Set to make its debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, more images of the all-new, third-generation Kia Picanto have been unveiled ahead of its Swiss showing in March. Whatâs known as the Art Collection variant in its native Korea goes by the GT Line moniker elsewhere, and the range-topping trim level has been confirmed for the European market. For Europe, the third-generation Picanto is set to sport the nameplateâs most powerful variant yet, courtesy of a litre, turbocharged T-GDI direct injection petrol engine, which endows the A-segment hatchback with 100 PS and 172 Nm of torque. The turbocharged, direct-injection mill is one of three petrol engines, the others being a litre MPI unit producing 67 PS and 96 Nm of torque and a litre MPI engine producing 84 PS and 122 Nm of torque. In terms of CO2 emissions, the litre unit is rated at 89 g/km, with the litre unit rated at 104 g/km, an improvement from the 95 g/km and 106 g/km seen on their respective predecessors. Upgrades to the entry-level, naturally-aspirated litre engine include a new exhaust manifold integrated into the cylinder head, while a new cooling system with a shut-off valve helps reduce warm-up times from cold starts. Elsewhere, a new two-stage oil pump helps reduce mechanical friction, according to Kia. The litre engine in the new Picanto also receives similar upgrades, with the optimising of the CVVT continuously variable valve timing for this engine in addition to the cooling system and shut-off valve also adopted from the new engine. New, low-friction coated piston rings also aid the reducing of friction for improved efficiency, says the automaker. The range-topping, litre T-GDI turbocharged engine features an integrated exhaust manifold, a high-pressure, 200 bar fuel supply, along with laser-drilled fuel injectors for precise fuel delivery towards more controlled combustion, for improved accelerative response and efficiency, says Kia. All three powerplants are mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, with a four-speed auto being an option for the litre variant. Inside, refinement measures abound â the new Picanto gains a new soundproofing panel beneath the dashboard and in the cabin floor, while expandable, sound-absorbing foam has also been applied to the lower sections of its A- and B-pillars. A new sound-absorbing engine cover resides beneath the bonnet, and along with the reshaped air intake, helps isolate engine noise from the cabin; the Picantoâs engine mounts have also been revised to better counteract vibrations. Just beyond the hood, the Picantoâs windscreen wipers have been lowered by six millimetres for less wind noise at the base of the windscreen. As detailed before, the Picanto is built upon an all-new platform for the marqueâs small cars, and gains a 44% composition of Advanced High Strength Steel up from 22% for a tensile strength improvement of 12%, while the body-in-white is lighter by 23 kg. The floor pan, roof rails and engine bay, along with its A- and B-pillars, feature the use of AHSS. The stiffer bodyshell gives a stronger foundation from which the suspension can work from, and so the Picanto now sports front anti-roll bars which are two percent stiffer and mounted slightly lower in front; at the rear, the anti-roll bars are five percent stiffer and mounted slightly higher. The new Picantoâs longer wheelbase and shorter front overhang also repositions its pitch centre slightly rearwards, for a reduction in nose dive under braking without a potentially ride-compromising firmer suspension rate. The rear torsion beam axle has been reshaped and new-design trailing arms collectively offer a kg saving, without loss of rigidity, says Kia. For greater agility, a new steering rack is now 13% quicker than before, its new ratio now from the previous modelâs Steering wheel turns are now reduced to turns lock-to-lock from turn previously, while the front axle has less weight ahead of it for less inertia. Infotainment come courtesy of a âfloatingâ touchscreen, which interfaces Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for mobile device integration. Optionally, a reverse camera with dynamic guide lines can be specified, along with a wireless smartphone charger and USB port. The Picantoâs boot grows from 200 litres of capacity previously to 255 litres, along with offering a two-step boot floor, which can be raised or lowered 145 mm for either additional storage space or for an under-floor storage area. With a one-touch lever, the 6040 split-folding rear seats fold flat to liberate a total capacity of 1,100 litres. Safety features on the third-generation Picanto include six airbags front, front side and curtain airbags, and an optional knee airbag, while active safety features include electronic stability control and a tyre pressure monitoring system. The Picanto also comes with autonomous emergency braking for added safety in urban surroundings.Inside the 2017 Picanto brings a refined and modern dashboard design, at the center of which sits a new "floating" touchscreen infotainment system offering occupants "the latest in-car technology available." According to the automaker, the new city car also comes with a suite of high-tech comfort, convenience and safety features.
