Kia Picanto GT Line Review – Why Should You Buy?

Style never sits still. Introducing the Picanto GT-Line.

Designed in collaboration at Kia’s design centre in Korea and Germany, the All-New Kia Picanto has been redesigned with a bold and all new look with a sportier feel. With a sporty and bold design that seamlessly blends into the dynamic lines and contours, the All New Picanto will allow you to zip around the city with ease.”

 

Hello there. Bob Aldons, The Car Guy with my review of the Kia Picanto GT Line

Honestly, I’m a Kia fan and not only because Kia has the best new car warranty as standard on all their cars, but because they build quality new cars as well. Forget about Kia’s from 15 years ago. The modern Kia vehicle is well designed, safe and looks good, all besides the 7-year warranty.

And I’m often asked what the value of the extra 2 years of warranty is over and above those brands that offer 5 years. Well, I think it’s thousands of dollars and that repair cost in other brands isn’t a factor with Kia. Do yourself a favour and look at the whole of life cost of a car and the Kia will stand out.

What is it? Kia Picanto is Kia’s smallest car with the GT Line being it’s highest specification. It’s a 4 seater, running a 1.2-litre engine and 4-speed automatic transmission

Competition: Toyota Yaris, Volkswagen Polo, Fiat 500, Citroen C3, Holden Barina, Ford Fiesta, Honda Jazz & City, Mazda2, MG3, Mitsubishi Mirage, Suzuki Swift & Baleno, Renault Clio, Peugeot 208, and Skoda Fabia

Pricing:         Kia Picanto with automatic transmission starts out from $15,890 drive away. The Kia Picanto GT Line is $17,490 drive away and for the extra $1,600 it’s my pick.

Over and above the S Auto, you’re getting the GT Line body kit, 16″ alloy wheels, LED Daytime Running Lights, Electric Folding exterior mirrors, Premium Seats with Red accents, Premium Steering Wheel and Gearshift Knob and Bright Alloy Finished Sports Pedals.

And given that most ‘young or young at heart’ buyers will want to accessorise their cars, trying to do it yourself will run to thousands of dollars more.

Front of the Car

Kia’s Schreyer grille dominates the front of the small yet aggressive looking front end. Standard 1.25 litre engine is mated to a 4-speed auto transmission. Even with a GT nomenclature, don’t expect to get high performance from this hatch. It might be cute as a button, but it’s a city car, not a highway machine.

Passenger Side and Safety

Easy enough to get into as a passenger, the Kia Picanto is full of most modern technology. And in my opinion, given that it’s an urban car, adaptive cruise control isn’t really a must-have. Suffice to say that Kia has stuffed most of it’s active and passive safety options into the Picanto.

Active Safety  – Kia Picanto GT Line and Range

Grades	S 1.25L MPI Petrol Manual	S 1.25L MPI Petrol Automatic	GT-Line 1.25L MPI Petrol Automatic
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) with EBD4 & BA5	●	●	●
ESC (Electronic Stability Control) with TCS6	●	●	●
VSM (Vehicle Stability Management)	●	●	●
HAC (Hill-start Assist Control)	●	●	●
ESS (Emergency Stop Signal)	●	●	●
Seatbelt reminders on all positions	●	●	●
Reverse parking sensors	●	●	●
Rear view camera with dynamic parking guidelines	●	●	●
High-mounted rear stop light	●	●	●
Dusk-sensing automatic headlights	●	●	●
Halogen DRL (Daytime Running Light)	●	●	–
Rear fog light	●	●	●
Child restraint anchorage points (3)	●	●	●
ISOFIX (2 positions)	●	●	●
3-point ELR seatbelts on all positions	●	●	●
AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) with FCWS (Forward Collision Warning System)7	●	●	●
LED DRL (Daytime Running Light)	–	–	●
Halogen projection fog lights	–	–	●
Halogen projection headlights	–	–	●

Exterior Colours

The Rear End

You want to fit what? Unless you want to fold the seats flat, you’re not getting your golf clubs and buggy in there easily.

Pram? Same story. Fold half the back seat and you’ll accommodate a pram (1) and your groceries.

For the weekend, there’s plenty of room for some soft overnight bags.

 

 

 

 

Drivers Side and Drivers Seat

At 182cm and 100kg, I don’t think that I’m expected to fit comfortably in the Kia Picanto. But I did. Sure enough, it’s fine for front seat people, but with the seats all the way back, you’re really only fitting 2 children in the rear pews.

And that could be 2 very small children in car seats or even smaller mites in capsules if you need to.

The driving position is fine – plenty of leg, knee and headroom and a comfortable driving position to boot.

