MOTORS: Good things do come in small packages with new Kia Picanto
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So you want a cheap car that’ll provide simple transport for all the everyday jobs but can still tackle a longer journey without straining?
That rules out the very cheapest then. The two-seater Citroen Ami costs less than £8,000, has a 46 mile range and if you’re lucky you might just hit 28 mph. Technically it’s not a car, it's a large electric quadricycle – a more practical alternative to scooters and mopeds.
Being realistic you’ve still got a good range to choose from including some fine wee cars like the MG3, Hyundai’s i10 or VW’s up! but two of the best are the Sandero from Dacia, the Romanian branch of Renault, or the latest Picanto from Kia.
The pair regularly compete for the title of the cheapest new car in the UK market with the basic models sitting around the £10,000 mark.
Earlier this year I drove the latest Sandero and was mightily impressed with the performance of such a so-called “bargain basement” car. I wasn’t alone. My colleagues in the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers also voted it the year’s best small car, while its crossover-style sibling, the Sandero Stepway, took the best small SUV award.
I wanted to see how its Kia rival would compare and got the chance when the Korean brand brought a selection of their range to Scotland.
The Picanto may be the entry model but I focused on the top-of-the-range GT-Line S version which is a bit pricier at just over £17,000 but comes crammed with equipment.
It has the latest infotainment system with a larger, eight-inch touchscreen on the higher trim levels and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. You also get Kia Connect services which give you the latest traffic, weather and fuel price information although that could be a challenge with the current rollercoaster at the pumps.
It’s undergone some minor cosmetic work on the outside with refreshed front and rear bumper designs with sharper creases in the bodywork along with a palette of new colours. The featured car came in a striking bright red with some dramatic 16-inch alloys.
The UK contributes almost a quarter of Picanto sales in Europe with most of these to private owners rather than fleets and it’s easy to see why.
The three-cylinder T-GDI engine in the test car is remarkably perky thanks to its handy turbo which kicks in quite early and helps the five-gear transmission get the most without straining.
It’s great for around town but actually quite happy on the open road at the national speed limit although you do get a bit of road noise coming into the cabin, which isn’t unexpected.
With its short wheelbase, it’s supremely manoeuvrable in tight back streets and parking spaces and also quite happy to be flung round country road corners.
Internally, the build quality is first-class as we’ve come to expect from Kia, who’ve undergone an amazing transition from questionable Far Eastern tinny transport to turning out cars which have shown some of the established European brands how to give owners something special... and all backed up by a great seven-year,100,000-mile warranty.
The test car had only a few miles on the clock, having only just arrived in the UK but you got the feeling that everything was very well put together and would last a lifetime.
The level of equipment, especially in the GT-Line S, is comprehensive and exceptional at this price level with electric front windows, Bluetooth, headlight levelling, cruise control, electric heated folding mirrors, heated leather steering wheel, parking sensors, reversing camera and wireless mobile phone charger.
Interior space is also surprisingly generous with best-in-class head and leg room for passengers and the boot is understandably small but quite greedy.
Buying a small car has never been easier. The difficult bit is deciding which one to go for... but the Picanto is right up at the top of the list.
