40 wheelsmag.com.au
In its second incarnation, this baby Kia isn’t kidding around
Kia Picanto S
FIRST
AUSSIE
DRIVE
bodywork, are entirely new.
A 7.0-inch colour display in a
tombstone-style housing is the
centrepieceoftheinterior,and
though integrated sat-nav is still
missingfromthespecsheet,
provision of Android Auto and
Apple CarPlay means you can still
put map data up on that screen.
A rear parking camera is also
new for 2017, joining the already-
standard rear sonar sensors.
Private buyers are the target, not
fleets, hence the healthy spec list.
That up-spec aspiration flows to
therestoftheinterior.Thetoy-like
dashboardofthepreviousgenhas
been swapped for slicker-looking
furniture. There’s some design
flair, too, with neat crosshair air
ventslinkedbyathicksilverbar
to give it some visual width.
There’s fractionally more space,
too, thanks to a 15mm wheelbase
stretch. Front-seat passengers
benefit the most with increased
legroom, but luggage capacityalso swells from 200L to a more
acceptable 255L.
Front-seat comfort is good,
with plenty of room around the
shoulders, decent bolstering
around thighs and kidneys, and a
height-adjustable driver’s seat.
Rear-seat headroom is shaved by
2mm, but every other dimension
eithergrowsorstaysthesame.
The backrest is reclined further
too,yieldingamorenatural
posture that should deliver better
long-distance comfort.
More insulation material and
revised engine intake ducting
yields better refinement, though
it’s not quite up to the task of
quelling the Picanto’s substantial
tyre roar on coarse-chip roads.
And while the engine remains a
willing, if not especially powerful
little unit, it’s the transmissions
that could use an update.
Four-speed autos are fairly old-
hat these days, and an extra ratio
would help the Picanto cruisemore quietly and frugally on the
freeway. The manual is more
versatile, but a spongy and vague
clutch pedal lets it down.
The suspension hits the mark,
though. Kia Australia’s local
tune delivers decent compliance
and control on highways,
alongside respectable handling
for something that runs on eco-
focused tyres.
The electric power steering was
alsofettled.Afasterrackratio
reducestheamountofcarpark
wheel-twirling, but it also boasts
a pleasingly light weight and good
on-centre feel. It feels stable at
speedaswell,somethingatwhich
sub-light cars don’t always excel.
The old Picanto may have
already proved sub-light Kia
hatchbacks could lead the
segment in terms of sales, but its
replacement demonstrates that
the Koreans can cut the mustard
on qualitative terms as well.
TONY O’KANEFour-speed auto lets down the team; increased fuel consumption PLUS&
MINUSMore interior space; value for money; winning suspension tune
AS FAR AS toe-in-the-
water exercises go, Kia
Australia’s experiment
with launching the pint-
sized Picanto last year was
a success.
With just one model grade,
engine and transmission on offer,
Picanto buyers weren’t exactly
spoiled for choice. That said, Kia’s
staff clearly have an aptitude for
reading the market, as Picanto
sales quickly clinched top spot in
the normally price-sensitive sub-
light hatchback market.
Accordingly, there’s been little
inclination to mess with the
basic formula. The mostly new
2017 Picanto is still a single-spec,
single-engine entity, though this
time around there’s a manual-
equipped variant to sit alongside
the established automatic.
The four-pot engine and
four-speed automatic carry
over, but everything else, from
platform, suspension, interior andModel
Engine
Max power
Max torque
Transmission
Weight
0-100km/h
Economy
Price
On saleKia Picanto S
1248cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v
62kW @ 6000rpm
122Nm @ 4000rpm
4-speed automatic
995kg
13.7sec (claimed)
5.8L/100km
$15,690 (drive-away)
Now