Doors and Seats5 doors, 5 4 Power63kW, 120NmFuelPetrol 91 Spd AutoWarranty7 Yr, Unltd KMsAncap SafetyNA The "all-new" third-generation Kia Picanto has landed in Australia... with the old generation powertrain. Do new styling, promises of improved refinement and added equipment conspire towards a big step forward? Or is this new Picanto S merely more of the same? What we love Finally, a five-speed manual version in Oz and it really improves the driving experience Circa-$15k pricing, low thirst and seven-year warranty/capped-price servicing/roadside surety Aussie-tuned ride and handling package Apple CarPlay/Android Auto-compatible infotainment What we don't The carryover N/A four-cylinder and four-speed auto powertrain still lacklustre Feels surprisingly much like the old Picanto in the driving experience Neat gear such as the more powerful turbo triple engine and automated emergency braking still not on the Aussie menu Confusing pricing structure of driveaway auto versus list-priced manual With its “all-new” rejuvenation boasting a “bold, new design and cabin” and “more youthful character” it’s easy to presume the third-generation 2017 Kia Picanto would arrive as a Korean micro hatch reinvented. Truth is, it’s very much more of the same, with less emphasis on more’ if a helluva lot of same’.That’s not necessarily bad news. The Johnny Come Lately outgoing Picanto, which arrived fashionably late to the pint-sized Australian hatchback segment last year and half a decade into its lifecycle, managed to swoon many in the CarAdvice offices with its stylish flair, all-round polish, surprising dynamism and tempting value pitch. And if initial impressions from what appears, on paper at least, to be a decent all-round shake-up are to be believed, that same goodness hasn’t been lost in translation in this 2017 is, it just doesn’t make many great leaps forward in many areas where an “all new” generation perhaps now, like the outgoing range’, one variant fits all. However, somewhat curiously, it’s called the Picanto S. Why the S’ suffix? Simple. It demarcates this particular version’s trim level should Kia Australia decides to expand to a proper range, as is available in overseas markets, somewhere down the face it at the fiscally frugal end of the new car market where Picanto S plays – $15,690 driveaway for the familiar four-speed automatic version and $14,190 for the newly introduced five-speed manual option – there’s not much wriggle room to pile in more stuff, be it added tech, features or the new Picanto introduces a lot of core changes not easily felt in the driving experience, in a package sprinkled with a selection of updates in spec that are quite conspicuous, if few and far core updates? Construction, most notably higher strength steels in more places, a stronger and stiffer bodyshell, more comprehensive sound deadening and other details such as lower windshield wiper to reduce wind noise, and stiff engine mounts to reduce vibration. It's quite a re-engineered car. Some effort has gone into making this cheap and cheerful five-door quieter and more refined, if subtly so in areas such as environmental and road noise penetration into the and in, remodeling is hardly the “bold” departure promised. The angry looking front fascia certainly imparts purpose – in micro car context at least – but the third-gen is a little more slab-sided and loses the curvaceous body creases that made its forebear more distinctive among the micro car on 14-inch steel wheels like the old car, garnished with humdrum hub caps, this doesn’t appear to be a Picanto benefitting from a six-year-fresher design. In fact, to our eyes, it’s exterior styling is a little changes are more noticeable and more favourable. Gone is the lop-sized dash fascia, its low-rent infotainment, the strange clown grin’ steering wheel and centre-speedo-style instrumentation seeming lifted from the book of Porsche design. In its place is a simpler, cleaner presentation, featuring a classier if patently tacked-on’ floating full-colour touchscreen, a more conventional driver’s instrument cluster and a steering wheel that, if you squint, looks more than a little inspired by the unit in Porsche's CarPlay and Android Auto, both with voice recognition, are the highlight additions and big buyer lures, though the suite of features is quite solid for this circa-$15k a great deal todayInterested in this car? Provide your details and we'll connect you to a member of the Drive assist control, dusk-sensing halogen headlights, six airbags, alarm and immobiliser, keyless entry, electric windows, heated and electric wing mirrors, Bluetooth connectivity with wheel-mounted controls, rear parking sensors and rear-view camera with dynamic guidelines. For a full rundown on specifications, read found CarPlay worked quickly and seamlessly, the Bluetooth paired and functioned without hassle and the camera system is easily as good as some cars four times the Picanto’s price. The lack of a digital speedo in the rudimentary monochromatic driver’s screen, though, is a claims a larger cabin space but if it is, it’s roomier by shades. There's 15mm of extra wheelbase its maker reckons translates directly into more generous accommodation though it's barely, if at all, pedal and wheel placement is excellent and with a decent amount of six-way adjustment it’s easy to dial-in a sporty seating position for a nice hot hatch-type vibe from the driver's seat. The seats themselves are shapely and supportive, though the trim is what you’d call hardy’ and typical of its segment, if benefitting in appearance from some clean contrasting visibility is excellent, too, and it’s