The Kia Picanto is one of Australia’s cheapest new cars, but we want to find out just how GT this Picanto really is over the next three months
Cast your mind to small performance hot hatches and the first car that springs to mind is unlikely to be the Kia Picanto GT. But this ‘warm’ city carver is an affordable way to have some fun, especially if you live in a really busy city like we do here in Sydney.
But the Kia Picanto GT is also in the running to be a great first car, too, starting from just $20,490 before on-road costs. It’s got a thrifty 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine, a five-speed manual transmission, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and a four-speaker stereo system all as standard.
Importantly, the Kia Picanto’s claim to fame is that it is currently Australia’s cheapest new car, beating the MG3 by $500. The Picanto S manual trim costs $18,490 driveaway – $2000 less than the spicy GT I am running. So, should you spend a bit more? We’re going to find out.
Kia’s marketing says that all Picanto variants have been tuned for Australia, with the GT variant gaining sports tuned steering and suspension. Staff journalist Zak Adkins has been tasked with testing just how well Kia’s claims stack up and whether this is the best value ‘warm’ hatch on sale in Australia today. Grab something to eat and settle in as Zak takes you through the month by month ownership experience with the Kia Picanto GT.
Month 1 update: Welcoming the Kia Picanto GT with a blast up Mt Panorama and a trip to Brisvegas
The little Picanto GT is thrown into real-world testing with a long distance blast to Brisbane and a fun adventure to Australia’s greatest racing circuit – Mount Panorama.
Kilometres this month: 4354km Fuel economy this month: 4.9L/100km
Running costs this month: $250 (fuel)
Here I sit in my parents garage as the Picanto GT cools down after a massive drive from Sydney to Brisbane. I made it, and without any trouble at all.
I’ve got this little pocket rocket for the next three months and I have a lot planned for it. Say hello, then, to ‘EMT-47F’ that will be ‘mine’ to look after until December.
As first impressions go, the little Picanto GT has already won me over for the sheer fun factor alone. Powered by a tiny 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine with outputs of 74kW/172Nm, Kia’s smallest model won’t win any drag races, however it’s full of character and charm.
In the past three weeks I had already driven roughly 2000 kilometres. On the first weekend I had the car, I couldn’t have been more excited to obtain my first long-term test car and decided to drive to the Mount Panorama racing circuit in Bathurst – the first real test for the mighty Picanto GT.
I wonder how many Picanto GT owners would take their car to one of Australia’s most iconic motor racing circuits, but I did, and it was great (although I was sad because I was limited by the 60km/h strict speed limit).
The trip there was pretty comfortable and I was altogether impressed with how the Picanto’s suspension rode at both low speeds and highway speeds. My phone paired well using its Android Auto mirroring function and the speakers are surprisingly good for a car that costs $20,490 before on-road costs.
Inside, there are quite a few scratchy plastics but this is to be expected at such an affordable entry level. The leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear lever are nice to touch and certainly make the interior feel premium at this price point. I just wish the seats were proper leather instead of being fake ‘pleather’ items. There is also a fair chunk of red trim here and there throughout the cabin to let you know you are driving the flagship GT variant.
The rear seat room is slightly cramped when the front pews are in the position for a duo of large adults and the boot space is, at 255 litres, super small. I couldn’t fit my electric scooter in the boot without dropping the rear seats down, which wasn’t ideal, however if you are travelling with just two people it’s fine.
Within only two weeks of getting the Picanto GT, I decided to drive home to see family and friends in Brisbane. After leaving my apartment at 1am, I immediately regretted getting up so goddamn early in the morning to drive the long 10 hours north out of Sydney.
However, the Picanto was a good companion and felt super stable humming away at 110 on the highway. Occasional wind gusts will cause the 950kg car to move around somewhat, so it’s a good idea to be on your toes if driving through bad weather, for example.
And the Picanto GT is frugal with its fuel use, sipping an average of 4.7L/100km on the highway, although it didn’t quite get to its 4.4L/100km extra urban claim. The lowest numbers from the car so far have been just 2.2L/100km heading down out of the Blue Mountains. Pretty impressive!
Getting from Sydney to Brisbane took just over two tanks of petrol, however it would be good to have a fuel tank larger than the 35L one fitted to ‘my’ car.
How does it drive?
The Picanto GT might only have a tiny 1.0-litre engine (not far off the size of a Yamaha MT09 motorbike engine) but it does pack a turbocharger and that certainly gives the car a bit of pep when getting up to speed. It’s no racecar, but then again, was it ever going to be?
In first and second gear, the engine plays an interesting note thanks to the offbeat thrum of three eager cylinders. It’s entertaining and fun and somewhat unique when compared to other small cars on the market. Otherwise, the engine is quiet and pretty refined, although it does have a slightly bumpy idle (again thanks to the unique nature of three cylinders).
I think the car would benefit from a different, less restrictive air intake as well as an exhaust to make the engine feel a little more responsive across the rev range, but for what it is, the Picanto GT nails its brief of being a fun city car.
I can’t think of many competitors here in Australia for a car like this. Who else sells a small city car that has a warm amount of performance? The Volkswagen Up isn’t sold here and cars like the Honda Jazz are no more (and never offered a warm performance version). So the Kia Picanto GT is in a league of its own, really.
So what’s in store for me and the little Picanto GT?
I am hoping to get the little car on some proper driving roads to see how the Picanto steps up as a GT model in the range. Kia claims the Picanto GT is fitted with “sports tuned suspension and steering”, so we will have to test that accordingly.
It would be interesting to feel the differences between a Picanto GT-Line and a GT and whether the gap between them is big or small.
A day at the track would be great, too, however I’m unsure whether we will get the opportunity between now and the end of tenure, however anything is possible!
We want to know if you have any questions or queries about the little Picanto GT and would love to answer them for you.
I’ll be doing another update in a month’s time to see how life is going with the little Kia Picanto GT.
Keyword: Kia Picanto GT long term review