The so-called city car segment is a tough one, writes Brian Byrne, relatively small in unit sales terms and quite competitive, at least in Ireland. And probably for a carmaker hard enough to make a profit on, given that a similar amount of labour—or even robot—time is required to build a small car as for a substantially larger one.
That is compounded by the fact that buyers of city cars expect just as much in content and style and safety as they would in any bigger car. No longer is it possible to get away with spartan just because it's small.Kia know this just as much as any other auto builder. And they're hungrier than most, intent on maintaining their position as Europe's fastest growing brand. So when it came to replacing their diminutive Picanto minicar, it was to be expected that they'd upshift it.
The new car is longer than the outgoing version, with an extended wheelbase and improved inside dimensions which provide more front legroom and a 27 percent increase in cargo capacity to 200 litres.
Kia have been big into distinctive style for some years now. They have learned lessons in replacements for their Sportage SUV, and will shortly apply them to the next cee'd. In the meantime, Picanto is the latest to show the new way.
It has perky looks in a smart bodyshell that does wonders for the owners' feelgood factor. Strong front design and distinct side panel lines make the new car seem much bigger than it is. The 5-door format we have here so far helps in this regard. It is arguable that the car could tilt successfully against quite a few in the supermini segment above it.
The interior follows this ethos through. A dashboard design that carefully makes the car seem wider. Instruments which don't look Toytown. Controls that feel comfortably real. And the seats are quite a surprise, with little compromise in comfort or size.
Even for a pair of full adults in the back there's adequate room for both legs and head. Rugby forwards might be touching shoulders, but they're used to that anyhow. Any pair of teenagers won't be complaining at all.
The larger boot is still small—this is, after all, a city car. And flipping the rear seatbacks forward doesn't give a flat extra floor, but there's decent temporary larger stuff luggability.
I like the drivetrain, a perky 3-pot 1-litre that hardly sounds anyway lumpy at idle, and buzzes happily when asked by the right foot to go. The 69hp unit has CO2 emissions of 99g/km, and offers acceleration of 14.4 seconds to 100km/h, no way breathtaking but adequate. The 5-speed gearbox is as neat to use as any I have found in recent years (and reminds me just how far we have come since the original Mini sump-stirrer of half a century ago).
The review car was the EX grade, the more expensive of the two available. It is also the level which traditionally Picanto buyers have chosen in the past, and Kia Ireland are expecting the trend to continue. They'll get aircon and Bluetooth phone linking as well as remote audio and phone controls, including voice activation. Standard safety features include an Emergency Stop System which flashes the brake lights on and off under hard braking. On this matter, Kia have emphasised that the braking ability of the Picanto is best in class, so maybe that ESS is necessary to minimise rear-end shunters.
I've had a good run in the car over the week, and got the chances to test it both in its natural town milieu as well as on highway running. It proved to be one of those cars which you feel at home in very quickly. The only minor quibble was steering which required a tad of extra effort to move from straight line, but this is simply a matter of getting used to and then you forget it.
Kia in Ireland have enjoyed an 11 percent segment share of city cars, against the likes of Ford's Ka, Fiat's 500, Toyota's Aygo and its PSA siblings. Even if a couple of new contenders are lining up outside the ring—VW's Up! we'll see at Frankfurt, for instance—I'm of the view that the new one will only improve that performance.
Entry price €11,495. Review car price €12,595.
