Its price is economical too, with the entry level 60 bhp 'GS' 1.0 litre costing just €11,495 while if you want all the toys the 1.1 litre 'EX' is a good bit dearer at €13,995. Town car competition is tough with both Fiat Panda and Daihatsu Charade higher up my pecking order but I certainly wasn't embarrassed in this Kia.
'EX' trim gets a sporty body styling kit (yes, you read correctly) and electric everything plus air conditioning and seating for four. If you want to seat five the entry level 1.0 litre has the extra seat belt in the rear. The chunky looking exterior is dominated by a slightly macho grill that could do with a makeover.
Otherwise Picanto looks like any other town cars, which is good news for the Hyundai owned brand. Speaking of Hyundai the Picanto has borrowed a lot from its parent's 'Amica' town car including most of the oily bits.
Inside Picanto is pleasant, well specified but unremarkable (again in a good way). All the controls are easy to use and the steering nice and light so parking is effortless. The car is reasonably quiet at speed. It goes and stops well too with ABS and EBD plus disc brakes all round standard on both versions. In fact the 1.1 (64 bhp) is almost a little lively! Believe it or not a powerful 1.1 litre diesel will be available in European Picantos next year.
The one thing that struck me most when rummaging around it was the absence of a spare wheel, instead under the carpet in the compact boot you'll find an 'Instant Mobility System' - that's a repair kit in English. It consists of a bottle of puncture repair liquid ('Goo' as I like to call it) and an electric compressor that can inflate the tyre when powered by the 12 volt cigarette lighter socket.
Kia assures me that punctures can be repaired just like traditional tyres despite the sticky repair fluid being used. Replacement bottles can be had for just a few Euro (a far cry from the rip off prices some manufactures charge for repair kits!). The loss of a spare (even a space saver) hasn't really freed up that much boot space but never the less there is room for modest shopping (157 litres) or up to 882 litres with the seats folded down.
Kia now has a couple of interesting cars at the bottom (Picanto) and top of the range. The Kia Sorento four-wheel drive is a comfortable big Off Roader that is selling like the proverbial hot cake. Prices start at €38,995, or roughly the same price as a well kitted up smaller mainstream SUV.
A new five-speed automatic is available while the manual is a decent machine particularly in top GSE specification. It is a huge seller in the States (Tennis star Andre Agassi's 'Ad' campaign has worked well) and is set up for a soft comfy ride that isn't remotely sporty.
My only criticism concerns the steering. While beautifully light and effortless to use it needs a lot of turning about town. Kia is on the move in Ireland with 1,000 sales racked up plus a new and enthusiastic team. The range is getting there and as part of the global Hyundai group expect to be in the top five auto manufactures by 2010.
Already it is the fastest growing manufacturer in Australia with expected sales of 25,000 for this year alone.
- Michael Sheridan
RTÉ Guide