an easy car to place on the road or to park in tight spaces. The near-black interior colour scheme favoured by the Korean carmaker in many of its model lines does a decent job of masking some fairly rudimentary plastics and second row does lack a bit of care there are no door bins, no air vents, no USB or power outlets, no central foldable armrest and just single cupholder in the rear of the centre console that’d be difficult for small children to reach. With reasonable head and shoulder room there’s space enough for two adults, though knee room is still a bit cramped. It’s a well-packaged cabin space, if squeezed into a body ostensibly no larger than the old too, is modest – that’s the nature of the micro hatch beast – though it has grown around 25 per cent to 255 litres generation to generation and the 6040 split-fold rear seating slows almost flat to produce a highly useable 1010 litres. Whether you’d get a bicycle in there without disassembly is debatable but the Picanto does double as a neat surrogate mini-van if mightn’t want to load Picanto up with too much gear because the naturally aspirated four-cylinder works hard and loud for its keep. “All new” is hardly accurate given the powertrain, specifically, is a carryover from the old version. Again, more of the same, and disappointingly so given there’s a more powerful 74kW/172Nm turbocharged three-cylinder engine on the global Picanto menu which Kia Australia says isn’t currently certified for local Picanto makes do with 62kW at 6000rpm, but it’s the modest 122Nm of torque, way up at 4000rpm, that doesn’t provide the pint-sized Korean many favours. With two adults on board and a small amount of luggage, it can struggle to increase speed uphill, overtake, or pull out from a side street into traffic. Thankfully, the boisterous little four has a pleasing note, which is loud and ever present in any driving situation where you want to push on beyond a leisurely four-speed feels old hat, though it does keep engine revs up in search of the four cylinder’s 4000rpm sweet spot. At 110km/h on the highway, the engine hums along at a high 3000rpm in top gear, yet the reading from the onboard computer claims impressive sub-five-litre-per-hundred frugality. Even wringing the Picanto’s neck, which we did often at the local launch, thirst rarely rose into the sixes. the two transmission types, the more affordable five-speed manual version is vastly more satisfying to drive, particularly along back roads. The shift action isn’t terribly slick, the clutch pedal a bit vague and tricky to judge, but rowing through the gears while keeping the four-cylinder between 4000-6000rpm can be an absolute fact, the Picanto S is at its most satisfying when treated somewhat differently to its primary role as a cheap grocery getter for young and old and very few demographics in-between. Dare to dig in hard and there are shades of old-school hot hatch character in what’s roughly one tonne of surprising Korean Where the Picanto S punches above its weigh is its chassis, specifically the Aussie-developed ride and handling package. There’s an impressive amount of depth and resolve in the suspension tuning for such a price-busting device. Then there’s the inclusion of torque vectoring-by-braking smarts, which is neat in its own right though there’s so little torque on tap it’s difficult to discern what tangible benefit this system brings to the dynamic only is the five door amazingly agile and well balanced when chucked through twisty corners, it’s also rock solid and stable on the highways. The steering, which now boasts a quicker-ratio rack, has decent accuracy and quite genuine communication and feel regardless of whether many owners will notice... or even care.Bar a lack of a speed indicator for the newly introduced cruise control, the five-door is a delightful driving experience, if one begging for the kinds of output improvements the as-yet-unavailable turbo triple’ would undoubtedly absence of this three-banger – and the lack of autonomous emergency braking in the local Picanto S – is disappointing. The quiet word is both are coming, perhaps next year, as options or possibly featured in a more highly specified variant. Maybe then the Picanto might finally get alloy wheels…No, evidence suggests this new-generation Picanto S is carefully specified to a pair of sharp, competitive price points and once you bundle in seven full years of warranty, capped-price servicing and roadside assist, it’s a compelling pitch for affordable long-term ownership surety and value. That's even if the value pitch seems confusing given the auto has driveaway pricing and the manual doesn’t, and the logical assumption is the latter ends up the more expensive option to land in your advice? The manual is the better drive. And Kia Australia itself recommends negotiating terms with dealers as there’s a high likelihood buyers will easily get a better deal than the $14,190 list pricing why not just drop the advertised price to begin with? Because the importer isn’t keen to “communicate” that Kia is cut-price brand. Strange but first car? Cheap grocery-getter? Retiree runabout? Even a cheeky little warm hatch as a bottom-dollar fun machine? The new Picanto S now fits all bills equally well, if only marginally better than the car it to the CarAdvice team discuss the 2017 Kia Picanto S pricing and specs below, and catch more like this at Ratings Breakdown2017 Kia Picanto Si Hatchback 10Interior Comfort & PackagingInsurance fromEstimate details