The GT line is trimmed with sport alloy pedals

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was a little surprised that the Kia Picanto only achieved 4 stars in the ANCAP test. A full suite of airbags is standard for front and rear passengers as is autonomous emergency braking. I’m assuming that the lack of adaptive cruise control and lane keep assistance marked down this smart little car.

If you’d like to read the full report on the Kia Picanto, click on this link. ANCAP – Kia Picanto

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was a little disappointed with the fuel consumption of the Kia Picanto. Given its size and weight, I was sure that it would be close to best in class, but around the city, it really didn’t come close to them.

Over my week in the Kia, I achieved 6.7 litres per 100km over the combined type driving. That’s about 15.5% higher than the published numbers from Green Vehicle Guide.

I’m guessing that the basic non-turbo 1.2-litre engine and 4-speed automatic are the major villains. I’m thinking that Kia should upgrade the engine to a smaller turbocharged powerplant like other manufacturers are presently offering and certainly a 6 or 7-speed direct shift transmission.

Highway consumption of 4.6 litres per 100km was spot on with what I achieved, but the 4-speed auto doesn’t do the car justice.

 

Warranty and Servicing

Recently I had a customer ask me to buy her a small hatchback. She was downsizing from a large 4WD, having moved from Dalby to inner Brisbane. Her first choice was a Hyundai i30, but I convinced her to consider a Kia Cerato Sport Plus. Why? Quite simply Kia offers the best new car warranty in Australia – 7 Years. And along with this is a 7-year roadside assistance program and 7 years of capped price servicing.

To me, when comparing very similar cars, the extra warranty makes the decision a no-brainer. For 7 years of dealer service, you can expect to pay $2552 or $365 per year.

 

 

 

 

 

Kia Picanto GT Line Insurance. I generally use RACQ Insurance to give you a guide as to what you’ll pay for your annual comprehensive car insurance. Conditions precedent for this cover are:

• A male driver over 60 years of age, having held a license for over 10 years
• Blue member of RACQ with 2 other insurance policies
• Has paid cash for the car for private use with the car parked in a garage overnight.
• The driver resides in postcode 4019
• The car is fitted with an engine immobilizer
• 1 at fault claim in the last 3 years, with no license suspensions
• Rating 1 currently having held that rating 1 for 10 years or more
• No driver under 25 will use the vehicle.

The premium quoted online by RACQ Insurance for Private Use – No Finance:  $336.32 with a $750 excess. Variations from the information above may result in different outcomes. Check online with RACQ Insurance for your own particular quote.

My Opinion

I like what Damien Meredith, the COO of Kia Motors Australia had to say.

“The Picanto GT-Line is just one more endorsement of our belief that there is a desire from the market for a practical, stylish and affordable car at that end of the market,”

“From the outset, we were confident that there was an opportunity in that micro segment, but it had to be the right car promoted in the right way. Picanto has proven that belief and the GT-Line is just one more way for us to support our original confidence.”

The Kia Picanto and particularly the Kia Picanto GT line is a relatively cheap and cheerful little urban runabout. Unless you’re really desperate, don’t even think about long highway travels. The Kia is designed to get you from A to B where A is in the city and B is the burbs.

Mrs Aldons, she who must be obeyed, said of the Kia: ” I like it more than my old Suzuki Swift, but it’s just not where I’m at presently. The cargo area, even with the seats down won’t carry my easel and art box, but I can see myself in it when I’m a bit older and don’t need the size”.

 

Strengths and Weaknesses

 

 

Where to Buy – Dealers

Vehicle provided by Kia Australia. If you’re in the market to buy a Kia Picanto GT Line or any other Kia for that matter, pick your dealer carefully. When I want to check out the ‘worthiness’ of a dealer, I Google ‘Kia Dealers Brisbane” where the city is the one that you live in or around and the brand is that particular one you’re interested in.

I only list dealers who have achieved a minimum of 5 reviews with Google and then only those with 4 stars or higher.

From a South East Queensland perspective here’s the dealers I’d visit:

Northside            Brendale Kia                                      4.6 Stars from 39 Reviews

Southside            Motorama Kia                                    4.7 Stars from 124 Reviews

Eastside               Keema Bayside Kia                           4.8 Stars from 20 Reviews

Westside              Toowong Kia                                      4.4 Stars from 96 Reviews

Gold Coast           Von Bibra Kia                                    4.8 Stars from 31 Reviews

Sunshine Coast   Cricks Noosa Kia                              4.8 Stars from 10 Reviews

Stars and review numbers effective 16th September 2018

Hi,  Bob Aldons here, the owner and founder of The Car Guy, and Car Business, reviewing cars, reporting on car industry matters, car tech, Formula 1, buying #anynewcarcheaper and the world at large. I’ve spent the last forty years immersed in the automotive industry from salesman to the owner of a 7 brand multi-franchise dealership. I know cars.

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