The confident and impudent look of this kid at first instilled in us more tenderness than respect. It so happened that on the road, and in life as well, we subconsciously put priority on the side of something bigger (or big), while small things and events leave behind a secondary role. However, do not forget that life is made up of little things. And the new KIA Picanto in this regard can become a very significant brick in the building of your life.
Small - more.
Down with habitual values. Large dimensions and impressive weight may be appreciated in today's "road fashion", but not in the realm of compact A-class cars. Here everything is exactly the opposite: small size - big recognition. And the advantages of the third generation in this regard should be recognized to the maximum - this “brick” weighs only 994 kg, and its length does not exceed 3.5 meters.
Friends! While everyone, these days, takes large off-road vehicles that are difficult to maneuver in traffic jams or on the narrow road junctions of modern metropolitan areas, we advise you to seriously think about a maneuverable boat with a good motor, which will be the new Picanto.
The vaunted compactness will allow you to feel free not only on the road, but also on the cramped city streets.
Moreover, the appearance and equipment of the third generation of the "spicy" hatchback (hatchback) gives it a full-fledged leader not only among its "peers". Let's just say - outwardly, "Picanto" is definitely a representative of the younger class, while its filling can give odds to some representatives of the B, or even C class.
On our test drive KIA Picanto in the top GT Line modification. The main difference of this version is the unique design of the outrageous sports car: twin exhaust pipes, 16-inch wheels, a bright white color scheme with red accents, chrome handles and a serious sporty body kit. In all this, one can feel the hand of the same Peter Schreyer, who in the past created the appearance of elite European cars.
The design is unique both in general and in particular for each owner. KIA offers 11 body color options for which you do not have to pay extra when ordering - their price is included in the package.
And the headlights! It is not for nothing that his “confident and daring look” is mentioned in the first lines. The headlights of our "hero" are a separate and independent work of art. What is one LED strip on top, similar to a straight line of lowered eyelashes. If it were not a car, but a young man, such a self-confident and direct look would put the girls on the spot.
Despite the fact that the overall dimensions of the car have been preserved, the manufacturer has increased something in the new Picanto. With the change of generations, KIA engineers slightly extended the wheelbase, which added points to the hatchback, both in appearance and in handling. And the volume of the trunk has also increased by 55 liters, and now we have a full 255 liters behind the back door, as well as a compartment with tools and a stowaway.
The shape of the headlights is, in our opinion, one of the most beautiful among hatchbacks.
Compact space.
And who would have thought that a car that looked like a “brick” outwardly could fit a whole house! Well… a house is, of course, briskly said, rather an apartment, or rather a small studio… and yet there is enough space in Picanto.
In this apartment, by the way, get without a key. A key card is another feature of a well-equipped modern car.
In our KIA Picanto, the three of us rode like a breeze. Three adults and far from small men, and a fourth could easily fit with us. Particularly surprised by the presence of free space above the head. I believe that a person under two meters tall can easily fit behind the wheel, although his exit from the car, almost half his size, from the outside may seem slightly comical.
And no matter how compact it (the car) seems to us, we have to not “climb out” of it, but to get off. Sounds and looks pretty good! Especially for Russia, the Koreans raised the ground clearance by 161 cm, instead of 142 in the original.
Available wealth.
Continuing the tradition of our test drives, we move from outside to inside, smoothly moving on to the theme of the interior, which in the GT Line version strictly continues to adhere to the red sports line. And also red sports fabric inserts, high-quality artificial leather, aluminum pedal caps and durable plastic on the panel.
The faux leather is really good. The main criterion for this was a short argument about her "realness". But the plastic on the tidy did not cause controversy ... really natural plastic. In some places, plastic pretended to be natural wood, and gave it out beautifully - but we did not argue about this.
I was pleased with the arrangement of interior elements into one holistic and organic designer cocktail. A small front panel beautifully and clearly accommodates climate control, a multimedia installation, sound speakers, an understandable “tidy”, a place for a USB port, and then attention ... A wireless charging module for a smartphone, and another additional shelf for storing small things, like a wallet and keys. How did it fit in there? Don't ask.
Particularly pleased with the design of the side air ducts. Great respect to those who made such a simple thing an object of admiration, turning it into a kind of unknown nautical instrument or an old grandfather's radio.
Buttons on the steering wheel allow you to control the audio system and cruise control, a small 2.5-inch display on the dashboard keeps you up to date with important indicators such as tire pressure. Interaction with the multimedia system is carried out through a large 7-inch touchscreen.
By the way, the multimedia screen is placed outside the torpedo, which is reminiscent of a stationary tablet. Such a vision of the interior is found in some premium representatives of European brands. This screen displays the image from the rear view camera, as well as all the functionality of the parking assistant.
In the optional, the main plus for the Russians is still the heated steering wheel and front seats, and in addition to this, help on the rise, the stability control system and the tire pressure regulator.
Any road size.
To roll the new KIA Picanto, we went to the spicy streets of the city of Volzhsky. Agree it is logical? If we compare Volgograd with Sportage, or even Mohave, then Picanto is a typical Volga. Just as clean, beautiful, stocked and compact.
The GT Line version has the most productive, by piquant standards, 1.2-liter engine and 84 horsepower. It is used on most trim levels presented in Russia, and works together with a four-speed automatic. The lower versions come with a base 1.0-liter 67-horsepower engine, complete with a standard 5-speed manual.
