Europe: Freshened Kia Picanto now on sale
Click image for photo gallery
Europeans have a new supermini available to them in the updated Kia Picanto. The facelift transforms the Picanto from the anonymous basic transportation it was (see here), to a friendly looking little critter that you want to name like a Build-A-Bear. The facelift consists of new front and rear fascias as well as a spruced up interior. The new face is a definite improvement over the outgoing car, and shows that Kia's moving toward a familial look. The grille, for example, is very Rondo-like. Rounded headlights give it a happier face than the vehicle it replaces, and likewise, there are now circular elements incorporated into the taillamp lenses. The interior details also look pleasing enough in the attached photos, and the car even offers niceties such as Bluetooth and both USB and auxiliary jacks for iPods.
Our sister site, Autoblog Spanish, has the French pricing posted. €7,990 puts you in the 63 hp 1.0i. Tack on another €1000 for the moderately spunkier 1.1i 66 HP. The costliest Picantos are the diesels, which sell for €9,690 or €10,690 depending on trim package. Both gasoline engines are good for combined-cycle fuel economy over 40 US mpg.
[Source: Autoblog Spanish]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Azrael4h 6:36PM (12/09/2007)
Do they have a sedan version? This would probably do well in the US, as it is far better looking than it's nearest competitors here. Add in gas prices jumping rapidly, and Hyundai/Kia's strong showing of late as well as warranty, and I think it could do rather well. I'd trade in my car for one, actually.
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daam 7:11PM (12/09/2007)
sedans sucks!!!!!! I really don't know why Americans don't like hatchback and wagons, why?
Azrael4h 5:00AM (12/10/2007)
A sedan is needed to sell here because Americans don't like hatches and wagons. And I actually like them.
lovice 6:37AM (12/10/2007)
I don't think you have A-Segment cars in the US. This is an A-segment car, which is one whole segment below the Honda Fit.
hydrogenvodka 7:48PM (12/09/2007)
i think that's plain ugly
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MixiM 8:26PM (12/09/2007)
I second to that...
hydrogenvodka 12:42AM (12/10/2007)
in fact, call Clarkson, I want this smashed
SPG 7:40PM (12/09/2007)
The five door Rio has a pretty handsome look to it.
This car however makes the Aveo look good.
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500 8:56PM (12/09/2007)
A 1.0 with 63hp and a 1.1 with 66hp? And at 1000 Euros (something like $10,000 nowadays) higher? Why bother?
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D 9:28PM (12/09/2007)
I think the older one looks way more sharp. They're called the Kia Morning in my current market and serves very well as a city car. Competes with the Daewoo Matiz here, which is also a cheeky little bugger in its original Giugiaro design.
The Morning looked a bit more bulldogish - this redesign with the round lamps makes it more plain.
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AlexP 9:43PM (12/09/2007)
Daewoo? That means you're in Korea.
Bryan 9:51PM (12/09/2007)
Did anyone notice if you take the "C" and "A" out it spells Pinto? The Pinto may have been prone to blowing up, but this thing is uglier than the Pinto. This thing should be blown up! Of course with no one inside!
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Chaz 12:20AM (12/10/2007)
Looks like a mk1 Atoz
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rcousine 12:34AM (12/10/2007)
Curious. Hyundai and Kia are part of one big happy family, but the Atos uses a different platform from the Kia Picanto, which is apparently based on a shortened version of the Getz.
Bafflingly, there doesn't appear to be any reason to have even two different platforms here, much less an effective three. But I'm pretty sure they're all sharing similar 1000cc and 1100cc engines.
I got to drive a last-gen Picanto as a rental car this Summer. On an island so small and adorable I could count how often I got it into 4th gear, it was fine and functional transport. On the other hand, the suspension was way worse than the decade-old Peugeot 405 I borrowed for a day, so you know where they saved some cash.
hydrogenvodka 12:43AM (12/10/2007)
Nothing else to add... just wanted to activate the password
Hail german engineering.
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