Small & Simple - Kia Picanto

[Bailes1992]

Thought I'd post this as I'm sure you US peoples don't get these across the water.

My car has been taken away by the insurance for some very minor repairs after someone slammed their door into mine last Friday. In the meantime, I've been given my guaranteed courtesy car which I paid a little extra for when I took out my insurance, although part of me wishes they kept it.

I have around 200 miles to do in this tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to it.

So, the car is around the same size as a Mitsubishi Mirage which you do get over there. It has a 1 litre 3 cylinder chain driven port injected petrol engine driving the front wheels through a 5 speed manual box.

This car is the ultralight sports edition with no A/C, windy windows in the back and manually operated mirrors. The on the road price over here for one of these, should you wish to torture yourself is £15,595 or $19,971.74 US. Although you can spend up to £20k for one if you want an extra 200cc of engine capacity, an automatic gearbox and some extra toys to play with.

I've done around 20 miles in it today, mainly dropping the kids off and taking the dogs out for a walk. Steering is a bit light, but it's direct and sharp. The turning circle is excellent and on country roads up to 60mph it's quite okay.

I'll provide an update tomorrow or Friday after I've done 4 hours on UK motorways in it with no cruise control and no power.

 

[Kira]

Thanks for the photos. It's a nifty little car.
Reread your title....only one c in Picanto.

Ahhh..I see you fixed it. Good man; no place for misspelling in our otherwise perfect world!

 

[JoelB]

Looks like this car is 10" shorter bumper to bumper than a US mirage. I'd love to have one of these. I miss small cars.

 

[Finklejag]

You have two kids, you need a 3 row $60K CUV, if you were in the US.

 

[zzyzzx]

In the US, that vehicle would get stolen pretty quickly.

 

[Bailes1992]

In the US, that vehicle would get stolen pretty quickly.

Doubtful, it has an old fashioned key!

 

[cptbarkey]

I very much enjoyed when Top Gear would thrash a car like that around their track, or take it to a completely inappropriate venue and somehow it over performs. Thank you for sharing.

 

[zzyzzx]

Doubtful, it has an old fashioned key!

That won't keep them from breaking in an trying to steal it.

 

[Thermo1223]

You have two kids, you need a 3 row $60K CUV, if you were in the US.

Need? No but want yes especially if you are the type to take long trips every year especially with animals. Driving 5+ hours for vacation is a common thing for a lot of the US. I'll take comfort over fuel economy every and anytime.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Not bad from a distance. But the person who designed the dashboard and tiller requires immediate banishment!
I might also surely require a wide centre armrest.

 

[Thermo1223]

I very much enjoyed when Top Gear would thrash a car like that around their track, or take it to a completely inappropriate venue and somehow it over performs. Thank you for sharing.

Reminds me of the Ford Fiesta beach landing.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Need? No but want yes especially if you are the type to take long trips every year especially with animals. Driving 5+ hours for vacation is a common thing for a lot of the US. I'll take comfort over fuel economy every and anytime.

Yes. In your mOnsTer Tiguan, lol.
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jk, I know they are quite capacious for their footprint

 

[JTK]

Neat little car. They'd sell like crazy in the US if they were actually available with an available and willing dealer network.

 

[Thermo1223]

Yes. In your mOnsTer Tiguan, lol.
_______________________________________________________________
jk, I know they are quite capacious for their footprint

Beats a Mirage

Actually the Taos is quite large in itself too. I am still hand wringing over whether we should get something bigger mostly for her aging parents.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Beats a Mirage

Actually the Taos is quite large in itself too. I am still hand wringing over whether we should get something bigger mostly for her aging parents.

Nah, just take their Buick LeSabre Custom instead - it needs its legs stretched anyhow

 

[KrisZ]

Neat little car. They'd sell like crazy in the US if they were actually available with an available and willing dealer network.

Not sure what makes you think they would. We already have plenty of small car choices and they all sell very poorly.

 

[Nukeman7]

In the US, that vehicle would get stolen pretty quickly.

Not with a 5 speed MANUAL transmission! For 90% of today's U.S. population, that itself is more effective than an immobilizer module.

 

[Jetronic]

Thought I'd post this as I'm sure you US peoples don't get these across the water.

My car has been taken away by the insurance for some very minor repairs after someone slammed their door into mine last Friday. In the meantime, I've been given my guaranteed courtesy car which I paid a little extra for when I took out my insurance, although part of me wishes they kept it.

I have around 200 miles to do in this tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to it.

So, the car is around the same size as a Mitsubishi Mirage which you do get over there. It has a 1 litre 3 cylinder chain driven port injected petrol engine driving the front wheels through a 5 speed manual box.

This car is the ultralight sports edition with no A/C, windy windows in the back and manually operated mirrors. The on the road price over here for one of these, should you wish to torture yourself is £15,595 or $19,971.74 US. Although you can spend up to £20k for one if you want an extra 200cc of engine capacity, an automatic gearbox and some extra toys to play with.

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I've done around 20 miles in it today, mainly dropping the kids off and taking the dogs out for a walk. Steering is a bit light, but it's direct and sharp. The turning circle is excellent and on country roads up to 60mph it's quite okay.

I'll provide an update tomorrow or Friday after I've done 4 hours on UK motorways in it with no cruise control and no power.

We offered the Hyundai version of these, identical except for looks. I think I opened up about 100 gearboxes to change the input shaft seal (it's fitted from the inside on a lot of Hyundai gearboxes) and the slider for the release bearing is part of the bell housing.

They feel okay at normal speeds, but the Mirage is faster and more economical. I believe the automatic version can be an automated manual with the recent cars, they used to come with a real automatic transmission...

The 3 cylinder is fairly loud (the turbo GDI is worse though) and the programming of the throttle is such that you get 90% power with about 10% throttle input, which makes it feel faster than it is..


Definitely not worth 20k in dollars pounds or euros, it's worth about half that imo.

I didn't know they did a poverty spec without AC these days

 

[earlyre]

Doubtful, it has an old fashioned key!

those are the ones they are stealing, as Kia/Hyundai never put an immobilizer in them. no chips in the key. They only installed the Immobilizer in the keyless/push to start vehicles.. just do a quick search for "Kia Boys" and you will see... they would pull out the ignition cyl, and start the car with something as simple as a USB cable - fits in the hole in the actual start mechanism behind the key. it was quite an epidemic here in the states a couple years ago.

 

[earlyre]

this is the fancier model, with a modified Suspension, bumpers and wheels, but, it's a capable little car.