In our experience, we can say that this performance is quite enough for a car weighing an average horse. A quick move, confident overtaking on the track, we flew to Volzhsky with a breeze in half and a quarter of an hour. Consumption during our moderate driving flashed in the region of 6 liters per hundred kilometers.
Inconvenient to park? I don't understand what you mean...
What was immediately felt on the go - a truly sporty stiff suspension. With such a chassis, the hatchback is not afraid of any road surprises. It sits securely on the pavement, responds to steering wheel manipulations instantly.
The maximum speed of this compact car, according to the manufacturer, is up to 161 km/h. Considering the dimensions, functionality and features of A-class cars, we believe that no one will have to accelerate to these numbers in urban conditions. We honestly observed the speed limit all the way, including the track, thanks to which we moved smoothly and confidently, and most importantly, we arrived at our destination on time.
In fairness, I would like to compare the new KIA Picanto with competitors in terms of price. It costs from 549,000 rubles, and 649,900 rubles in the first configuration with an older 84-horsepower engine. But ... it turns out that Picanto does not have worthy competitors in this segment on the Russian market.
Only two representatives of the A-class in the country come to mind. The first outright loses in terms of equipment, because it is a box with an engine and wheels, and the second clearly sells for the price, and there are not many pluses in equipment. So, no matter how loud it may sound, but today KIA Picanto is the absolute leader among compact city cars in Russia.
Let's be honest - this kid forced himself to be respected. Only the dimensions can be called modest in it, the minimalism of which is one of the most important advantages of such cars. In all other respects, the new KIA Picanto is absolutely not a modest, bright and adult compact car. Such a frisky and handsome comrade will be an indispensable companion for the young and active, those who cannot sit still and do not tolerate traffic jams, a beautiful accessory for ladies, or a faithful assistant for young people.
And for the car provided for a test drive, we express our gratitude twice - to the company, whose salon is located at the address, which is located at Aviators Highway 11.
Test drive KIA Picanto Gt Line — PHOTO
It would seem that the impressions from such cars should be absolutely positive - like watching videos with kittens. But the updated city hatchback itself did everything to be judged by adult standards: it gestured, buzzed angrily, and if it spoke in a girlish voice, it missed with accents ...
On the one hand, cars like the Picanto are literally doomed to be bombarded with diminutive suffixes - after all, they are small, and cute, and nimble. On the other hand, even if there is general tenderness, it refuses to be converted into mass demand. Many manufacturers generally prefer to start from second gear, in the sense of not having segment A models in the Russian lineup. Some time ago, Opel threatened to bring a new, compact and very worthy Adam - but changed its mind at the first sign of instability in the market, and then completely wished happy to stay.
Minimum price
Maximum price
It is important for Kia to be represented in all basic market segments - therefore, there is no question of abandoning Picanto sales. Moreover, the compact hatchback was updated, traditionally not shaking up much, but adding some options - for example, cruise control, which was previously absent even in the most expensive trim levels. At the same time, due to the appearance of a new configuration (a three-door with a 66 hp engine and a manual gearbox in the most affordable Classic configuration), the base price of the model car was reduced by 35,000 rubles - while the configurations previously on the market rose in price by five thousand. ten.
The statistics do not present any special surprises: two-thirds of the Picantos are bought by women, in most cases by married women. That is, for sure this is not the first car in the family: for the transportation of large companies and a lot of things there is a crossover under the control of her husband, and the compact Korean works rather on the hook. And if there is no one to hide behind - can this hatchback be a car for all occasions in a large city? It seems that AvtoVesti readers are interested in this question no less than ours, since they asked to upload to Picanto not a company of nightlife fans and not a dwarf dog, but a whole baby carriage. And when the reader asks, it is not customary for us to refuse.
Visually, the Picanto 8's interior is cozy - it won't do without complaints about "cheap" finishing materials, but they seem far-fetched to us.
Question from minion
It is clear that they always save on such machines - what did they save more on?
Here looking with what to compare. If with Quoris for three million, then it turns out that Kia saves on all its other models. In theory, you can find reasons: for example, Picanto is the only Kia that is imported to us ready-made from behind a hillock (all other models are born in the process of local assembly), which means that we are more dependent on the exchange rate than others. Plus, the demand for segment A cars in Russia has never been booming. On the other hand, Picanto plays an important role as a kind of bait, along with which a novice car enthusiast must swallow the perception of Kia cars as an ideal compromise between price and quality. So, this small car in our market is not for show and in no case should it stand across the throat of the buyer.
Saved here primarily on space. You sit down, take a closer look, twist your elbows for fidelity - it seems that you haven’t rested anywhere. You relax and make a natural (and not consciously test) movement - and now it’s already crowded either with the elbow or with the knee. And it is worth feeling discomfort for the first time - and the mode of a critical look at the surrounding salon turns on by itself. Here is the wide front panel - on some Mitsubishi Outlander it pleases (when you place plates and glasses there for a snack along the way), but here it immediately seems that it has taken some centimeters from your loved one. Why does the center console protrude so much? And you have to stretch so far to the tray for small things at the base of this console ...