The Kia Picanto is the baby of the Kia family, sitting under the recently launched Rio in terms of both cost and size. That's not to say the third-generation Picanto doesn't offer brains in that small body though. Our quick take The new Kia Picanto offers a sportier and more serious design than its predecessor, but it also delivers on the technology front. It might not come in the plethora of colours and customisation options as per the Fiat 500, but it offers plenty of power, plenty of tech and plenty of safety features, such as Autonomous Emergency Braking. Kia's infotainment system is very easy to use and navigate, too, making Apple CarPlay and Android Auto setup a breeze on the higher trim levels, while the various extras - such as the wireless charging pad on the GT-Line S - make it a city car that's looking well into the future. Having the range of safety features as standard on even the lower trims is great too. If your budget allows, we'd suggest the Picanto 3 model or the GT-Line S model in order to get the connectivity and Autonomous Emergency Braking as standard, but the Picanto 2 was good fun to drive, too, so you don't necessarily need to splash all the cash on this new baby Kia to get a small, sporty and savvy purchase. Kia Picanto 2017 - / 5 FORAGAINST Nice sporty design good handling comfortable responsive infotainment system great Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity good price lots of safety features as standard Interior a little plasticky no customisation options for interior or exterior like competitors GT-Line or GT-Line S offer more exciting interior than other trims The latest model of the South Korean company's city car features support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as numerous safety features and advanced driver assistant functions, making it the most technologically advanced Picanto yet. So how does the little car perform and can it win city lovers' hearts? Kia Picanto 2017 review Design The second-generation Kia Picanto was cute and cheeky but the new Picanto goes for an angrier, sportier look. Like the new Rio, Kia has redesigned the 2017 Picanto with sharper angles and straighter lines, resulting in an overall more serious stance than its predecessor. The new Picanto offers exactly the same footprint as the second-generation model - it's 3,595mm long and 1,595mm wide - but Kia has changed the overhangs the front one is now shorter for that sportier look, while the rear one is longer in order to create 255-litres of luggage space compared to the 200-litres of the previous model. Pocket-lint There are wider grilles and air intakes on the front of the new Picanto too, plus a bolder bumper on both the front and rear. The silver or chrome which is dependent on trim signature tiger nose grille is present but it is wider and slimmer than before, leading into the headlights and further emphasising the sportier look. Fog lights are either positioned in separate side grilles or within the main lower grille - it's all dependent on the trim choice and if such panels exist as a result - while air curtains in the side grilles channel air away from the more defined wheel arches that house either 14-inch, 15-inch or 16-inch wheels again, trim dependent. On the rear, the C-shaped rear light clusters are similar to the previous Picanto but they are larger on the new model and more detailed, while the rear roof pillar is more upright in order to deliver greater cabin space it's 5mm taller than the outgoing model. Pocket-lint The new Kia Picanto is only available with five doors, like the Kia Rio, with the rear door handles being the same as the front ones, rather than integrated like the Nissan Micra 2017, for example. It comes in five trims in the UK, which fall under 1, 2, 3, GT-Line pictured in white and GT-Line S pictured in red. The two GT models have larger front and rear sport bumpers, twin exhaust tailpipes, plus red accents in various places such as along the side sills and within the upper grille. Ultimately, all the new Picanto models look good - but the GT-Line and GT-Line S are our favourites for the couple of extra design details that bring the new Kia baby to life. They certainly move away from the cuteness other city cars offer, like the Fiat 500 and the Smart ForTwo Cabrio, making the Picanto stand out as a sportier and more serious car. Kia Rio 2017 review All about connectivity Kia Picanto 2017 review Interior and infotainment Inside the new Kia Picanto, things follow in the same footsteps as the 2017 Kia Rio. The structured dashboard features a satin chrome trim strip to separate controls and display, while vertical ventilation grilles at each end emphasise the width of the quiet, comfortable and spacious cabin. The finish is a little plasticky, just like the Rio, though the GT-Line and GT-Line S have some additions to their interiors that make them pop a little more. Pocket-lint Seat upholstery is trim dependent, with either black cloth, premium black cloth or black and red faux leather present. The faux leather comes on the GT-Line and GT-Line S, along with additions such as a high-gloss black centre fascia trim, satin chrome interior door handles and stainless steel pedals, all contributing to a more premium inside finish than the standard trims. There are electric front windows on all models, as well as remote locking and a radio with USB ports. The Grade 2 models add Bluetooth with music streaming, four speakers compared to two, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear lever, among a couple of other extras. The Grade 3 models offer further additions including Bluetooth with voice recognition, a six-speaker system and a 7-inch "floating" touchscreen with TomTom navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The