Wheels Australia – August 2019

ensuresthere’sa yawninggapbetween the two as the scenery

startstoblurpastfaster– halfa second at 60km/h (4.4sec vs

4.9sec)becomesnearly1.5secat 100 (9.4sec vs 10.8sec) and

almost5.5secat 140 (19secvsa leisurely 24.4sec). In the telling

80-120km/htimes,theKialungedahead by 1.2sec. There’s still

plentyofpokeleftwellpast150km/h, exposing this Picanto

forwhatit reallyis – a fieryandfeisty little fidget spinner of a

thing.Andit’ssmooth,too.

Theoverlytouchybrakesdotakesome getting used to,

however.And,asyoumightexpectfrom a GT, full ESC-off

is possible,butnotrecommendedinthe wet, unless unruly

wheelspinfromthelow-gripNexens,plus copious axle

trampinginthefirstthreegearsarewhat float your boat.

Nosuchailmentsafflictthesweet-spinning 66kW 1.2-litre

Swift,mainlybecausethetachoneeds to be swinging past at

least3000rpmbeforeanymeaningfultorque is detected.

Thatsaid,thankstoa healthy73kW/tonne, the Suzuki feels

spiritedoffthelineandpullslongand hard all the way to

the6400rpmcut-out.A hugepartofthe fun also lies in the

slick,quickgearshiftmechanism,which makes cog-swapping a

delight.Fewcarscryoutfora caningso wilfully. Rousing and

rewarding,a moreconvincingposterboy for manual gearboxes

wouldbehardtofind.

Evenwithjust271kmontheodo,our tight black Clio and

itstiny66kW0.9-litreblowntripleis yet another fine example

of an involving, satisfying powertrain pairing. Also matched

with a five-speeder, intelligently spaced ratios and a high-boost

turbo deliver prompt responses from take-off speeds, although

it runs out of puff by 6000rpm. The Renault feels rorty and

fighting-fit ready for the cut-and-thrust of fast-moving traffic,

despite falling far off the pace against the stopwatch. The Kia

is 1.1sec ahead at 60, 2.7sec at 100 and 8.4sec at 140. Yet, as

its 18.3sec sprint over 400m proves, the Life is still in the race

against the GL’s 17.6sec and GT’s 16.8sec. Short, sharp stabs of

thrust is what the Clio’s all about.

So, a convincing performance win for the perky Picanto

for sure, but as these are still fun-on-a-budget buys, it’s worth

noting that wringing all three right out to the red line resulted

in some interesting fuel consumption outcomes: 7.3L/100km

apiece for the turbos and a commendable 6.5L for the Swift.

Clearly, there’s still no substitute for cubic inches.

Separating all three dynamically comes down to how you

want your supermini to behave, since all earned their spot

here due to their zealous handling and roadholding. Yet their

personalities are as different as their presentations.

Just like its powertrain, the Picanto exudes a scrappy can-

do charm, due to fast steering that allows for crisp turn-in

and pin-point accuracy, without ever being nervous or out of

its depth. Given how firm the chassis set-up is, mid-corner

bumps can unsettle the chosen line of action momentarily, yet

Swift looks familiar,

fun and friendly, but

grips like Godzilla

78 whichcar.com.au/wheels

COMPARISON /

SUPERMINIS