Motor power
Horse power
Ground clearance
millimeter
Trunk volume
In a good car, you feel that it is built around you, but here it’s the other way around: engineers and designers have created an interior, and you have to somehow fit into it. The front seats also do not allow you to relax irrevocably: they touch rather than hug - in one zone they take too hard by the side, and in the other they deprive the body of even a minimal, but still necessary emphasis.
Luckily, there are things to do. Everything that is directly in front of the driver is thought out to the conscience - from the dashboard to the pedals, which help to do everything smoothly and allow you to select semitones by dosing effort, and not choose between on and off modes. The steering wheel is good both in terms of tactile sensations (it’s nice to hold it) and in terms of muscle sensations (the steering is well tuned) - although, contrary to ideas about a compact female car, it doesn’t even become empty and light at walking speeds. And the number of buttons on it hints that when compiling the list of options for the updated Picanto, the goal was clearly not to save aggressively.
The steering wheel on a compact Korean is pleasant to touch and twist.
Question from a foreigner
Be honest about the engine.
Since the Picanto's pairs of units are rigidly fixed (the 66-horsepower engine only works in tandem with a 5-speed "mechanics", and the 85-horsepower engine only works in tandem with a 4-speed automatic), then we should rather talk about a combination of engine and gearbox. We were only able to try the second combination and cannot throw any justified accusations into the intake manifold.
Minimum fuel consumption during the test (fixed on the track in close to ideal conditions)
Of course, if you are engaged in wholesale overtaking trucks on the famous reversals of the Moscow-Peter highway on the Picanto, then the pleasure will be below average. Of course, kickdown happens here more often than we would like - and sometimes in frankly relaxed situations when the driver tries to gently add gas. Of course, having abruptly dropped the speed, it will not be possible to immediately return to cruising speed with a slight movement of the right foot due to the elasticity of the motor. But even when throwing in city traffic, and on the highway with two lanes in one direction, the combination "85 hp + automatic" is nothing to blush for.
Fuel consumption recorded in the city during the evening rush hour
Of course, the kickdown soundtrack will be specific, but how often is driving a car like the Picanto a series of sharp and long accelerations? The problem is rather different: the roar of the engine subsides quickly enough - but the rumble from the tires accompanies you all the way. And strains noticeably, presses on the ears. Passengers do not have to shout over each other, but at a speed of 60-70 km / h, because of this hum, it is not always possible to hear the replicas of the system that clarifies or performs voice commands (more on them below). In short, in terms of soundproofing Picanto still has room to grow.
Picanto has two instrument panel configurations, depending on the configuration. In the photo - more advanced, for Luxe and Prestige trim levels.
Question from Ivan
What is the actual ground clearance?
Kia claims a ground clearance of 152mm - and our measurements confirm it. At the same time, Picanto does not have a pronounced lower point - if the exhaust pipe, passing under the feet of the rear passengers, drops just below the bottom or rear beam, then by one or two millimeters.
We took measurements after the test drive was over - and to be honest, at that moment the ground clearance did not seem to be a particularly important parameter for us. It is much more important to talk about the suspension settings, because the Picanto turned out to be unusually stiff. Hillocks, pits, wide cracks, tram rails or square “cobblestone” tiles between them - upon contact with any of these bumps, at first you involuntarily frown, and over time you can’t get used to the peculiar suspension settings. Breakdowns, even with a relatively calm ride, happen quite often - if you move aggressively in the stream, you will catch them with frightening regularity. On top of that, because of not the most effective soundproofing, you also hear the suspension - and it makes sounds that are not the most pleasant.
And most importantly - it is not very clear why so gesticulate. It is obvious that Picanto buyers are unlikely to rush along the roads on their ears and look for the limits of controllability - especially since modest motors will not allow flying especially. And if the runabout had rolled and swayed a little more, the owners would hardly have blamed it (if they had paid attention to it at all). And so at the end it turns out that the car was like a sports car made for perfectly smooth asphalt - but this is less common in large cities of our country than we would like, and in civilized Europe, roads are far from glassy everywhere. It seems that the Koreans initially set up the suspension for themselves and did not seriously reconfigure it for us.
Question from Ivan
Does it blow when a truck passes by? And is it well visible to truck drivers?
Kia representatives believe that the suspension seemed stiff to us because of the 50 profile tires dressed on 15-inch wheels. In other trim levels (we drove the most expensive Prestige, they come with 60 and 70 profile rubber on 14 diameter wheels (steel or light alloy) or 13 (steel only) inches.
Above, we complained that the Picanto's suspension is harsh - maybe it was made that way precisely for the sake of maintaining directional stability when driving with trucks? One way or another, potential buyers should not worry: the “shock” air wave running away from the road train will not rearrange the car for half a row. And where do these questions come from? Pre-perestroika "Zhigulis" from "penny" to "eight" also weighed less than a ton (although Picanto with a mass of 840 kg will be a whole centner lighter) - but we will not remember the jokes about the Lada being blown off the road by MAZ. Once in a zone of strong crosswind, we felt a couple of times that Mercedes-Benz knowingly taught its active suspension to counteract it. But this is also a mere trifle, which even a novice driver would hardly be afraid of - he would simply feel at some point that the steering wheel has become heavier. In general, everything is in order with the directional stability of the Picanto: you will have to taxi, be distracted by it or strain because of it - no.
