Kia Picanto 1.0

WHAT IS IT?

The Kia Picanto is one of the cheapest cars that you can currently purchase new. The lead-in model to the ever expanding Korean manufacturers’ range, described by some as a city car; the Picanto has proven a popular choice amongst those more interested in substance than style since being launched in 2004.

That actually changed somewhat last year with the launch of the current model Picanto which shares much of the larger Kia models new found styling confidence. As a small car, the latest Picanto looks an unusually attractive proposition aesthetically. This however is not the latest model that I am reviewing – oh no - as borne out by the attached photographs it is the original with the gawky cheese-cutter grille and slightly toy-town styling that is under the spotlight here. As such, anyone reading this review would be considering this particular car as a second hand proposition. Is it a sensible buy as such? Would one be wiser to spend more on an older but larger car instead? Hopefully this review may aid the reader in making such a decision.

The Picanto is known as the Kia Morning on its home market and some others too, so for RICHADA was this a good Morning?

WILL IT FIT YOUR GARAGE?

No building worthy of the name garage would be unable to house a Picanto, it is one of the smallest cars on the market.

Larger than a two seater Smart, but shorter than my favourite little car a Fiat Panda, the Picanto is just 3495mm long (a Panda is 3538mm) but it is relatively tall and wide – at 1595mm it is 17mm wider than the baby Fiat.

WHICH SPECIFIC MODEL?

Originally engineered around a shortened version of the Hyundai Getz, the Picanto is materially the same as the Hyundai i10, if you cannot bear the looks of the Kia, then you can have the same car with all its advantages in prettier clothes, but wearing a Hyundai badge.

The one that I am reviewing here is the 2005 range topping 1.0GS, in those days this was a car dripping with specification, four electric windows, air conditioning, electric door mirrors and a radio / CD player – all items that you would be lucky to find in a car costing twice as much seven years ago. By any standards, even today, as a small car, this still has to classify as being extremely well equipped.

Moreover, to allay the fears of the luddites amongst us, seven years later and with 60,000 miles on the clock, every bit of that extensive equipment list still worked exactly as it would have done when new.

IN WHAT CAPACITY AM I REVIEWING THIS CAR?

Hands up here, I do not own this Kia Picanto. Loaned to me, with grateful thanks, by Gatwick Group – purveyors of Kia, Hyundai and Mitsubishi - I used this car for three days in exactly the way I would my own much larger four wheel drive Subaru saloon. It was driven on every type of road that the south east of England can dish up and in just about every prevailing traffic and weather condition imaginable too.

COSTS – Tiny cars do not necessarily cost tiny amounts to run.

As you cannot buy this particular car new, we are considering this as a minimum eighteen month old second hand car – or indeed a seven year old one – only minor cosmetic and equipment variations separating the two.

The Picanto’s Group 2 insurance rating is a good start on cost grounds – especially for the young and inexperienced, yet to build a no-claims bonus.

PURCHASE COST 9 / 10

Small cars are always hot property on the second hand market, perceived as cheap to run, a small car will always hold more value than a large one in relative terms. However, we are looking for a “cheap” small car here – at around £3000, this one fits the bill. Incidentally an identical car, but with an automatic gearbox, was on the forecourt at £3500 – in many respects the manual would prove the more sensible purchase, although in a city car an automatic gearbox makes a lot of sense.

Thanks to higher depreciation than many small cars, the early Picanto’s, such as this one, do look like relative bargains in terms of used cars – making them all the more so is that they are very reliable and extremely well made.

THE OPTIONS GAME: 10 / 10 or “How much do I need to spend to make it habitable?”

There is nothing that I could think to add to this car, in terms of equipment, in order to make it more convenient for its purpose as a city car. With four electric windows, electric door mirrors, air conditioning and a radio / CD (MP3) player it had nothing missing in terms of modern comfort and convenience kit.

DEPRECIATION 9 / 10 – Always the biggest running cost.