GT-Line S also features this 7-inch touchscreen, which is brilliantly responsive and simple to use, as well as a wireless phone charger, an electric sunroof and heated front seats, making this model the one to opt for if you want the all the tech. As Kia doesn't offer "options" as such, you can't add the 7-inch touchscreen and all its connectivity or the wireless charger to a Picanto "1", for example, meaning for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, you'll need to choose the Picanto 3 priced at £12,650 or the GT-Line S priced at £13,950. Pocket-lint Beneath the touchscreen are the temperature controls, a shelf for your smartphone or anything else reasonably small, and cup holders. There are also further control buttons in front of the gear stick, though these are dummy buttons on the trims that don't have heated seats, as well as on the steering wheel itself and on the driver's door. There's a secondary screen on the driver's display, but as with the Rio, this is a settings menu rather than a useful second display. Android Auto explored Taking Google on the road Kia Picanto 2017 review Experience The new Kia Picanto is available in nine options in the UK at launch, with two engines, two transmissions and those five aforementioned trims. The petrol is available with 66bhp and five-speed manual in the Picanto 1, 2 and GT-Line; the petrol engine with 83bhp is available with five-speed manual or four-speed auto on the Picanto 2 and 3, or five-speed manual in the GT-Line S; there will also be a T-GDi engine available before the end of the year. Pocket-lint We test drove the Picanto 2, GT-Line, as well as the GT-Line S. The first of which accelerates from 0-60mph in and offers emissions of 101 CO2/km, while the other two engines accelerate from 0-60mph in and offer emissions of 106 CO2/km. All three models were a pleasure to drive, offering plenty of power when it came to steep hills and increasing speed quickly on faster routes, despite not having the sportiest off-the-mark stats. Even when adding to the power, the cabin remained quiet throughout. There was a little more power from the engine, but we didn't feel like the was lacking like its figure might suggest. Both options handled and cornered very well, inspiring confidence on winding Italian roads and delivering a sturdy and stable driving experience with good visibility. Pocket-lint The suspension was firm, especially in the case of the GT-Line models, helping us feel connected with the road, while steering was light and responsive, and braking was sharp too. The Picanto 2 model had its fair share of not-so-brilliant roads on our specific test drive, one of which had plenty of bumps and pot holes to contend with, but it performed without any issues - certainly better and more comfortable than what our Fiat 500 would manage. As with the Kia Rio, there is plenty of extra safety technology on board the new Picanto, with Electronic Stability Control ESC, Vehicle Stability Management and Hill-Start Assist Control coming as standard on all trim levels. Autonomous Emergency Braking comes as standard on the Picanto 3, GT-Line and GT-Line S, or as a £350 option on the Picanto 1 and 2. This feature will bring the car to a complete stop at speeds of up to 50mph, or to a partial stop when travelling at speeds over 50mph without driver intervention. A sheep ran across the road in front of us while in the GT-Line model, kicking the Autonomous Emergency Braking feature into action - so clearly it works well. The sheep, car and ourselves survived without a scratch. Pocket-lint The new Picanto also has Torque Vectoring on all models, which uses the anti-lock brake and ESC sensors to detect if the car is drifting, gently applying the brakes on the inside or outside of the rear wheels respectively. This feature was great when it came to the tight bends, working perfectly and reassuring us when the corners were sharper than we first expected. To recap The new Kia Picanto offers a sportier and more serious design than its predecessor, but it also delivers on the technology front. It might not come in the plethora of colours and customisation options as the likes of the Fiat 500, but it offers plenty of power, plenty of tech and plenty of safety features.

Skip to content The third-generation Picanto will debut early next year Kia has revealed the first details of the third-generation Picanto A-segment model, which will arrive on the market in early 2017. The first three sketches released by the Korean automaker show an evolutionary approach to styling. The Picanto has a similar profile and a rear end that features an evolution of the current generation model's C-shaped taillights. The biggest changes appear at the front, with the 2017 Picanto adopting Kia's new corporate grille that merges with a pair of sleeker headlights, as well as a more aggressive bumper dominated by a bulky lower grille. According to Kia, the new city car retains the compact dimensions of its predecessor. The same evolutionary approach can be observed inside the new Picanto, with Kia retaining the dashboard's layout. The biggest changes are the adoption of a more upright touchscreen display that now sits atop the dash, as well as the relocation of the climate control area. Kia says the new Picanto will offer "greater potential for customer personalization, inside and out," as well as "high-tech comfort, convenience and safety features."

Whileretaining the same footprint as before, the new Picanto has a gain 15mm in the wheelbase that has increased from 2,385mm to 2,400mm, providing a spacier cabin than most of its rivals.

kia all new picanto 2017