As for truck drivers, it is difficult for us to speak for them. Still, the Picanto is not a penny in size, it has three and a half meters from nose to tail - this, for example, is only 30 centimeters shorter than the Mini. For those who do not have enough of our reasoning, we can advise you to turn your attention to the rich Luxe and Prestige configurations, where there are fog lights in the list of standard equipment, and LEDs in a circle (in the sense - running lights in the front and lights plus an additional brake light in the back).
The girls will definitely like this detail: the lights next to the mirror do not light up all at once, but two at a time - from top to bottom.
Question from Ivan
Are there many blind spots when reversing?
Of course, there is a dead zone under the rear bumper, where the ball can suddenly roll, Bug chase the ball, the granddaughter run after the Bug - and so on. If you are going somewhere to go to the Picanto - this is not a reason to leave caution at home. But in reality, the dead zone is very conditional - and it hardly makes sense to buy a car in more expensive Luxe and Prestige trim levels, if you are only interested in rear parking sensors from the entire list of equipment available for them. When maneuvering in reverse, the main emotion is rather a relief from the fact that you do not have to keep in mind a few centimeters of the rear bumper and you can safely judge the distance to the wall by the lower edge of the rear window.
- The armrest could also be trimmed to avoid contact with the knee. The tray in the door is narrow enough to store something other than cards and bottles.
- There are few containers for small things - but they are large, without unnecessary partitions and compartments.
- Stops for glasses in a niche at the base of the center console - folding.
Question from andrew_spb
Isn't the radio too simple?
It is difficult to call it quite simple - for example, because already in the Comfort package (from 604,900 rubles) there is a USB port, and in two rich trim levels - Bluetooth support and even voice commands. But the overall impression of the head unit is really blurry. You can get used to the unusually located buttons over time, and the small cheap screen and numerous abbreviations in the menu are a bit difficult. On duty, we studied the radio tape recorder, but after that somehow there was no desire to touch it once again: we set the desired radio station - and forgot. I also didn’t want to give commands by voice: a noticeable delay in the reaction to a command is not so bad, other manufacturers have not yet learned to cope with this, but the not very intelligible diction of a virtual woman and incorrectly set stresses are seriously annoying. Not all is well with the recognition of the driver's speech either: the system as a whole copes with the names of contacts from the notebook - but it hears the numbers through one. For example, we managed to "pronounce correctly" the desired radio frequency from the fourth or fifth time.
However, for the Picanto - as well as for the budget Rio sedan, for example - a more modern head unit can be bought from dealers (the Russian representative office of Kia itself chose the "head", and agreed with its manufacturer, and organizes centralized supplies). However, it makes sense to wait a bit, as a modern multimedia system with a touch screen and factory navigation should appear on Picanto price lists almost in the next few weeks. She will eventually find a place for herself on the front panel of Rio - but here we are talking not about weeks, but about months.
The radio is an amateur, but there is a USB port at the base of the center console, and fashionable Apple gadgets connect without problems - like Bluetooth phones.
Question from Ivan
How many suitcases will fit in the trunk simply and with the seats unfolded? Will the stroller fit with the seats folded down?
Having seriously attended to the search for answers to these questions, we got a fairly large stroller with a cradle, where the “chassis” when folded has dimensions of 85 x 54 x 38 cm, and the cradle is 85 x 40 x 30 cm. With the rear sofa folded, all this is located inside without too much trouble. If we assume that you want to put the mother together with the cradle in the back, and place the "chassis" in the trunk, this option is possible only if the wheels are dismantled.
If you measure the volume of the trunk in suitcases, then a couple of medium-sized suitcases (those that are still allowed to take with you on a plane) will fit - of course, you will have to place them vertically. How many suitcases will fit with the sofa folded down, I had to estimate by eye - and the dispute about five or seven (and whether a suitcase can be considered "fitted" if its wheels rest against the driver's ear) is still in the editorial office. In general, according to our feelings, if you need to place a large amount of luggage, it is better to leave the rear seats unfolded. Everything is rvvno nothing like a flat floor when folding the sofa does not work - therefore, neatly stowed luggage has a great chance of turning into a chaotic pile, the space behind the front seats (small, but still available) will be more difficult to use, you will have to stick the removed shelf somewhere ... In a word, we would prefer some of the suitcases to be thoroughly peeled off and put right on the back sofa.
298 liters of trunk volume - is it a lot or a little? A lot: the Chevrolet Spark had only 170, the French couple Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 had 139 at all!
Question from Ivan
Compare prices and specifications with Skoda Fabia, Nissan Micra and others.
As you understand, no one officially considers Picanto and Fabia direct competitors - but we like the way of thinking. Because it allows you to take a slightly broader look at the issue of choosing a car. If you use the traditional approach, then the Koreans can prepare bags for money: their small car really has no full-fledged rivals left. Micra is not for sale here, Citroen Spark needs to be searched through dealerships using a spark finder - the same picture with the French kids Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107. Daewoo Matiz stuck in the last decade in design and set of options, and Smart sawed up the price line. I didn’t even have to blink and scare away with beeps - the competing brands somehow parted on their own.