Tricky this – depending on us viewing the Picanto as a new, or as a second hand purchase. As a new car there are better “investments” the flip side of this particular coin is that as a second hand car it is relatively cheap and will not carry on loosing value at the rate a new one would.

As a city car, the Picanto, or indeed the Hyundai i10 make a very sound second hand purchase.

FUEL ECONOMY 10 / 10 – It’s a winner!

This is not a car that I had previously taken a good deal of interest in, but after a day or two behind the wheel – and realising just how far my £12 worth of Texaco unleaded was going – I started reading the magazine reviews online. What Car seemed to think that the fuel consumption was below par for a 1.0 litre city car. Indeed a government combined average fuel consumption figure of 55.4mpg is not a lot to boast about in a vehicle of this size.

However, in the real world – and with such a tiny engine - you tend to drive the Picanto fairly hard in order to keep up with the general flow of traffic – I reckon that I was more than matching that 55mpg in ordinary driving conditions. From experience, I would have to search very hard for a car which could, in my hands at least, beat that consumption – some pretty fancy Hybrid technology, wearing a Honda badge, has failed to come anywhere close in the past.

SERVICE & MAINTENANCE COSTS 8 / 10: are you going to make the dealer rich?

As small cars go, pretty much class average on this score, although, bomb-proof reliability and great build quality count for a lot in a second hand car like this – outside of routine servicing you are not going to spend a lot at the dealer. Depending on the age of the Picanto, a five or seven year warranty should keep unexpected bills at bay too.

I would like to think that all Kia customers are treated as well as those served by Gatwick Group, I have not heard any horror stories about other Kia dealers.

Let the “fun” begin! You want to know what this car is like to live with and to drive and be driven in…….

THE EXTERIOR:

STYLING 5 /10: A very subjective category here.

Let’s be honest, nobody buys a city car to enjoy the last word in terms of style, which in the “Mk1” Picanto’s case is just as well. This car simply shouts “Oriental” in terms of styling, bordering on the “bling”, especially in the very attractive metallic orange of the car I have here, unfortunately this is one little car that dated before its time.

Remarkable then, the achievement of the designers who came up with the latest Picanto – a shape that you would be far from embarrassed to be seen climbing out of!

OVERALL BUILD QUALITY AND FINISH 8 / 10 Does it look as though it was slung together?

With the sole exception of the body coloured bumpers, the paint covering of which was loosing its clear lacquer coat in tatty fashion, the hub caps also suffering similarly, at seven years old, this Picanto showed a build integrity way above and beyond what would be expected bearing in mind its market position.

The panel gaps between doors and bodywork were tight and true, the doors, boot and bonnet all closed perfectly – general fit and finish far exceeded that of my own, Japanese built, Honda Accord of similar vintage.

SAFETY 5 /10 If it comes to the worst, how well are you and your family going to come out of it.

There is no avoiding two simple facts here. No tiny car will ever protect you as well as a larger one in a serious crash and no car designed and built in early part of the current century will be as safe as one designed today.

In terms of active and passive safety, the Picanto was more than class average in its day. Unlike many at the time, it does have a passenger air bag and four disc brakes.

Whilst I am used to the “bomb-proof” security of driving around in a large, four wheel drive Subaru, driven sensibly, within its limits, even in torrential rain, at no time did I feel at all unsafe behind the wheel of the Kia Picanto.

My only issue with it was one of limited traction, which could see the front wheels spinning (accompanied by torque steer – a snatching from side to side through the steering wheel), this could be attributed partly to the (retro) fitment of unknown brand tyres – the quality of which would never match a “proper” brand.

THE INTERIOR:

ERGONOMICS 6 / 10 Before I can start the engine and drive away I need to feel at home in the “working environment”. The relationship between the controls and how I, the driver, am able to instinctively operate those controls is, all important. This for me is make or break, before I drive a car, if it does not instinctively “feel” right in this department then I will never like it or ultimately buy it.

