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| Road Test Kia Picanto Ice |
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Now With Extra Cuteness
The facelift has involved designing new light clusters at both ends, and the result at the front is that the Picanto seems to be saying, "What? Really?" in reply to some astonishing piece of information. Personally I think it's now suffering from an overdose of the cutes, but if that's what you like in a small car then you won't mind at all. In the revised and slightly eccentrically-named range, the car tested here - which is known as the Ice - sits between the 2 and the 3. All of these cars use the same 64bhp 1.1-litre engine and five-speed manual gearbox (though automatic transmission is an £800 option on the 2 and the Ice); the only alternative, for UK customers at least, is the 61bhp one-litre unit fitted to the entry-level car, which is just called Picanto. Kia also has a 1.1-litre diesel, but it's not offered in this country, and unless you were planning to rack up 20,000 miles a year it probably wouldn't be worth the extra expense anyway. The Ice is more or less the same car as the 2. Both have 14" steel wheels (covered with plastic trims which make the Picanto look even more whimsical than it does already), a tilt-adjustable steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver's seat, full cloth upholstery, remote central locking with an alarm and speed-sensitive autolock, and leather for the steering wheel and gearknob.
You can distinguish the Ice from the 2 by noting its chrome grille. There's some chrome inside, too, along with black upholstery (the 2 has a choice of black, red or blue), a storage tray mounted underneath the front passenger seat and - perhaps most importantly - air-conditioning. In what seems like not a bad deal, this lot adds £200 to the cost of the 2, bringing the total price up to £6995. |