However, if we take for example a budget car of segment B - yes, the same Kia Rio hatchback - we will see that with a similar set of options, the Picanto will be cheaper by only 20-30 thousand rubles. A few years ago, the difference was obvious: simple as a log and empty as a drum like the first generation Renault Logan, few would dare to compare it with an elegant Korean city car. But now, when state employees have become prettier in appearance, and hung with options, the layouts turn out to be different. If you think about Fabia, then the Czech hatchback with a 70 hp engine. and mechanics in the Ambition configuration and an additional package of options will cost about 500,000 rubles. The Picanto, which is similar in configuration and equipment, will cost 609,900 rubles, partially justifying the difference in price by the presence of a radio that is absent on the Fabia. The price of a thoroughly stuffed Fabia with an automatic, cruise control and parking sensors will approach the mark of 700,000 rubles - Picanto will cost 729,000 rubles, and the difference in engine power (the engine of the Czech hatchback in this version already develops 105 hp) will be answered having Bluetooth support.
Of course, many Picanto buyers will make an emotional choice - they will like the design or the very idea of a compact city car. But if you approach the choice rationally, isn't it better to buy a car for the same money with the same set of options (if desired, of the same brand), but more friendly to the elbows and knees, not requiring to shrink and "embed" in it? And the difference in length (Picanto is 40 cm shorter than Fabia) is not so significant, devoting one free day to parking. However, as soon as we discussed this curious moment, the route led us into the wilds of one of the newest sleeping areas of the capital. At the foot of the twenty-story houses, narrow driveways winded, tightly packed with cars on both sides, rarely allowing two cars to pass, regularly leading to tight dead ends and regularly requiring twenty or thirty meters to reverse ... And the difference of 30 cm with the Czech hatchback suddenly seemed very appropriate to us...
The appearance of excellent offers in class “B”, as well as the knife of the crisis of 2014-2015, cut off the entire “delicious” middle peasant in a pie called “compact city car class”. Only crumbs remained, among which, however, there is still something to profit from.
Introduced two months ago in Geneva, the baby Kia Picanto is one of the few who, in spite of everything, survived, and, in the virtual absence of competitors, expects to stay afloat in the raging ocean of the Russian car market. The secret intention of its creators is simple - to give the market more than just a compact city car. To understand the intricacies of crisis marketing, we set off to travel around the nearest suburbs along with the updated Picanto.
Maybe someone remembers the distant 1999, when Kia introduced the Visto (also Hyundai Atos / Atoz or Amica), the progenitor of the current Picanto. If not, then I will try to explain on my fingers what kind of car it was. It looked, rode, it was equipped in much the same way as some competitors of the current Kia Picanto look, ride and are equipped today, of which there are only two left: Chevrolet Spark and Daewoo Matiz. However, taking into account the new realities, we cross out Spark, and the old, boring, ugly “Uzbek” remains. There is also smart, but is it a competitor without a second row and two rear doors?
The front overhang is quite low and you need to park near the curbs with caution. But the rear bumper has almost no overhang - get up wherever you want.
It is difficult to blame Peter Schraer for his lack of taste. With his light hand, Kia took leaps and bounds in the automotive markets around the world, turning heads with the design of their cars. Kia Picanto was no exception - the maestro outlined the design direction of the smallest Kia in 2010. And in 2011, the new Picanto with a crazy design appeared to the public in all its glory.
Updates touched the front and rear bumpers and grille. Projector-type foglights and LED taillights appeared. In the Sport trim, the bumper, grille and foglights are noticeably different from ordinary trim levels with a more aggressive look. Decorative red rims are also added here, and among the rims there are 15-inch wheels with a luxurious design.
The current update of the baby Kia Picanto can be called a point. It is true - its design is ahead of its time - not every competitor, even from the former, is able to challenge the "Korean". Therefore, radicalism is not required here. But new options not previously available in the class and technical improvements should spark interest in the fading compact city car class.
Dashboard plastic hard, but it does not seem so. The architecture of the dashboard, control panel and instruments is refined and not only pleasing to the eye, but also functional. But the silver lining on the steering wheel is not very pleasant to the touch, and besides, it is rather slippery.
Agree it is much more pleasant to watch an additional information display on the instrument panel with graphics of the processes occurring with the car - now the “Supervision panel” option is available for Kia Picanto. The steering wheel also acquired convenient controls for various vehicle systems. The finish of the automatic transmission lever has been improved - it looks more expensive and, of course, beautiful. And even such small details as the airflow control knobs on the deflectors have been transformed, being decorated with chrome strips.
The audio system, of course, is also new, and albeit with a small but LCD display. Any device can be connected to it using all known protocols and inputs. A bonus to the system is built-in memory of 500 megabytes. Got Kia Picanto and cruise control. Yes, not simple, but with a speed limit function, which will allow you to avoid fines for exceeding the speed limit in the city. And if you dropped some small thing on the floor, you will be helped by the illumination of the leg area, which is a rarity in this class of cars.
Although the audio system is new, it is very mediocre in operation - the sound is weak and not saturated - music lovers do not worry.
The range of engines and gearboxes has also undergone restyling. Engines of 1.0 and 1.2 liters are the same as those presented on the European market. The motors comply with the Euro5 environmental class and, despite their volume, are very productive.
The updated Kia Picanto is prepared for operation in our latitudes with insulated options: a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, heated exterior mirrors and, attention, heated windshield washer nozzles, which, moreover, have changed their design for more efficient operation.