This was not a car that I jumped into and immediately felt at home with the driving environment. Whilst the steering wheel is rake adjustable, the driver’s seat lacks the usual height adjustment. Although I was more comfortable having reclined the seat rather more than I would expect to, I never really escaped the feeling of sitting “on” rather than in this car.

Maddeningly the switchgear layout is contrary to 99% of the cars now on the market, I will guarantee that every time you wish to indicate – left or right – that you will have the wipers scraping across a dry windscreen! Even in its day this was an ‘old fashioned Japanese’ throwback, in 2012 having the indicator stalk on the right hand side of the steering wheel is simply nonsense.

Other minor switchgear is more conventionally placed, simple to use, illuminated and well marked. You will not need to spend an hour with the owners hand book before driving away in a Picanto.

VISIBILITY: 10 / 10

Probably the best on this score that I have driven in many years. Excellent all round visibility is a must in any city car, the Picanto has such good visibility that I would whole heartedly recommend it as an ideal learner or first car.

Tiny this car may be, but the mirrors and windscreen wipers, front and rear, are full sized and during the dreadful weather in which I drove it, there were no issues concerning compromised visibility – the air conditioning helps prevent it from misting up in the first place of course.

SPACE: 7 / 10:

The visibility advantage is partly due to sitting so high in the car, this too allows an amazing amount of interior space to be packaged into such a small exterior footprint.

In fitting three rear head rests and seat belts, Kia would like to persuade you that this is a five seater. Providing that your children are not past their early teens that could be so – in practical terms though three adults could travel in relative comfort, with a child behind the driver – where legroom will be restricted.

As with some other very small cars, the boot in the Picanto is miniscule, the two of us were unable to pack our weekly supermarket shop in there, having to load up the back seat – not clever if you have a couple of child seats mounted there already perhaps. For a young family, even as a second car, this could just prove too much of a compromise, here the slightly larger Fiat Panda holds a big advantage.

STYLE 8 / 10:

The interior – ergonomic issues apart, is far more conventional looking than the exterior.

Bearing in mind its low list price, there are far worse car interiors than this. A tasteful blend of soft touch grey plastics and cloth on the seats, combine with a touch of genuine leather on the contact points (steering wheel and gear lever) to offer a neat and harmonious look which gives the impression of coming from a much larger, more expensive, car.

MATERIALS, FIT & FINISH 8 / 10: Aspreys or Ratners?

Last year I drove a three month old, 3000 mile Hyundai i30 and complained about several interior rattles. This, much cheaper, car had an interior that was free from squeaks and rattles. After seven years and 60,000 miles everything worked as it had been designed to do and there was remarkably little sign of wear. I have seen many, far lower mileage, much shabbier Fiat Pandas, and the quality of this interior has to be a major selling point, new or second hand.

AUDIO & CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEMS 8 / 10: Strange grouping?

There is no climate control, but a simple switch activates the air conditioning, you also need to have the fan set to at least 1. This system is remarkably simple and intuitive to operate and - like the rest of the car - performed perfectly.

Not performing perfectly was the JVC branded radio – not Kia or JVC’s fault, I was bemoaning the terrible reception prior to discovering that the areal had been stolen from the roof! Some kind soul had left Robbie Williams “Sing While You are Winning” album in the CD – an album with which I am familiar - and I have to say that, through the Kias four speakers, it actually sounded remarkably good!

Whilst the CD player is capable of playing MP3 discs, this Picanto was manufactured prior to the widespread adoption of USB and iPod docks and ports in cars.

ON THE ROAD……..

……Time to start it up and to offer you a driving assessment.

NOISE, VIBRATION & HARSHNESS 8 / 10 Silk purse or sow’s ear?

Oddly enough, this little one litre engine is the smoothest, most refined Kia / Hyundai power-train that I have experienced. It was a surprise to discover that this was a mere 999cc, 60bhp engine, in terms of refinement it punches well above its weight and is more than class average.

