Review: Kia TA Picanto (2016-17)

Overview

Officially released in Australia in April 2016, the Kia TA Picanto was a light, five-door hatchback. Manufactured in Seosan, South Korea, the front-wheel drive Kia Picanto was powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine that was mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. Upon its release, the Kia Picanto had a recommended retail price of $14,990 (excluded on-road costs such as stamp duty, dealer delivery, registration and, where required, CTP insurance).

Kappa engine

The 1248 cc G4LA four-cylinder petrol engine was a member of Hyundai-Kia’s ‘Kappa’ engine family. The engine had a die-cast aluminium block with an integrated ladder-frame for stiffness, 71.0 mm bores and a 78.8 mm stroke, cast-iron cylinder liners, an offset crankshaft, an aluminium alloy cylinder head, double overhead camshafts (chain-driven), four valves per cylinder with beehive valve springs and actuated by roller cam followers, dual continuously variable valve timing (i.e. for intake and exhaust valves) and a compression ratio of 10.5:1.

Dimensions

The Kia Picanto was 3595 mm long, 1595 mm wide (excluding door mirrors), 1480 mm tall and had a 2385 mm long wheelbase, while its drag coefficient was 0.31 Cd. With the automatic transmission, the Kia Picanto had a kerb weight of 994 kg.

Inside, the Kia Picanto had sliding and reclining front seats, and 60/40 split and folding second row seats. Cargo capacity was 200 litres with the rear seats in position, though this increased to 870 litres when the rear seats are folded.

Suspension and steering

The Kia Picanto had MacPherson strut front suspension with coil springs, gas-filled dampers and an anti-roll bar. At the rear, the Picanto had a semi-independent coupled torsion beam rear axle (CTBA) with separate coil springs and gas-filled shock abosrbers.

The Kia Picanto had rack-and-pinion steering with hydraulic power assistance (Kia’s ‘Motor-Driven Power Steering or MDPS’) and a turning circle of 9.8 metres.

Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment for the Kia Picanto included dual front airbags, front side airbags, full-length curtain airbags, ABS, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control and front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters.

Euro NCAP crash testing

In Euro NCAP crash testing , the 2011 Kia TA Picanto received a four star safety rating which included an 86 per cent adult occupant protection rating and an 83 per cent child occupant protection rating. In the offset crash test, protection of the driver’s head and thighs were rated as good, though chest, lower leg and foot protection was rated as adequate (i.e. a slight risk of serious injury).

Based on the Euro NCAP testing, ANCAP conferred a five star adult occupant protection rating on the Kia Picanto with a score of 34.26 out of 37.

Features: Kia Picanto Si

Standard features for the Kia Picanto Si included 14-inch wheels with 165/60 R14 tyres, a four speaker sound system, CD player with MP3 compatibility, auxiliary inputs (3.5 mm) and USB inputs, Bluetooth with voice recognition and audio streaming, air conditioning, black cloth upholstery, a six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat (including height adjustment), daytime running lights, rear parking sensors, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift lever, 60:40 split fold rear seats, remote central locking, power windows, power adjustable and heated door mirrors, tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment, vanity mirrors, a 12 volt power outlet (front console), trip computer, an alarm and immobiliser.

For Australia, the Kia Picanto was sold with a seven year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

Specifications and links

• Specifications: Kia TA Picanto (April 2016)
• Wikipedia.org: Kia Picanto