The junior motor has undergone modifications. To improve traction performance, its intake manifold has been optimized, widening the torque shelf, making it available over a wider range of 3,000 to 4,000 rpm.
Ground clearance Kia Picanto - 142 mm and 152 mm with a package for bad roads.
A manual box, paired with a 1.0-liter engine, also tried on new clothes and changed. She was equipped with a new reverse gear synchronizer, which made it possible to avoid noise when it was turned on. Also, new materials and design solutions were applied that affected the clarity of the inclusion of first and second gears. A stopper appeared in the design of the lever, which made it possible to increase the reliability of the system as a whole.
The Kia Picanto liter engine produces 66 hp. and 95.1 Nm of torque. Acceleration to hundreds of 14.6 seconds, and fuel consumption in urban driving mode - 5.8 liters. The 1.2 liter engine produces 85 hp. and 120.6 Nm of torque. Acceleration to hundreds - 13.7 seconds, consumption in the city - 7.3 liters.
However, the younger motor could not be tested. But the 85-horsepower 1.2-liter engine, my colleague and I tormented us with all our strength. Frankly, this is an unusually high-spirited engine. No, of course, if you compare it with any 1.6-liter engine, then, of course, the volume will play a role. But in terms of its traction and acceleration characteristics, besides being burdened with an automatic transmission, this engine is not much inferior to any 1.4-liter engine. The main thing is not to be shy to turn the engine. Yes, consumption is growing at the same time, but the car is moving, and even overtaking. Yes, and the machine is quite a nice one. Works thoughtfully, but smoothly. What else do you need in a city? Oh yes. Comfort. Well, so with this, Kia Picanto has everything in openwork. For such a small size and modest wheelbase, it has quite a comfortable suspension. On rails and pits, of course, it is no, no, and it will shake up the passengers sitting inside (especially those who are on the back sofa), but at the same time it holds blows with dignity. And on the road, the car stands very confidently - it does not heel and does not seek to break out of control. Yes, there are flaws, of course, but everything is within the permissible limits: the steering wheel is light, but in corners it turns out to refuel the car quite accurately. You have to taxi often, but it’s impossible to say that Picanto frankly wanted to run away from control. And it becomes noticeable at higher than city speeds.
Suspension Kia Picanto: front - independent, spring, MacPherson type with anti-roll bar, rear - semi-independent, spring, with hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers.
As for the spaciousness of the cabin, then the baby Picanto has a complete order with this. Three tall and rather bulky men were accommodated in the cabin with sufficient comfort. With my height of 186 cm, I did not feel strongly restricted in the space in the gallery.
Having moved to the front passenger seat, I had to roll back to give more room for my knees, resting on the glove compartment. The rear passenger was, of course, cramped, but not so much that it was annoying. In addition, our driver was sitting a little closer to the steering wheel than usual, which gave the rear sofa passenger room to maneuver, and, being constrained by my landing, he simply moved to the seat behind the driver.
The trunk of the Kia Picanto is small and not roomy. But its 200 liters should be enough for sports bags and bags from the supermarket. Large suitcases enter here with a creak. However, if there are only two of you in the car, then the backs of the gallery can be expanded, thereby expanding the capacity of the luggage compartment to 870 liters.
Is it worth taking? In the absence of competitors, and even if they remained, yes. But the problem is that for 489,000 rubles, and this is the price of the initial configuration of Kia Picanto, you can pick up something from a more spacious class B. However, if design, compactness and richness of options are your priority, then I will not dissuade this baby .
Is there any point in a tiny little car 3.5 meters long, powered by an engine with a power much less than 100 hp? s., which also works in tandem with a 4-speed (frightened exclamation) "automatic"? There is, and what else, if you want to feel like a fish in water in city traffic. "RG" proves the theorem on the example of Kia Picanto, nine-point traffic jams, crowded shopping center parking lots and yards in residential areas where it is impossible to find a place for a normal car.
I decided not to keep the intrigue and escalate suspense, saving the most delicious facts for the end of the text, and therefore I lay it out as if in spirit at the beginning: Kia Picanto is an ideal city car.
It took me a couple of days to come to this conclusion and understand what the main feature of the smallest Kia is, why the market needs another cute and low-powered hatchback or station wagon with an incomprehensible concept.
The fault of my slow-wittedness is a banal optical illusion. The paradox of Picanto is that the car is not perceived at all by the shorty, until you start deliberately comparing it with the objects of the surrounding reality. For example, with a standard parking space in the "pocket" by the road, where for the little Kia, if you put it close to the curb, another one of the same will almost fit. Jokes aside.
I wasn't interested in the size characteristics of the Picanto until I got behind the wheel, and I drove to the press park for the car with the confidence that in the coming days I would be testing a classic compact car the size of, say, a Peugeot 208. The reality turned out to be much less trivial, because the Picanto - not a compact, but a city car. So I got acquainted live with a much less known and widespread genre of automotive art.
In fact, the smallest Kia has only two competitors - and Smart forfour.
The first one is more attractive in terms of price - the starting cost of a pizza delivery car is 439 thousand rubles. And how to look - Picanto in the base with a liter engine and "mechanics", taking into account discounts, will cost 460 thousand. However, in terms of comfort, cosiness of interior decoration and level of equipment, the Uzbek city car cannot compete with Kia.
