Kia Picanto 2022 review: GT

“We cannot think of a better new car buy for under $20K” is what we thought late in 2021 after spending a week with the Picanto GT.

Then the inevitable happened, with a hike of $500 taking that to $20,490 before on-road costs (ORC) – or, $22,490 driveaway as promoted on Kia’s website. Costing just $17,990 back at its early 2019 launch, note that prices have since jumped nearly 15 per cent.

So, what does the GT offer that the base $15,990 MY22 Picanto S doesn’t?

Well, for starters, your $4500 premium scores a smaller engine with fewer cylinders – a 1.0-litre three-cylinder instead of a 1.2-litre four-cylinder unit. Yet with the aid of a turbo, it pumps out 12kW and 50Nm more power and torque respectively, so it’s pokier.

The GT also boasts sports suspension that’s tuned locally, a body kit, two-inch larger alloys sheathed in 195/45R16 tyres, halogen projection headlights with LED daytime running lights, fog lights, sports seats offering stripy pleather hide, a front centre armrest, height-adjustable front seat belts, electric-folding/heated exterior mirrors, ‘premium’ steering wheel, alloy pedals, extra storage and fancier trim inside and out.

On the safety front, even the entry-level Picanto S features four-wheel disc brakes, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with Forward Collision Warning, anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist, electronic stability control, traction control, Vehicle Stability Management, hill-start assist, dual front airbags, front-side airbags, curtain airbags, alarm and child restraint anchorage points (with a trio of top tether and a pair of ISOFIX positions).

You’ll also find reverse parking sensors, a rear camera, auto on/off headlights, remote central locking, power windows, air conditioning, cruise control with speed limiter, a single USB port, an eight-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, four audio speakers, steering-wheel mounted controls and a temporary spare wheel. Oh, and let’s not forget Kia’s seven-year warranty.

That’s a fair whack of kit for the cash. In fact, the Picanto offers pretty much everything you expect and then some. In contrast, the Mitsubishi Mirage feels cheap while the MG3 and Fiat 500 are old and lack some driver-assist safety as well as some of the features standard in the GT.

Little wonder, then, that the Picanto is such a big player in its class.

However, the GT is now butting up against a pair of bigger, roomier and more sophisticated rivals – the Suzuki Swift GL Navigator also from $20,490 as well as the Mazda2 G15 Pure from $21,190. At least it looks sporty inside and out. For that, you’ll need the step up to the costlier Swift GLX Turbo and Mazda2 Pure SP. 

Note though that the Kia is showing its age in one key area – the unavailability of driver-assist tech like adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and lane-keep alert/assist systems.

Fun fact: the Picanto is known as the Morning in some countries.

Commanding some 70 per cent of all sales, its only competition nowadays in Australia is the ancient Fiat 500 and soon-to-vanish Mitsubishi Mirage. Former rivals like the Holden Spark, Nissan Micra and Suzuki Celerio are history, though the tall and skinny Suzuki Ignis should be included too even though it is classed as an SUV.

Speaking of height, let’s talk size.

At just under 3.6 metres long, 1.6m wide and 1.5m high, the pert Picanto is classed internationally as a ‘sub-B’ city car (known inaccurately as well as rather disparagingly as the Micro segment in Australia), that sits below regular superminis/light cars like the Mazda2 and Toyota Yaris.

A clean and elegant design that has aged well since launching in 2017, the JA-series Picanto is the third-generation version since the nameplate was debuted internationally in 2004, and helped establish Kia as a globally relevant player in mature markets like Europe.

Mid-2020 saw a minor facelift with a revised front-end styling, equipment and technical improvements inside and some small mechanical upgrades.

Not as squishy as the diminutive proportions may suggest.

As sub-B superminis vanish from our roads, the Picanto seems smaller and narrower compared to what else is out there. Looking like a Hyundai i30 interior that’s been Xeroxed down to by 70 per cent, the five-seater cabin is tall but slim, with your passenger sitting closer to you than in similarly priced cars like the MG3 or Suzuki Swift.

But it doesn’t feel cramped or tight thanks to deep windows and a pair of well-shaped and largely comfortable front bucket seats. The GT’s set have a sporty look to them, with the driver’s side offering the usual height-adjustment facility to match the ample sliding and reclining functionality.

An unusual item are the front headrest’s fore-aft movement that’s designed to minimise whiplash injury in the event of a collision.

Then there’s the commanding driving position. The dashboard looks big-Kia mature, with full instrumentation (including the always-welcome auxiliary digital speedo since the 2020 facelift), volumous air vents and tonnes of storage, even down to a lidded deep recess underneath the front centre armrest. Accessing the switchgear is also no sweat, and all have a quality look and feel to them.

Smart and contemporary, the 8.0-inch touchscreen offers a wide range of multimedia functionality, backed up by a 12V outlet, USB-A port, remote steering wheel controls, power windows all round (one-touch for the driver) and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity.

However, not everything is plain sailing inside.

The steering column does not adjust for reach, there’s no digital radio and the vinyl seats are fine in winter but can feel clammy and hot in warm weather. Beware of that if you’re not wearing sufficient clothing. And – given these are so-called premium ‘sports’ seats, why can’t we have lumbar adjustment for the driver?

Access to the rear seat is a bit of a squeeze due to the restrictive 2400mm wheelbase length and narrow doors this entails, but once sat there, a 180cm person can easily position behind similarly-sized people up front. Squeezing in three adults isn’t easy, especially for the hapless middle passenger, but two riders only should find ample room and comfort, due in most part to the sufficiently sculptured backrest and cushion. The latter is set up quite high, allowing for easier vision out, especially for shorter folk.

