ON THE ROAD- IAN LYNAS DRIVES THE NEW KIA PICANTO

The Picanto has proved to be an ideal city car or a second car in the family and I can be numbered amongst the many owners; we had one in the family for three years and recently I discovered it is now in the driving hands of its sixth owner!

The Picanto first arrived on the motoring scene in 2003, built in South Korea and in some markets it is called Morning. I recently had the opportunity to attend the press launch to take the wheel of the third generation model which has been updated and on offer a choice of two efficient petrol engines; choose between a one litre or a 1.2 litre and emissions as low as 116g/km. Allied to the power units is a choice of transmissions; five speed manual or an automatic; the latter drivers will really enjoy when driving in an urban environment. The Picanto, despite its modest dimensions, has five doors, capable of transporting five adults with limited boot space.

Kia has always offered trim choice, of course depending on the market it is sold in and this time round I had the chance to drive GT- Line powered with the three cylinder one litre engine with a five speed manual transmission. The truth of the matter is the GT-Line is more about styling, purposeful with a bold front end which sets it apart from earlier generation models The low beltline creates a larger greenhouse and gives a better view out and and alloy wheels 14 or 16 inch add the finishing touch to the exterior.

Yes, the Picanto has, and will continue to have, strong competition; but it does offer excellent value for money with good standard equipment on-board and with the demise of the Fiesta, this is one small car I feel people will be taking a serious look at. Taking a closer look at what you get for your money, an eight inch touchscreen with Sat Nav across all trim levels and a 4.2 inch driver display is found across the range All models receive quite a list of standard equipment which to be honest came as something of a surprise; driver assist technologies include six airbags, ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake-Assist System (BAS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Emergency Stop Signalling (ESS), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist 1.0 (FCA), Lane Keep Assist, Lane Follow Assist 1.0, Cruise Control, Intelligent Speed Limited Assist, Rear Occupant Alert and for ease of parking, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera system. The bonus with the Picanto is you can park in the tightest confines and as we all know too well some parking spaces are very tight. For safe night time driving LED headlights are fitted as standard on some models including the GT- Line which I drove. Behind the wheel there is an element of fun with the little with a wheelbase, longer than most others in its class, and short overhangs, enable the pitch centre of the car to be placed further towards the rear of the car, helping to naturally reduce nose dive under braking without firming up the suspension and potentially compromising ride comfort. A quick steering rack makes for immediate responses to driver inputs, with fewer turns of the wheel from lock-to-lock than many rivals.

Performance is more than acceptable for a car in the A segment, the model test can reach 100kph (62mph) from rest just over fifteen seconds with a top speed of 144kph (90mph), while the more powerful engine reaches 100kph (62mph) in 13.1 seconds and top speed is 153kph (98mph). Summing up a small car, versatile, a joy to drive and one which will not upset the bank balance too much it comes with one of the best if not the best warranty packages on the market.

Ian Lynas