this competes against. Extra urban consumption is rate at 4.6l/100kms, which I have never seen. On a highway run back to Bendigo, it will sit in the mid 6’s. The little Kappa engine under the bonnet isn’t a bad unit, through it is heavy on fuel for a car of its size in the stop start traffic of Melbourne. On one trip from Flemington to Hawthorn, then back again, it recorded a round trip score of 9l/100kms. Well above any claimed figure and worse than what I could get from my partners 2002 Toyota Corolla. It would be better suited to the manual transmission, which brings me to the auto bolted in to this car. The 4-speed automatic would never be described as refined. It stutters and falters, no matter what speed or environment you are driving in. When you want to take off faster than your nan would, it makes the little 4 pot whine and moan to 4,000rpm before changing up, then quickly making its way to top gear to take a breather. On slight inclines, it only likes 3rd gear, and will almost refuse to drop to 2nd, even if you are only doing 40kph. There is no intuitive control you as the driver can take to help it out. It’s the biggest let down of the car. Inside, the cloth seats have fared well, however friends who have slid out of the drivers’ seat have shown the material does collapse quicker than a poorly built house of cars. Creaks from the dashboard and trims around the doors have surfaced, which bugs my partner to no end, and the worst of all is the groaning from the body as it flexes when pulling into driveways. It sounds like the door wants to pop off from it’s hinges. On the positive side, the infotainment is simple and effective. and the phone mirroring (for Android and iOS devices) has never not worked. Sometimes the screen it is a little slow to respond to input, however it’s nowhere near as bad as some other touch screens. Despite it being a little slow, the best thing about the screen is the most overlooked feature of all new cars, and it is a little button next to the screen marked ‘DISP’. Hit it, and the screen turns off. Not glowing still like some (I’m looking at you, Volkswagen), but completely off. It reminds me of the old night drive buttons in SAAB, which I desperately miss from my old 9-3. The only problem with that feature though, is that you then have no clock. Maybe Toyota could lend Kia some of the digital ones they had left over from the 1990’s. Role this all together and it’s no surprise my time with this car is coming to an end. It’s being traded in next week for something a tad more interesting, which I will endeavour to write a review about once I’ve had it a few months. The Picanto is a car. Nothing more, nothing less. Transport for the masses in the mid-20th century could evoke emotions, whereas now you flick the key and go. That’s what this car represents, which is why it has such a middle of the road score. It’s an average car, for those with needs of transport that’s reliable and user friendly.

As two seniors, we were looking for the smallest, sensibly-priced new "city" car that we could buy. It had to be no bigger than a Yaris and had to be automatic, as Sydney traffic these days is getting too heavy for the daily grind of the manual we have used for the last decade. We narrowed the prospective field down to the Suzuki Ignis, Mitsubishi Mirage, Toyota Yaris and of course, the Kia Picanto under review. We found during test driving that the Picanto was noticeably more refined, with a "bigger car" feel than the other three, despite actually physically being the smallest of the four (actually no bigger than the diminutive 1 litre 1987 Daihatsu Charade - except for an additional 10cm of roof height). The steering and ride in particular are standout features compared to the competition, especially over Sydney's abominable, chronically "road worked" carriageways. The engine and driveline are not as good as that of the Ignis (which we found to be the best of the four in this respect) in terms of refinement, smoothness and power delivery, however it still proves more than adequate for driving around the city and outskirts. The car can also easily maintain any legal speed limit up steep urban hills with two people on board though at 100 - 110 kmh there is not much in the way of reserve power for overtaking up hills - manoeuvres such as this require much more forward-planning than any car would in the larger ("small car") category (i.e. Fiesta, Mazda 2, etc). We actually like the idea of the "antiquated-technology" 4-speed automatic but if we are being pedantic, we would have preferred that it came with at least 5 speeds even if the asking price was up to $1,000 higher. Even though the two CVT cars we test drove (Ignis and Mirage) felt very nice and by virtue of the technology arguably used their available power more efficiently, we were concerned about very long term (more than ten years) reliability, especially given this car would spend a lot of its life in slow traffic though still amassing a high number of kilometres overall. Again, being extremely pedantic, however, the Picanto does seem to be a little too enthusiastic to get into 4th (top) gear at very low speeds, mainly (I assume) in order to save fuel. Yes, we do of course move the gear leaver to third in areas with speed limits not exceeding 50 kmh in order to avoid this, but I would have much preferred that third gear was tiny bit taller to begin with, 4th gear significantly lower than it currently is and then the car be equipped with at least an additional 5th ratio, perhaps two or three kilometres per 1,000 RPM taller than the existing 4th gear. This arrangement would work significantly