Kiarevealed all the details of its new baby model, the 2017 Picanto ahead of its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show. The company's new city car enters its third generation with a fresh
Doors and Seats5 doors, 5 4 Power63kW, 120NmFuelPetrol 91 Spd AutoWarranty7 Yr, Unltd KMsAncap SafetyNA The "all-new" third-generation Kia Picanto has landed in Australia... with the old generation powertrain. Do new styling, promises of improved refinement and added equipment conspire towards a big step forward? Or is this new Picanto S merely more of the same? What we love Finally, a five-speed manual version in Oz and it really improves the driving experience Circa-$15k pricing, low thirst and seven-year warranty/capped-price servicing/roadside surety Aussie-tuned ride and handling package Apple CarPlay/Android Auto-compatible infotainment What we don't The carryover N/A four-cylinder and four-speed auto powertrain still lacklustre Feels surprisingly much like the old Picanto in the driving experience Neat gear such as the more powerful turbo triple engine and automated emergency braking still not on the Aussie menu Confusing pricing structure of driveaway auto versus list-priced manual With its âall-newâ rejuvenation boasting a âbold, new design and cabinâ and âmore youthful characterâ itâs easy to presume the third-generation 2017 Kia Picanto would arrive as a Korean micro hatch reinvented. Truth is, itâs very much more of the same, with less emphasis on moreâ if a helluva lot of sameâ.Thatâs not necessarily bad news. The Johnny Come Lately outgoing Picanto, which arrived fashionably late to the pint-sized Australian hatchback segment last year and half a decade into its lifecycle, managed to swoon many in the CarAdvice offices with its stylish flair, all-round polish, surprising dynamism and tempting value pitch. And if initial impressions from what appears, on paper at least, to be a decent all-round shake-up are to be believed, that same goodness hasnât been lost in translation in this 2017 is, it just doesnât make many great leaps forward in many areas where an âall newâ generation perhaps now, like the outgoing rangeâ, one variant fits all. However, somewhat curiously, itâs called the Picanto S. Why the Sâ suffix? Simple. It demarcates this particular versionâs trim level should Kia Australia decides to expand to a proper range, as is available in overseas markets, somewhere down the face it at the fiscally frugal end of the new car market where Picanto S plays â $15,690 driveaway for the familiar four-speed automatic version and $14,190 for the newly introduced five-speed manual option â thereâs not much wriggle room to pile in more stuff, be it added tech, features or the new Picanto introduces a lot of core changes not easily felt in the driving experience, in a package sprinkled with a selection of updates in spec that are quite conspicuous, if few and far core updates? Construction, most notably higher strength steels in more places, a stronger and stiffer bodyshell, more comprehensive sound deadening and other details such as lower windshield wiper to reduce wind noise, and stiff engine mounts to reduce vibration. It's quite a re-engineered car. Some effort has gone into making this cheap and cheerful five-door quieter and more refined, if subtly so in areas such as environmental and road noise penetration into the and in, remodeling is hardly the âboldâ departure promised. The angry looking front fascia certainly imparts purpose â in micro car context at least â but the third-gen is a little more slab-sided and loses the curvaceous body creases that made its forebear more distinctive among the micro car on 14-inch steel wheels like the old car, garnished with humdrum hub caps, this doesnât appear to be a Picanto benefitting from a six-year-fresher design. In fact, to our eyes, itâs exterior styling is a little changes are more noticeable and more favourable. Gone is the lop-sized dash fascia, its low-rent infotainment, the strange clown grinâ steering wheel and centre-speedo-style instrumentation seeming lifted from the book of Porsche design. In its place is a simpler, cleaner presentation, featuring a classier if patently tacked-onâ floating full-colour touchscreen, a more conventional driverâs instrument cluster and a steering wheel that, if you squint, looks more than a little inspired by the unit in Porsche's CarPlay and Android Auto, both with voice recognition, are the highlight additions and big buyer lures, though the suite of features is quite solid for this circa-$15k a great deal todayInterested in this car? Provide your details and we'll connect you to a member of the Drive assist control, dusk-sensing halogen headlights, six airbags, alarm and immobiliser, keyless entry, electric windows, heated and electric wing mirrors, Bluetooth connectivity with wheel-mounted controls, rear parking sensors and rear-view camera with dynamic guidelines. For a full rundown on specifications, read found CarPlay worked quickly and seamlessly, the Bluetooth paired and functioned without hassle and the camera system is easily as good as some cars four times the Picantoâs price. The lack of a digital speedo in the rudimentary monochromatic driverâs screen, though, is a claims a larger cabin space but if it is, itâs roomier by shades. There's 15mm of extra wheelbase its maker reckons translates directly into more generous accommodation though it's barely, if at all, pedal and wheel placement is excellent and with a decent amount of six-way adjustment itâs easy to dial-in a sporty seating position for a nice hot hatch-type vibe from the driver's seat. The seats themselves are shapely and