There is no need for face-level air vents back there as the front ones reach rear riders, and overhead grab handles, door grab storage, a single map pocket and windows that disappear all the way down are further nice touches, but there is no rear-seat overhead lighting. 

Note that while the Picanto is tolerably quiet from road and wind noise intrusion at urban speeds, at freeway ones it can get quite loud in there.

Further back, the hatch opens up to reveal a pretty limited 255-litre cargo capacity, that’s extended to 1010L with the 50/50 split/fold backrests dropped down. The boot floor is deep but there isn’t that much length to take bulkier items. As mentioned earlier, a space-saver spare wheel is included; it’s recessed under the boot floor.

A modern and inviting cabin that’s very civilised to boot in most urban settings, the Picanto is both roomier and more comfortable than its bargain-basement price suggests, with the GT’s ritzier trim adding a racier ambience to help justify its extra expense.

The hatch opens up to reveal a pretty limited 255-litre cargo capacity. (image: Byron Mathioudakis)

With the 50/50 split/fold backrests dropped down, that’s extended to 1010L. (image: Byron Mathioudakis)

Under the Picanto’s stubby bonnet is a gem of an engine – a 998cc 1.0-litre double overhead cam three-cylinder direct-injection turbo petrol unit known as the G3LC, developing 74kW of power at 4500rpm and 172Nm of torque from as low as 1500rpm to 4000rpm.

With a tare weight of just 1012kg, it delivers a power-to-weight ratio of 73.1kW per tonne (or 72kW/tonne if measured using its 1026kg kerb weight), for a 0-100km/h sprint time of around 9.4 seconds.

Driving the front wheels is a five-speed manual gearbox. Unlike the visually similar GT-Line powered by the 1.2-litre four-pot petrol engine, no automatic transmission is available. The latter is an old-fashioned four-speed torque-converter auto.

Our GT managed 6.6L/100km in hot, testing conditions that saw a fair share of performance testing and higher-speed driving as well as heavy traffic jams, which isn’t too far off the official 5.2L/100km as per Kia’s spec sheet claim. The latter equates to a carbon dioxide emissions rating of 122 grams per kilometre.

The Urban and Extra Urban consumption figures, by the way, are 6.8 and 4.4L/100km respectively.

Tuned to run on 91 RON standard unleaded petrol and compatible with a 94 RON E10 ethanol/petrol mix, the Picanto’s fuel tank is a measly 35 litres, resulting in a potential average distance between refills of 673km.

There is no stop/start technology fitted to help cut emissions and/or save fuel.

The current-gen Picanto scored a four-star crash-test rating when it was tested by EuroNCAP in 2017. That score carries over to the 2020 facelift too.

While adult occupant protection was rated as good, the Kia performed less well in Child Protection, Pedestrian Protection and Safety Assist system availability. Further to the latter point, the Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) system was singled out as only operating at lower speeds. No maximum operating speed data was published.

Standard safety features include four-wheel disc brakes, AEB with Forward Collision Warning, anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist, electronic stability control, traction control, Vehicle Stability Management, hill-start assist, dual front airbags, front-side airbags, curtain airbags, alarm and child restraint anchorage points (with a trio of top tether and a pair of ISOFIX positions).

Reverse parking sensors, a rear camera, auto on/off headlights, remote central locking and an alarm with immobiliser are also fitted, as is an auxiliary digital speedo in 2020 (and high time, too).

Kia has led the industry with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for a number of years, with only Mitsubishi’s conditional 10-year warranty beating it for now.

Roadside assistance is complimentary the first year, which extends a further seven years as long as you return to an authorised Kia dealer for servicing annually or as required.

Intervals are every 12 months or 10,000km, while published basic capped-price servicing ranges from $283 to $606 depending on the interval. The total is $3127 over seven years, averaging $447 annually over that period at the time of publishing.

In a word… spirited.

It’s no shock to learn that the Picanto GT thrives around town.

With a rorty and rev-hungry three-pot turbo that’s champing at the bit to bolt off the line on one hand, and light-yet-agile steering on the other, the smallest Kia is ideal for darting about, zipping in and out of tight traffic spots and squeezing into tiny parking spaces with effortless ease. Its diminutive proportions, fine all-round vision and tight turning circle are excellent assets in the urban jungle.

Usually, a short wheelbase and relatively large wheels make for a choppy, restless ride. But the GT does an adequate job in absorbing most things that the roads throw up. While still quite firm, the suspension isn’t uncomfortable or agitating.

The Kia’s impressive speed and agility also translate well out on the open road, as long as the driver keeps the revs up – no real chore given the agreeable manual shifter and light clutch action. In such conditions, throttle response is immediate and effective, allowing for a surprisingly strong turn of speed for something so small.

Note, though, that there is quite a bit of tyre and road roar intrusion coming into the cabin at higher velocities.

If the revs aren’t in the sweet spot, expect a moment’s delay in engine response, since you’ll have to wait for the turbo to spool up before you feel the power kick in. In wet conditions, sometimes it can come on too suddenly, meaning that the front tyres could break traction, resulting in some scrappy progress.

The Picanto’s steering is fairly direct and composed, for accurate and controlled cornering, especially in dry conditions. But the handling is not as sharp or as involving as some enthusiasts might hope for from a warm hatch, since the GT doesn’t connect in the same, intimate way with a keen driver that, say, a Fiesta ST does so faithfully.

Note that the stability and traction control system can be disabled for drivers wishing to explore the chassis’ dynamic limits, but the lack of a limited slip differential may result in the front wheels bucking if driven carelessly in the rain. At least the brakes are effective and always at the ready to wash away speed quickly once that turbo starts to take effect.

Fun and feisty as the GT is, it’s no GTi.