better at the common speed range of 50 to 80 kmh on our Sydney roads. In its present 4-speed incarnation, however, with its propensity to get into top gear as soon as possible at low very speeds, the driveline falsely conveys a slightly laboured and rough feel - even on the flat. It is actually perfectly fine of course, but it just doesn't feel that way when the engine speed is below around 2,000 RPM in top gear. Mind you, the Yaris automatic only has 4-speeds as well, so getting beyond 4 ratios apparently isn't really an option within this price range, though of course you can dispense with set ratios altogether with the two CVT car choices (Ignis and Mirage). That said, the car is very competent using the first three ratios around the city - sufficiently eager to kick down and with exceptionally smooth and refined gear changes that belie the class, cost and power specification of the car. The Yaris automatic, on the other hand, felt terribly unrefined and schizophrenic, often unable to select a suitable (let alone optimal) ratio at all and stick with it. The only really bad point about this car with respect to class and asking price is the (apparently) incredibly soft and fragile windscreen glass that Kia appears to use. Despite only receiving one tiny stone chip in ten years in our previous car, in the Picanto we've copped two already within the first month, despite extremely careful driving and maintaining very safe following distances. It seems that even the smallest and most "delicate" impacts will cause micro craters in the front glass and I will be extremely surprised if this car manages to get through its first year without requiring a new windscreen. As petty as this complaint might seem to some, I think it is a genuine concern - especially for Sydney buyers - given that motorways such as the M7 and M2 seem to be chip magnets. I really would rather that Kia use the same strength glass as companies such as Toyota, even though I do understand that this may possibly cause the car to score more poorly in pedestrian-related crash tests. Bottom line appears to be, however, that if you buy this car, make sure you have windscreen insurance added to your policy. The windscreen won't likely crack per see, but its susceptibility to "micro impacts" is extremely annoying.

On reading all the professional reviews for the Kia Picanto, I found I was the opposite of the stereotypical intended purchaser. Why would I, a mid-20’s male, who is interested in cars want a Picanto as my main car? Simple. In the Picanto, I think have found one of the underrated packages of the Australian car market. After taking both the Picanto, and the new Rio S for a test drive my mind was settled instantly. I’ll take the Picanto, and yes, I want the bright green one. As someone who does mostly local, urban driving, with occasional freeway runs the Picanto is completely acceptable performance wise. While you will never beat the Commodore SS next to you at the red lights, does that really matter? The 1.25L CVT will get you where you need to be without any drama. While CVT’s aren’t loved by all, I can’t think of any instances of poor gear changes/lag. I’ve heard the manual can be more fun, yet I personally feel it might prove difficult to sell on in the future if need be. Fourteen-inch steelies sit on Nexen or Kumho OE tyres. Mine was fitted with the Nexen HD Blue’s which provide plentiful grip in all conditions. Kia’s Australian suspension tune, provides fantastic handling which in my opinion, cannot be beat for this type of car. Now without getting into badge rivalries, I find Kia (along with Hyundai) to have bulletproof manufacturing standards. For the price tag, the car feels as solid as something more premium, with an understated, neat interior and tasteful cloth seats. A reverse camera, touch screen and Android Auto/ Apple Carplay come as standard and further add value to a pleasing package. Getting in, the front is as spacious as needed. A recurring theme of this car with my friends/ family is how surprisingly roomy it is when up front, the back however, is another story. While this car “seats five” I’d recommend to treat it as a two-seater. It can get a bit tight behind if the front seats are pushed back. While this would understandably be a deal breaker for those who constantly seat more than two, I see it as a good way of not being everyone’s free uber. Fuel economy hovers around 6.0L/ 100km running on E10. As a Kia, you get the unbeatable 7-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, and with yearly/ 15000km service intervals (averaging about $300) further value adds to this already tempting offer. I love my Picanto, and have not regretted this purchase once, however being a Picanto owner comes with one glaring downsize, one that has absolutely nothing to do with the car itself, and that is everyone’s perception. In a country obsessed with dual cab utes and bigger and bigger SUV’s, being a male that purposefully purchases a Micro- car can be anathema to some. Be prepared to hear such witty comments such as “Where’s the rest of it?” or THAT adjective, “cute.” While these comments don’t phase me at all, it does provide an insight to Australian car buyers. As a nation, we love bigger and brasher, and to buy something else can seem downright odd. It’s clear this car isn’t designed for every person’s needs, yet what it does do, it does exceedingly well. It doesn’t have every bell and whistle, but for the asking price, you get a lot of modern kit. To those who may be searching for a car for whatever reason, I do encourage you to give the Picanto a test drive, you may just be pleasantly surprised.