Key Facts
Model tested: Kia Picanto GT-Line S
Price: Picanto range starts from £9,450; GT-Line S from £13,950, car as tested £14,465
Engine: 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol
Transmission: front-wheel drive, five-speed manual
Body style: five-door city car
CO2 emissions: 106/km (VED £140 annually)
Combined economy: 61.4mpg
Top speed: 107mph
0-62mph: 11.6 seconds
Power: 84hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 122Nm at 4,000rpm
Our view:
We have to admit, previous generations of Kia's smallest model, the Picanto, have just been... sort of, y'know, there to us. Available as a leftfield option to the usual mainstream fare, interesting kit lists and that seven-year warranty, but really nothing of engineering note to make you ignore the more talented class leaders in the segment. The Picanto merely made up the numbers, in the city car market, if you will.
Well, Kia clearly wants that to change with the new third-generation model, because just look at it. This is the range-topping GT-Line S model and the aesthetics are absolutely superb, as far as these little city cars go. The rear is handsome enough, with its bracket-shaped light signatures, twin-exit exhaust and chunky bumper arrangement giving the Picanto a strong identity. But it's up front where the Kia wows. The car's 'face', an awkward term at the best of times, is nevertheless its strongest feature, the GT-Line S wears a stretched 'tiger nose' grille, hawkish headlights, that aggressive-looking lower intake and foglights, and those silver-finish side inlets really well. Handsome 16-inch alloys and a strong colour like Chilli Red (+£515) further strengthen the showroom appeal of this Korean, moving us enough to suggest it's the best-looking city car you can buy.
It's more positive news for the interior, because Kia's cabins are becoming - along with the long warranty and generous specification - one of the company's strong points, mainly because they're very well-finished in terms of quality. Certainly, while space in the rear for passengers and the boot (255 litres, rising to 1,010 litres with the rear seats folded away) is no more than competitive in the segment, the ambience up front is as good as anything comparable. The Kia's classy multifunction steering wheel, that clear and intuitive infotainment screen dominating the dash, the comfy and attractive red-trimmed seats, the upright-oval air vents to either side of the console and the silver horizontal trim piece all go to making the Picanto GT-Line S feel considerably more upmarket than its A-segment status. OK, at £14,465 as tested, it's right at the upper end of the cost range for this type of urban runaround, but it doesn't feel overpriced. Mainly because it is crammed with goodies, up to and including that satnav/Bluetooth infotainment.
Thankfully, the Picanto also feels refined and assured on the move. We covered 354 miles in it during a week, much of that spent on big, fast motorways, and it doesn't feel hopelessly out of its depth in terms of the muted thrum of the engine at a steady cruise, the impressive suppression of tyre chatter and the low levels of wind noise. Visibility out is excellent, the major controls are calibrated well and the manual transmission is a slick operator, making the Kia a very pleasant thing to potter and cruise in.
Granted, the chassis is a little numb, so while it looks all sporty and ferocious, the Picanto GT-Line S isn't exactly massive fun to punt along a quiet back road on occasion. But then few cars in this sector are; these are designed to be easy to live with on city streets, not the sort of machines that can dissect a mountain pass in a furious, dynamic thrill-ride. In general, the way the Kia drives is perfectly amenable and decently capable, too.
What we will say, though, is that this flagship Picanto deserves one of the Hyundai-Kia group's 1.0 T-GDI engines; the 100hp/171Nm iteration would suffice - no need for the 120hp version, unless the company fancies taking on the Volkswagen up! GTI. As it stands, the GT-Line S comes only with the normally aspirated 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine, which has a decent enough power output of 84hp, but it's a bit thin on torque at 122Nm, a peak figure which is delivered at a lofty 4,000rpm.
With only five speeds in the 'box, it also means there are quite widely spaced ratios, so you need to work the Kia hard to keep up with traffic flow on faster A-roads and motorways. And when you do, you'll realise the 1.2 isn't the nicest-sounding engine in the world, either, unlike Kia's charming turbocharged triple.
That's not the main issue with the Picanto GT-Line S, however. By far our biggest gripe is its absolutely pitiful fuel range. Again, this is one that could be solved with a little light-pressure forced induction, rather than having to enlarge its thimble-esque tank. Brimmed with 35 litres of fuel and supposedly capable of 60mpg-plus, for the trip computer to be showing 223 miles to empty is abject by today's city car standards. If the economy claims were anything like believable, it should (with very careful driving) be possible to go 450 miles between fill-ups, and even factoring in the healthy amount of cynicism that NEDC numbers deserve, 300-350 shouldn't be a problem either.
But the Picanto genuinely struggled to get 200 miles out of its fossil reserves. The fuel gauge is almost constantly on the move and - while we managed to get an indicated 47.9mpg overall out of it at an average 38mpg, with a best of around 52mpg on a long run down the A1, A14 and M11 - it nevertheless was frustrating having to keep dropping unleaded in it, because it simply wasn't going to get us to our final destination. At least you're only paying £40 at the absolute most to fill it from near-empty, but we all know refuelling is a tedious affair and it would seem the Picanto GT-Line S will have you in petrol stations more often than it needs to. The oddest thing about this is that a friend of ours has the previous model 1.0-litre Picanto City, and that will easily do 400 miles on its tank, even though it is similarly tiny in terms of capacity.
Nevertheless, the striking-looking Picanto Mk3 has plenty to recommend it, and if you are a genuine urban commuter who rarely ventures out onto motorways, then its feeble fuel range and rather torque-light engine won't be such big issues. There are cheaper Picanto models than this GT-Line S, but we think it's well worth checking out as a deeply likeable, talented all-rounder. Indeed, the Kia is no longer simply there making up the numbers, as we said at the outset - it is now challenging for overall class honours and the Picanto might just sway you with its visual charms alone. Thankfully, there's much more to this excellent city car than just skin-deep beauty, so give it a try.
Alternatives:
Ford Ka+: If you prioritise space over everything else for your money, the bargain basement Ka+ is worth checking out. However, the Kia feels the finer machine in nearly every other respect.
Hyundai i10: Closely related and, good though the Picanto is (it definitely looks nicer than the i10), the little Hyundai's incredible refinement at speed makes it the better car, in our opinion.
Volkswagen Up! : Volkswagen is a class act all round, especially with its TSI engine, but it's pricey and the spec/warranty don't match the Picanto. A Skoda Citigo or SEAT Mii might be preferable.
