Officially, the current Picanto is a new model, so Kia's supermini can no longer be described as the oldest model in the range (as it was until recently, despite having been launched as recently as 2004). But it's really the same as it was before, with a facelift and a slight rethink of trim levels.The facelift has involved designing new light clusters at both ends, and the result at the front is that the Picanto seems to be saying, "What? Really?" in reply to some astonishing piece of information. Personally I think it's now suffering from an overdose of the cutes, but if that's what you like in a small car then you won't mind at all.In the revised and slightly eccentrically-named range, the car tested here - which is known as the Ice - sits between the 2 and the 3. All of these cars use the same 64bhp 1.1-litre engine and five-speed manual gearbox (though automatic transmission is an £800 option on the 2 and the Ice); the only alternative, for UK customers at least, is the 61bhp one-litre unit fitted to the entry-level car, which is just called Picanto.Kia also has a 1.1-litre diesel, but it's not offered in this country, and unless you were planning to rack up 20,000 miles a year it probably wouldn't be worth the extra expense anyway.The Ice is more or less the same car as the 2. Both have 14" steel wheels (covered with plastic trims which make the Picanto look even more whimsical than it does already), a tilt-adjustable steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver's seat, full cloth upholstery, remote central locking with an alarm and speed-sensitive autolock, and leather for the steering wheel and gearknob.You can distinguish the Ice from the 2 by noting its chrome grille. There's some chrome inside, too, along with black upholstery (the 2 has a choice of black, red or blue), a storage tray mounted underneath the front passenger seat and - perhaps most importantly - air-conditioning. In what seems like not a bad deal, this lot adds £200 to the cost of the 2, bringing the total price up to £6995.In all other respects, the Picanto is the way it was when it appeared in the UK four years ago. This is, on the whole, good news. The Picanto feels no more refined than you would expect of a £7000 car, but it runs quietly, and for such a short machine it rides beautifully. Potholes cause a certain amount of fuss and bother (which isn't an issue if you're better at avoiding potholes than I am), but otherwise the suspension deals with crests and dips very successfully.This makes the Picanto a better A-road car than you might expect. The only sign that this is not its natural environment is that the little engine needs a helping hand - in the form of changing down a gear or two - when it has to deal with a long climb.But it's at its best in town, where it is supremely easy to drive thanks to major controls which are light and precise. Manouevring in car parks is more complicated than it should be because rear visibility isn't great, though I have to say it's a lot better than in other superminis.A more serious concern is that front visibility is hampered by the windscreen pillars, which are so obtrusively wide that even if you think there's nothing coming it's advisable to re-check before pulling away from a T junction. For taller drivers, there's another problem in that the high-level brake light obscures the part of the rear window that you need to see through, but this is unlikely to apply to anyone less than six feet tall.Similarly, average-sized people will probably find that there's enough legroom. For me, at six foot three, there isn't quite enough, which meant that I pressed the pedals too hard for the first few miles before becoming fully accustomed to the situation. Headroom, however, is superb.Since the current Picanto is effectively the same as the previous one, the Euro NCAP crash test results from 2004 still apply, and they make disconcerting reading. Using words and phrases such as "poor", "performed badly" and "extremely disappointing", Euro NCAP gave the car three stars for adult occupant protection, and noted that it had done only just enough to merit even that.A single star was given for pedestrian protection (the bumper and the leading edge of the bonnet were described as "very unfriendly"), so the message here is that if you're walking along the street and you see an out-of-control Picanto veering towards you, run away as fast as you can.On a more positive note, the Picanto achieved four stars out of five for child occupant protection. Euro NCAP has never given the full five stars in this category, and the Picanto's score of 37 points has been beaten only by the Renault Clio and Modus and the Volkswagen Fox among its fellow superminis. Engine 1086 cc, 4 cylinders Power 64 bhp @5500 rpm Torque 71.6 ib/ft @2800 rpm Transmission 5 speed manual Fuel/CO2 53.3 mpg / 126 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 15.1sec Top speed 96 mph Price From £6446.00 approx Release date 01/11/2007
Our Rating
