Kia Picanto - The Stylish & Comfortable Budgetary Hatch

MANILA: Kia Picanto is a compact city car which was initially launched in the year 2004 and has tasted the success since its inception. Running in its second generation, this South Korean drive has been consistently a preferred drive for the Filipinos and considered as a perfect first buy. There are various aspects which strongly recommend that this city car has got everything which the customers look in for while finalizing a car. Surely, one of the biggest reasons for the success of its parent company in terms of adding good sales numbers, Kia Picanto is in competition with Toyota Wigo and Honda Brio in the Philippines automotive market.

Stylish & Attractive Body

Kia Picanto is indeed one of the most stylish hatches available in its segment. The signature Kia Tiger nose sitting in front of this car with a big and broad lower radiator grille, all in honeycomb mesh, creates an unforgettable face for this car. The bold and edgy headlamps complement the front in the best possible way. This city drive has got crisp creases all over its structure to make it look sporty and attract the youth. Picanto measures at 3595 mm x 1595 mm x 1490 mm (L X W X H), which is compact enough to encourage maneuver in the cramped city streets.

Wide Color Palette

As a customer, you would surely like to go for a color of your choice, probably your favorite color or something close to it. But not every brand or model comes with huge color options to choose from. Kia has been quite thoughtful in this aspect which made it available this city hatch in 10 vibrant and youthful colors. As of now, Picanto is offered in – Blue Metallic, Cherry Pink, Alice Blue, Honey Bee, Bright Silver, Milky Beige, Titanium Silver, Signal Red, Dazzling Blue and Midnight Black. The close competitors of Picanto, however, ain't any closer to touching this wide range. Toyota Wigo has 6 colors while the Honda Brio has 5 of them to offer to their customers in the Philippines.

Confident & Comfortable Cabin

Kia Picanto has an elegant cabin in all black which matches with the sporty theme of this city drive carried at its exterior. The chrome accents at the steering and dash add more aesthetics to this interior while the ergonomic layout ensures good cabin space. The wheelbase of Picanto is 2385 mm which sounds pretty good to offer ample room for all 5 occupants. The dark upholstery wrapped around the comfortable seats and red illumination add more charm and grace to this hatch. Adding to this is the standard entertainment facility, which comprises of iPod connection, AM/FM audio, MP3, USB connectivity, AUX, CD player, Bluetooth and Micro SD card. 4 speakers packed in the different corners complete this system. The standard boot offered in Picanto is 200-litre, which can be expanded to a maximum of 870-litre after split folding the 3 rear seats to flat in 60:40 ratio.

Power & Performance

This is one segment which any customer scan carefully while buying a city car for daily commutation. This Kia drive is powered by a 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre engines. The smaller engine with 1.0-litre capacity knocks out a peak power counting to 69 PS at 6200 rpm and a peak torque showing 94 Nm at 3500 rpm while the bigger engine, the 1.2-litre one, churns out a maximum power output measuring 87 PS at 6000 rpm alongside a maximum torque of 120 Nm at 4000 rpm. The 1.0-litre engine shows its might by racing from naught to 100 kmph in 13.9 seconds and a top speed, attaining to 152 kmph. The mileage shown by this humble engine is equally impressive with 16.6 kmpl in combined driveways.

Ride & Handling

Using Kia Picanto as a daily commuter can be a wise decision. Trust us, this compact city hatch has good decent configuration and equipment which can make your drives comfortable even in cramped city streets. The minimum ground clearance is 152 mm, which allows it to run over the potholed roads while ignoring the flooded Filipino roads. On accelerating to upper limits, you would hardly find excessive engine sound in the cabin. The McPherson strut suspension at front and torsion beam suspension at rear, gives you comfortable drives every time on the uneven city roads.

Safety Package

Though, we won't claim that Kia Picanto is one of the safest hatches in the Philippines, but still it is safer than many available in the country. This drive has got fog lamps to ensure sufficient visibility during foggy and rainy weather. Also, in the cabin, there are dual airbags for the safety of the driver and the front seat occupant. Apart from these features, there are crash sensors, side impact beams and door ajar warning for optimum safety.

Price Across Variants

Kia Picanto is available in 2 variants, each with 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre engines. Picanto with 1.0-litre engine is available at the price of PhP 575,000 while the model with 1.2-litre power-unit falls for PhP 650,000. Surely, competitive price is another factor which contributes towards the growing popularity of Kia Picanto in the Philippines.

Share your views on this city hatch and let us know if you like this car in its segment or prefer to have a different one!