The gearbox and clutch are both very slick indeed too, making this an easy car to drive smoothly from the off.

Other areas are less refined though. Difficult to know the difference that fitting quality tyres (the rest of the car deserves them) would make, but there was an unacceptable amount of bump / thump from the suspension on all surfaces, most noticeable around town at lower speeds. Ironically, whilst I was driving this car, the suspension bushes were being replaced on mine – this car sounded far more in need of such treatment than my own!

PERFORMANCE 8 / 10 Sh*t off a shovel or a constipated tortoise?

I was expecting the Picanto to be feebly slow with its tiny engine and was rapidly proved wrong. A top speed of 93mph and a 0-60mph figure of 16.4 may look pedestrian by today’s standards, but out on the road this little car had all the useable performance required, the engine providing sufficient torque at all times, thus reducing the amount of gear changing required.

Whilst running the air conditioning made little noticeable difference to the performance, putting a second person in the Picanto certainly did. Fully laden, this car may well not be able to keep up with the general traffic flow – on my own however I had absolutely no problem in doing so.

RIDE & HANDLING 7 / 10

This is not a sports car, nor does it make any pretence at being such. However, after three days it was this aspect that impressed me most about the Picanto. Noisy suspension apart, it has an incredibly ‘grown up’ ride and handles in a totally safe manner too.

For the city bound, the power steering carries just the right weight, whilst out on the open road it avoids the vagueness of feel and slop about the dead centre endemic of Oriental cars until recently.

CONCLUSION – Would I buy one myself and would we want to drive it to Poland in a day?

An interesting thought here – prior to driving this car, I would only have considered a Panda in this sector. Having looked at several pretty shoddy six and seven year old Pandas, the Picanto offers up an interesting and probably cheaper to run alternative.

Indeed, using my own reviewing criteria, the Picanto comes out the better of the two cars - as witnessed in the table below.

Thanks to above average initial depreciation, no, I would not buy a new Picanto – but a bargain second hand one would be very tempting indeed – especially with this specification

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Drive to Poland in it? No, but then, that is not a journey that its designers ever would have expected it to undertake!

FINAL SCORE: 134 / 170

Putting that score into perspective are the following cars based on identical scoring criteria:

AUDI A4 2.0TFSi SLine – 71.1%
AUDI A6 2.0TDie SE – 74.4%
FIAT PANDA 1.1 ACTIVE - 70.6%
FIAT 500 1.4 LOUNGE – 68.2%
FIAT 500 TWIN AIR LOUNGE – 82.9%
FIAT PUNTO GRANDE SPORTING 130 Mjet - 75.9%
FORD KUGA 2.0 TDCi TITANIUM - 64.7%
HONDA ACCORD i-DECT EX GT (2008 Model) Saloon - 69.4%
HONDA CIVIC 1.8i VTEC SE - 78.2%
HONDA CIVIC IMA SE - 73.5%
HONDA INSIGHT IMA ES-T – 75.3%
HONDA JAZZ 1.4 SE CVT-7 (Automatic) - 74.7%
JAGUAR XF 3.0D PREMIUM LUXURY – 82.9%

KIA PICANTO 1.0GS – 78.8%

SUBARU OUTBACK 2.0D RE - 85.3%
SUBARU LEGACY 2.0D RE SALOON – 85.8%
SAAB 9-3 TiD Vector - 68.2%

TOYOTA PRIUS T-SPIRIT – 85.8%

VAUXHALL ASTRA TWINTOP 1.9 CDTi DESIGN - 78.8%
VW PASSAT TDi 140 S ESTATE - 71.7%

p.s. In answer to the question in the title......

......my rough, back of envelope calculations show that I actually travelled 130 miles on my £12.00 worth of fuel. That comes very close to 60mpg, making the Picanto, by a big margin, the most economical car that I personally have ever driven.

RICHADA CIAO 26.04.2012