Insurance Group: 4
MPG: 67.3
CO2: 99
0-62 Mph: N/A secs
BHP: 68 BHP
Range: 518 miles
PROS: The Picanto 1 1.0 Air returns 67.3mpg, and CO2 emissions of 99g/km exempt it from road tax and the London congestion charge.
CONS: Very noisy when pushed and the ride isn't up to much either.
With acceleration from 0-60 mph taking 13.9 seconds and a top speed of 95 mph, the Picanto 1 1.0 Air is very slow indeed. Its 3-cylinder engine produces just 68bhp and 70lb-ft of torque.
The Kia Picanto has been designed predominantly for city life, so it benefits from light, responsive steering and a good turning circle. Be warned though, if you try to corner with any zest whatsoever, you'll be treated to a daunting mixture of understeer and body-roll.
The engine is very noisy at idle and this noise increases the closer you get to the red line. Road and wind noise are omnipresent and the ride is atrocious; the Picanto judders horribly over bumps and imperfections on the road surface.
Kia’s design director Peter Schreyer – the man responsible for the first Audi TT – has poured ample amounts of style into this new small, geometric model. It doesn’t stand out like the Fiat 500 but it’s fresh and relatively handsome.
The cabin is nicely designed but the quality of the interior plastics is pretty poor; everything feels very flimsy and cheap.
You get a decent amount of kit for the bargain basement price with air-con, electric windows, CD player, an alarm and central locking all included as standard.
Rear leg room is a little restrictive and the seats are only really suitable for children - especially if long journeys are planned. On top of that the boot is quite small; you would have to be an expert boot packer to get the most out of the 200 litre capacity on offer.
Kia have a very good reputation for reliability. This is a new model, but previous generations of Kia, and more precisely the Picanto, were voted UK’s most reliable car by consumer champions Which? Kia's seven year warranty is also a reassurance.
In terms of safety kit, you get six airbags and stability control as standard. Although Euro NCAP has not crash tested the car yet, it is expected to receive a four-star rating.
The Picanto 1 1.0 Air starts at £8,395, so it’s very reasonably priced. On top of that you should average 67.3 mpg.
It is also road tax exempt due to very low emissions of just 99g/km of CO2. Couple this with Kia's excellent reliability reputation and seven year warranty and it is clear that the Picanto is going to be extremely cheap to run.
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