The All-New Kia Picanto Is The Affordable Handling Hero We Weren't Expecting

This week we’re rather busy driving some particularly exciting stuff, like the Volkswagen Golf TCR, Porsche 911 GT3 and the new McLaren 720S, but we’re getting the ball rolling with something a bit more… realistic.

The Picanto matters not just because it’s small and cheap, but because it’s a grass-roots indicator of where Kia is going with its latest wares. With the Stinger due to launch later this year, the Picanto is the furthest-removed, but in a weird way most relevant, barometer of where the company is at. And we can tell you that it’s good news. Here are the key reasons why the little Kia has caught our attention.

It looks brilliant

Kia is making its cars sportier, while sister company Hyundai does the business on the more comfortable side of things. The Picanto is arguably one of the best-looking city cars, with an angry, insectoid face, especially on the GT Line. The proportions are balanced, it looks right as a five-door (which is a good job because it’s five-door-only), and it looks great in all the colours we’ve so far seen it.

The engines are good fun

It’s worth noting that the 66bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit we drove in the ‘2’ trim grade was as tight as two layers of paint. You can tell there’s charm and torque there, but it won’t reach its best until it’s covered a few thousand miles. This smaller engine has all the performance the Picanto needs in town, and it’s a bit more endearing than the bigger unit.

On the other hand, the 1.25-litre four-cylinder engine has noticeably more guts when you’re willing to give it some stick. Rev past 3500rpm and the extra torque and power is obvious, enhanced in the real world by taller gearing that makes better use of the extra juice. Keep the revs up and the Picanto zings along pretty well, with a big, silly smile on its face.

There’s a turbocharged model coming

But if 83bhp isn’t enough, a turbocharged version of the 1.0-litre three-banger is coming later this year. Confirmed at 99bhp, the torque-rich motor will catapult the one-tonne Picanto down the road with enough verve and unexpected muscle to turn it into a proper junior hot hatch. We’re expecting big things when that arrives.

It handles brilliantly

The other reason we’re looking forward to the turbocharged one is because even the lower-powered Picanto drives superbly. New work to stiffen the body massively over the old car has allowed Kia to better tune the suspension without having to factor in chassis flex. The initial tune was done in the company’s Frankfurt facility, with final adjustments done in the UK, and the results are pretty spectacular for a small car.

Kia has deliberately tuned the chassis to offer real feel and a connection between all four wheels. The steering is faster than you expect, and crisp; slightly crisper on smaller wheels, in fact. The setup is perfect: when you turn into a bend the wheels bite quickly and transmit a steering feel that eclipses that any other city car I’ve driven. On top of that, the rear feels intrinsically linked to the front, as both ends enter the corner behaving the same way. It’s engaging in a way that cars of this size normally just aren’t.

Its suspension is outstanding

On the test route we found a long straight in horrific, partially subsided condition, with miniature dips, bumps, crests and cracks all the way through it. So, naturally, we went at it as hard as we dared, and the Kia’s sense of cohesion both front to rear and left to right blows its rivals into the weeds. At no point was it crashy, under- or over-damped. It gets more impressive the more notice you take of it, helped by the 32 per cent increase in torsional stiffness.

It’s affordable

For £9450 you get a fundamentally superb little driver’s car that’s great fun every day courtesy of the 66bhp three-pot. If you want air conditioning you’ll have to spend £10,750, and if you want air conditioning and 83bhp then it’s still only £11,250. The cheapest, 66bhp GT Line is the sweet spot in the range, at £11,950, or for the full kahuna it’s the GT Line S, only with the 83bhp engine and priced at £13,950. Given how well the little Kia drives, that’s a lot of car for not a lot of cash.

Kia has packaged it cleverly

It’s not a single millimetre longer or wider than the old model, but it’s designed to make much better use of its volume. The wheelbase is 15mm longer, but both axles have moved forward, shortening the front overhang and lengthening the rear for better visual balance.

The boot is up from a rubbish 200 litres to a class-leading 255 litres (beating the Suzuki Celerio by a litre). Even better, you can actually get four adults in it, if the driver either has short legs or is happy to sit slightly closer to the pedals than they’d like. The steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach, so you tend to do just that anyway.

It has useful technology

It might be limited to the most expensive version, at least for now, but wireless phone charging is a big deal at this price. The ‘3’ and GT Line S cars have a great media interface, too, thanks to a modestly-sized colour screen mounted high on the dashboard. Bluetooth is yours from the mid-range upwards, but all cars get a USB port. Higher models get DAB radio, too. You’re not exactly left wanting for anything.