As for Smart forfour, it is, of course, more technologically advanced and cooler - here you have a turbo engine with a capacity of 109 "horses", and a robotic 6-speed transmission, and indeed, this is a Mercedes-Benz, whatever one may say. The nascent sympathy is killed by the price, which starts at 890 thousand rubles. Picanto in the maximum configuration GT Line costs 15 thousand less!
And for the version from the Brabus tuning studio with a number of options, you will have to pay much more than one and a half million at all - for this money you can buy two subcompact Kia in the top. Also, do not discount the subjective moment associated with the design - Kia, as mentioned above, looks like an ordinary small car, and Smart is perceived by most as a toy.
And Kia has the largest trunk. Its volume is 255 liters. Smart has 185, and Ravon has 170 at all.
In general, it turns out that Picanto is a kind of golden mean. But what's inside?
The test car was made in the X-Line configuration and cost 800 thousand rubles. For this money, the client receives a truly rich equipment, which you don’t expect to see in a car of this class. In stock: two-stage heated front seats, heated steering wheel, a decent screen of a multimedia system, a rear-view camera with dynamic lines of the trajectory of rotation, support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto protocols, eco-leather trim, single-zone climate control ... You can list for a long time. The point of the enumeration is to draw a simple and positive conclusion: the hierarchy based on the size of the car is broken. Small - now does not mean "empty".
The only complaint about the Picanto's interior is the huge steering wheel compared to all other interior elements. Apparently, he moved here with one of the older models of the brand without the slightest adaptation to the size of the car.
However, back to Picanto's superpower. When your car is a little more than three and a half meters long and a little more than one and a half meters wide, driving through dense traffic jams becomes almost a pleasure. The gap between the curb and the sidewall of the vehicle in front suddenly turns into wiggle room. Moreover, this maneuver can be performed without any violation of traffic rules. But the most important thing is how Picanto solves the parking problem. Just know that there will always be one and a half meters wide or three and a half meters long between parked cars. Always. Checked to the eyeballs by parking lots at the shopping center on a joyful day off and sleepy parking lots in the yards of sleeping bags late at night.
Of course, one can recall the radical and uncompromising Smart fortwo, which became the hero of memes for its ability to park across. It is also 90 cm shorter. However, the fortwo is a two-seater, as the name implies, and this fact immediately cuts off many potential buyers.
How does the Picanto ride? Despite the frail 1.2-liter engine with a capacity of 84 liters. With. (this is a top-end unit, the second one has a volume of 1 liter and a power of 67 hp) and an archaic 4-speed automatic transmission, surprisingly, not bad. Up to 80 km / h, the agility is enough not only not to feel like an outsider in the stream, but even to decide to overtake.
Good acceleration by the standards of the class is possible thanks to the negligible mass of the car - the Picanto weighs only 913 kg! And such lightness has a serious minus. The car chatters like hell from the slightest breeze and it rolls like hell. So much so that an association with mossy times comes to mind, when Oka's cars, partly related to the small Kia in spirit, drove with stickers "When I grow up, I will become a jeep." So, Picanto clearly wants to turn into a serious frame SUV. At least her way of cornering says just that.
Whole photo session
Women are special beings. Cars are for them too. A prime example is the Kia Picanto, the most "feminine" car I've ever tested. What is special about it?
Indeed, women's logic is something ... For some reason, it is generally accepted that a car for women must be small, that it is easier to drive such a car ... This is far from always the case, but where can we go from stereotypes! The women themselves want a small, sleek car.
And still - for hotheads. Kia Picanto is not a crazy stool. A high maximum speed does not speak of dynamics, so you are unlikely to be able to “light up” and “be smart” in the stream. You can simply count on clear, dry weather on a free, high-quality track with good visibility in all directions to get to your destination faster than you thought. But no more. The Picanto is not a mini sports car, just a mini car, and that says it all.
For a mini-sports car, it has a too uninformative steering wheel. It does a little turns from lock to lock, besides, the electric amplifier is configured in such a way that it pours it with a certain “weight”. But here “zero” on a high-speed straight line has to be literally groped for. In addition, the car has a very short wheelbase, so it easily changes course at will and obeys the microrelief of the track.
Further. In open spaces, the small dimensions of this vehicle are clearly felt. Something akin to the feeling of the author of the song "Skyscrapers, skyscrapers, and I'm so small ...". Only in my case “skyscrapers” are fields, forests and an endless road running into the distance. You feel most acutely that you are sitting very close to it, it seems that on the next wave you are about to touch the asphalt with your fifth point. Moreover, unlike sports cars, there is no feeling of a low center of gravity. Little Kia does not stick to the road, although, on the other hand, it does not strive to break away from it. So - for lovers of external effects - the wing will be an extra toy on it. Don't bother.
The feeling of closeness to the road is enhanced by the noise of the tires. It's no exaggeration to say that the Hankook Kinergy Eco tires are the MOST noisy tires I've ever seen on the vehicles I've tested. Even winter studded tires, as well as tires with off-road treads, are inferior to this summer, purely road model. By the way, it is on it that flowers are depicted. Probably, in the expectation that customers will pay attention only to them, all other aspects will be secondary for them.
