Small, friendly and jaunty. The restyling of the Kia Picanto has not changed its main ingredients that have made it a commercial success with more than 178 thousand units registered in Italy, where it has been present since 2004. In these 20 years and four generations, the Picanto has become more refined, particularly in its design, which is now consistent with Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ styling philosophy. The result creates a bold, futuristic impression of the car with a modern, sportier design.
Agile and fun despite its low engine power (we drove the 1.0 MPI three-cylinder petrol with 63 horsepower), the new Picanto has more personality thanks to a new front end that gives it a bold and striking image. The hatchback features a distinctive, distinctive light signature that links the distinctive Tiger Nose, wing and bonnet to the side air intakes. Headlights with LED technology and vertically developed daytime running lights emphasise the modern, high-tech look, as well as giving the new Picanto a more robust appearance. The rear view, with its simple, defined lines, highlights the vertical connection between the lights and the bumper.
The new light signature, together with the new front bumper, characteristic ‘tiger nose’, redesigned mudguards and bonnet, give the car a more personal image. LED headlights and daytime running lights emphasise modernity and technology, as well as giving the Korean citycar a more confident stance. The lighting theme with a bright, continuous bar is echoed at the rear, where the full-width headlamps give the model a certain power.
To make it even more impactful, Kia designers led by Karim Habib also worked hard on the colours. The new Picanto offers a range of interior and exterior colours inspired by nature, four of which are completely new: Signal Red, Smoke Blue, Sporty Blue and Adventurous Green. For the cabin, which features two displays for instrumentation and infoatinment (floating), quality fabrics or leather alternatives are available, which can be chosen to suit owners’ tastes and lifestyles.