supportive, though the trim is what youâd call hardyâ and typical of its segment, if benefitting in appearance from some clean contrasting visibility is excellent, too, and itâs an easy car to place on the road or to park in tight spaces. The near-black interior colour scheme favoured by the Korean carmaker in many of its model lines does a decent job of masking some fairly rudimentary plastics and second row does lack a bit of care there are no door bins, no air vents, no USB or power outlets, no central foldable armrest and just single cupholder in the rear of the centre console thatâd be difficult for small children to reach. With reasonable head and shoulder room thereâs space enough for two adults, though knee room is still a bit cramped. Itâs a well-packaged cabin space, if squeezed into a body ostensibly no larger than the old too, is modest â thatâs the nature of the micro hatch beast â though it has grown around 25 per cent to 255 litres generation to generation and the 6040 split-fold rear seating slows almost flat to produce a highly useable 1010 litres. Whether youâd get a bicycle in there without disassembly is debatable but the Picanto does double as a neat surrogate mini-van if mightnât want to load Picanto up with too much gear because the naturally aspirated four-cylinder works hard and loud for its keep. âAll newâ is hardly accurate given the powertrain, specifically, is a carryover from the old version. Again, more of the same, and disappointingly so given thereâs a more powerful 74kW/172Nm turbocharged three-cylinder engine on the global Picanto menu which Kia Australia says isnât currently certified for local Picanto makes do with 62kW at 6000rpm, but itâs the modest 122Nm of torque, way up at 4000rpm, that doesnât provide the pint-sized Korean many favours. With two adults on board and a small amount of luggage, it can struggle to increase speed uphill, overtake, or pull out from a side street into traffic. Thankfully, the boisterous little four has a pleasing note, which is loud and ever present in any driving situation where you want to push on beyond a leisurely four-speed feels old hat, though it does keep engine revs up in search of the four cylinderâs 4000rpm sweet spot. At 110km/h on the highway, the engine hums along at a high 3000rpm in top gear, yet the reading from the onboard computer claims impressive sub-five-litre-per-hundred frugality. Even wringing the Picantoâs neck, which we did often at the local launch, thirst rarely rose into the sixes. the two transmission types, the more affordable five-speed manual version is vastly more satisfying to drive, particularly along back roads. The shift action isnât terribly slick, the clutch pedal a bit vague and tricky to judge, but rowing through the gears while keeping the four-cylinder between 4000-6000rpm can be an absolute fact, the Picanto S is at its most satisfying when treated somewhat differently to its primary role as a cheap grocery getter for young and old and very few demographics in-between. Dare to dig in hard and there are shades of old-school hot hatch character in whatâs roughly one tonne of surprising Korean Where the Picanto S punches above its weigh is its chassis, specifically the Aussie-developed ride and handling package. Thereâs an impressive amount of depth and resolve in the suspension tuning for such a price-busting device. Then thereâs the inclusion of torque vectoring-by-braking smarts, which is neat in its own right though thereâs so little torque on tap itâs difficult to discern what tangible benefit this system brings to the dynamic only is the five door amazingly agile and well balanced when chucked through twisty corners, itâs also rock solid and stable on the highways. The steering, which now boasts a quicker-ratio rack, has decent accuracy and quite genuine communication and feel regardless of whether many owners will notice... or even care.Bar a lack of a speed indicator for the newly introduced cruise control, the five-door is a delightful driving experience, if one begging for the kinds of output improvements the as-yet-unavailable turbo tripleâ would undoubtedly absence of this three-banger â and the lack of autonomous emergency braking in the local Picanto S â is disappointing. The quiet word is both are coming, perhaps next year, as options or possibly featured in a more highly specified variant. Maybe then the Picanto might finally get alloy wheelsâŠNo, evidence suggests this new-generation Picanto S is carefully specified to a pair of sharp, competitive price points and once you bundle in seven full years of warranty, capped-price servicing and roadside assist, itâs a compelling pitch for affordable long-term ownership surety and value. That's even if the value pitch seems confusing given the auto has driveaway pricing and the manual doesnât, and the logical assumption is the latter ends up the more expensive option to land in your advice? The manual is the better drive. And Kia Australia itself recommends negotiating terms with dealers as thereâs a high likelihood buyers will easily get a better deal than the $14,190 list pricing why not just drop the advertised price to begin with? Because the importer isnât keen to âcommunicateâ that Kia is cut-price brand. Strange but first car? Cheap grocery-getter? Retiree runabout? Even a cheeky little warm hatch as a bottom-dollar fun machine? The new Picanto S now fits all bills equally well, if only marginally better than the car it to the CarAdvice team discuss the 2017 Kia Picanto S pricing and specs below, and catch more like this at Ratings Breakdown2017 Kia Picanto Si Hatchback 10Interior Comfort & PackagingInsurance fromEstimate details 7B6k.