Kia’s popular city car, the Picanto, has undergone a mild mid-life revision. It now features a sharper, more prominent face thanks to a restyled front bumper and a revised interpretation of award-winning designer, Peter Schreyer’s ‘tiger nose’ grille; a hallmark of all recent Kia products.
New nose and rump
A new front is squarer in design. The large, central air intake is now a single unit compared to two separate sections in the previous model. That lower intake is flanked by two larger, fog lamp housings recessed into the far corners of the bumper. The lamps now function as permanent DRLs (daytime running lights) when the ignition is turned on. When the headlamps are switched on, the daytime running lights go off. A slightly revised rear bumper incorporates a matte black lower edge that rises up at the sides to house revised rear fog lamps.
The Picanto is now available with a choice of 10 exterior colours, including Clear White, Bright Silver, Milky Beige, Titanium Silver, Midnight Black, Honey Bee, Signal Red, Alice Blue, Cherry Pink and Dazzling Blue, which is new to the range.
Minor tweaks to interior
Inside, the Picanto has been subtly tweaked to emphasise a more modern facia surrounding the Picanto’s audio system. Standard features across the range include include air-conditioning, as well as an RDS-enabled radio with AUX/iPod/USB connectivity and MP3 compatibility for the CD player.
Both models feature driver and passenger airbags. ABS is standard on the 1,2 EX. All models ship as standard with ISOFIX child seat anchors.
Line-up unchanged
The local line still consists of two models, the 1,0 LX, which rides on 14-inch steel wheels with full wheel covers, while the 1,2 EX features sporty 15-inch alloys. The LX model is powered by a three-cylinder, 998 cm3 engine producing 51 kW and 94 N.m of torque, which now meets strict Euro 6 emissions standards. A four-cylinder, 1 248 cm3 engine is employed in the range-topping, which produces 65 kW and 120 N.m of torque.
Both engines can be mated with a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic as an option.
Prices
Picanto 1,0 LX R136 995 (+R12 000 for automatic)
Picanto 1,2 EX for R149 995 (+R12 000 for automatic)
Prices include a five-year/ 150 000 km warranty.
A two-year/45 000 km service plan is optional .