My friend Captain Dirk Mallory RN (Rtd.) – well known collector of brass telescopes – looked out across the canal from the vantage point of the clapboard Belvedere Tower of his retirement complex before quietly passing the observation..”I suppose that the watery domain is the only element inaccessible to the new Kia Picanto that seems narrow enough to nip through the traffic on my way to The Admiralty.”( Popular pub in Trafalgar Square! )
“It doesn’t fly, Captain” I reminded him.
At this he put down his pipe, rubbed his hands together and said “Well I suppose we jolly well should continue with the road test.”
“Anchors away!” I shouted and we readied ourselves to put the Picanto through its paces.
Just as we were about to climb aboard a ragged indigent begged a small consideration from the navy man.
“Any spare Pieces of Eight Cap’n?”
“I’m not the purveyor of after dinner mints” the Captain responded frostily.
On the road his demeanour underwent a positive change as he warmed to the little kia’s characteristic joie de vivre.
“If Nelson had a car like this at The Battle Of The Nile he’d have been able, no doubt, to bring a couple of pyramids back home – for seldom have I seen such a small car with such a big heart and such a capacity for nipping about and carrying the little essentials of life. As you know” he added with a twinkle in his eye “There’s nothing in this world as essential as a pyramid or two”.
I quietly passed him a piece of Toblerone.
Kia’s new third generation Picanto is a gem and it’s real fun to drive. There are not so many ‘City Cars’ these days. Those that are left are good but they are rather dull compared to the Picanto.
Here is a supermini with a superabundance of everything you could wish for when tackling the congested highways and byways of our Sceptred Isle. If there is such a thing as interesting motoring I felt certain that my lucky stars had delivered it straight to my door.
You’ve got to hand it to Kia – they know how to put together a really stylish package. This Kia looks as mouth watering as a tasty aperitif with a promise of things to come.
Already invigorated by its promising contours I delighted in the little engine’s encouraging ‘brmm, brmm’ and before you could say ‘Pinocchio’ I was buzzing down the road like Jiminy Cricket on a mission. It would be a cardinal sin to suppose that I broke any motoring regulations. Not even the gloom of Winter would have me shooting traffic lights – but I can assure you that the seductive road manners, sensible controls and perfect poise of this supermini had me seduced.
Inside there’s room for five at a pinch plus a boot that’s the size you would expect in a car like this. Seat quality, comfort and support are at ‘big car’ levels and the whole interior of the high spec £16,745 five door 1.0 GT Line offers good comfort. There’s a touch screen infotainment system with reversing camera as well as a multi-function steering wheel. Needless to say there are plenty of safety features.
It’s a wishing well of motoring tick lists come true. Looks nice? Tick. Comfortable? Tick. Economical at a claimed 52.3 mpg? (I got much more) ‘tick’,, Roadholding, ride and handling? Tick. Performance? Tick. The 1.0, 62bhp three cylinder petrol engine is a gem that will take you to about 90 mph. That might not seem much but when you drive it you delight in the enthusiastic response. Play tunes using the slick five speed gearbox and enjoy the liveliness of the whole package. Seldom have I come across such a welcoming all-round little bundle of promise that’s more than adequate for the varying tides in one’s affairs.
In fact, ‘affair’ is the key word here, for nothing more describes one’s association with the Picanto. It’s an affair of the heart thanks to driver appeal.
In no time at all as I motored along I felt a yearning for twisty lanes – and here I was in Wolverhampton. In Wolverhampton indeed, but as enraptured as our friend Cap’n Mallory would be in pursuit of a Spanish galleon: so jolly in spirit that even the heaviest traffic compounded with the usual roadworks, failed to dampen my enthusiasm.
In a Picanto, so called rat runs become fun runs. Put simply, Kia has produced a smart little vehicle that endearingly fits the template of its kind, arguing that small car customers are no less desirous of the best than customers for larger cars. Whether you’re driving about town, travelling from town to town or whizzing along the lanes, you’re guaranteed pleasure in this little Kia.