The “junior” equipment of the Kia Picanto is equipped with a three-cylinder 1.0-liter gasoline engine developing 66 hp. With. Paired with this motor is offered only a five-speed manual transmission. The "older" version is equipped with a four-cylinder 1.2-liter engine with 86 hp. With. and a quad-band automatic.
In fact, the noise of these tires is actually their only drawback (apart from the relatively rare size - 175 / 50R15, will it be easy to find such tires on sale?). As for the main characteristic of tires - grip properties, here Kinergy Eco, frankly, is at its best. On any type of hard surface, as well as on gravel and smooth primers, I felt their "tenacity" physically. So their attractiveness is not only in the flowers on the sidewalls, but also in the competent tread pattern and the composition of the rubber compound. And the noise ... well, what to do, you have to forgive her.
The car we got for the test turned out to be equipped with a cruise control system. All I can say about her is that she works. Nothing outstanding, nothing special. All control buttons are placed on the right spoke of the steering wheel, so there is no need to grope for an additional lever in the dark, which is present on much more expensive models. Can you save fuel by using cruise control? I think so - but in the same way you can cope with this task without it. The consumption of 95th gasoline in an extra-urban cycle, which included a ten-kilometer traffic jam, as well as periodic acceleration to high and very high speeds, amounted to 6.7 liters per 100 km with Picanto. On one of the sections of the highway, I reset the fuel consumption readings on the on-board computer and tried to drive at speeds not exceeding 110 km / h. If you manage to maintain this pace on your own or with the help of a “cruise”, you can count on about 5.5 liters of gasoline consumption.
Another "plus" of the car - its on-board computer shows how many kilometers you can drive on the remaining fuel in the tank, as they say, to the last drops. For many models, the indication of available kilometers disappears, but for the Picanto, I managed to notice the indication “19 km”. Less failed, drove to the gas station. I did not want to risk and try to reach the next gas station at night, far from civilization.
In your circle
If the Picanto goes smoothly on smooth roads, then on roads with medium and low quality surfaces, the model demonstrates unambiguous suspension stiffness. Shaking, and pretty! And on long waves it also “takes off” and “sits down”. Rear passengers say it takes their breath away. I haven't been able to test it myself. In the driver's seat, these "ups" and "landings" are also felt, but not sharply.
But we managed to make sure that the active safety systems work decently. If ABS in loose sand began to “chirp”, maybe a little earlier than we would like, then there were no complaints about the stabilization system. On a circular dirt track, it had a noticeable "hold" on the car when I steered it too hard into a corner. At the same time, the electronics placed more "emphasis" on reducing engine power. When the system was turned off, the engine went into a roar, the front wheels rushed out of the turn with all their might, but the tires clung to the ground to the last and prevented slipping. "Destabilizing" Picanto was not easy.
But it is not worth abusing traveling on dirt roads on it. The declared ground clearance for this model is 152 mm (cars delivered to Russia are 10 mm higher than Korean ones, they have different, specially selected springs and shock absorbers), but according to my data, it is a little more. Under the torsion beam of the rear suspension, the ruler showed 165 mm, under the front suspension arms - 160 mm, under the "lip" of the front bumper - 170 mm, under the engine oil pan - 190 mm. It seems, not such bad indicators, but ... When leaving the field road on the highway, I heard an ominous rattle. It turned out that the obstacle was a stone the size of just something with an average fist. I saw him ahead, and, logically, he should have slipped under any of the low points of the car. Didn't skip.
Somehow imperceptibly it turned out that the test of this small car came out rich in impressions. I had a chance to spin around the city a lot, and “fly” on the highway, and almost find myself with an empty tank in the middle of the forest, and check how much this little girl can hold. It turned out - not so little, if you properly manage the space. My wife and I managed to load into it, in addition to many bags and handbags, our dog, as well as a large container in which three teenage puppies were located. All this "menagerie" without problems overcame 400 kilometers, and even at night, in the rain and partly in the fog. Special thanks to the creators of Picanto - for powerful LED headlights that provide excellent light in the dark, for effective fog lights, and also for the headlight range control. It has five gradations here, and not by chance: the car sags great when loading the rear. But there were no breakdowns of the rear suspension even on bad roads.
I became friends with this machine from the very first minutes, and later, in a week of testing, I comprehended all its “female logic”. My verdict - this is a female car, 100 percent. He has a lot of positive qualities, but none of them individually, nor their sum, incline me, as a man, towards choosing this model. I am sure that more than one customer paid attention to the flowers depicted on Picanto tires, and this, among other things, persuaded her to choose this model. I agree that these flowers are far from the main feature of tires, they are good, despite the frivolous image, and would be just as good even if it were not there. I do not understand only the special logic of choice, that's all.
My wife also noted the "femininity" of the Kia Picanto. At first glance, she liked the compact size, and the cute design of the baby, and the interior design, and equipment. She immediately asked about the price - and the mentioned amounts (the 1.2-liter version with an “automatic” costs from 634,900 to 774,900 rubles) did not please her at all. For that money, she said, you could buy something much more spacious and practical. But for most women, this car will suit perfectly, because they will note in it exactly those qualities that my wife also liked at first sight.
True, she did not notice the flowers on the tires ... When I showed them to her, she said that this was not the main thing in the car. Well, women are different, and their logic is not always feminine. However, like a man: we managed to find out that among the buyers of the Korean minicar, they still make up a significant proportion - about 33%.
