Australian consumers looking to purchase a small city car are sure to be interested in the launch of the Kia Picanto.
The Korean vehicle may be small in stature, but it is ready to go toe to toe with the likes of the Holden Spark and the Mitsubishi Mirage.
The Picanto city car has been a sales success in Europe for 3 years, and while Kia admit that there is some brand building at play with this release, they also believe the vehicle is more than good enough to do well in the Australian micro car market.
Kia Picanto pricing in Australia
Kia believes the look and price of their city car will make it a sales success in Australia.
For now, there will only be a single trim level made, with a 4-speed automatic transmission as standard.
The drive-away price of the Picanto will be $14,990.
That price point puts the Picanto in at the same price as the Holden, although the Spark comes with a manual transmission as standard, which means the Kia model is basically a little more affordable.
Features
As far as standard equipment goes, the new Kia Picanto comes with rear parking sensors, 14-inch steel wheels, steering wheel mounted controls, power windows, manual AC, a trip computer, and Bluetooth connectivity.
The Picanto also gets 6 airbags, and the vehicle has a 5-star ANCAP rating, which it earned in 2013.
Engine
Under the hood is a 1.25-liter engine that delivers 63kW of power and 120 Nm of torque.
As mentioned, the transmission is an automatic, and Kia claim that the engine set-up delivers 5.6 liters per 100km.
Kia engineers have delivered a vehicle that includes electric-assisted power steering, independent front/torsion beam rear suspension, and a stiffened body structure that includes sound deadening materials.
This particular model is late in its life cycle, so it will come with no Australian-specific suspension tuning, though.
Kia Picanto Dimensions
At just 3.6 meters in length, the Picanto is small, but it has a pretty long wheelbase that allows for an impressive 200 liters of cargo space with seats in place. That can be expanded to 605 liters when the 60:40 rear seat split is applied.
Kia Warranty
Another big Picanto selling point is sure to be the always impressive 7-year warranty that Kia always delivers with their models. Anyone on the fence about the Picanto may just be swayed by this little nugget.
2016 Kia Picanto specifications (Australia)
Price: $14,990 drive away (auto) – estimated.
Warranty: 7 years/unlimited km
Service interval: 12 months/15,000km
Engine: 1.25L 4-cyl, 62kW/120Nm
Transmission: 5-spd manual,4-spd auto; FWD
Fuel economy: 4.3L/100km (man) 5.3L/100km
Dimensions: 3595mm (L), 1595mm (W), 1480mm (H), 2385mm (WB)
Weight: 930-1030kg
