The smallest Koreans refreshed the tiniest Kia, the Picanto.
Based on the same platform as the Hyundai i10, the little Picanto received an upgrade in 2020.

Due to the stricter Euro 6d norms, which imposed more safety systems besides the emission values, the smallest pony in the Kia’s stable meets the market with more features and a restyled look. The Russelsheim design studio enhanced the look and feel of the small-class vehicle.

Kia Picanto offered a happy image, far from any form of aggressiveness. The front fascia of both the “GT-Line” and “X-Line” Picanto models has been revised to give each car a more purposeful design. It started with the “tiger-nose” grille, which featured a new textured surround and open-link appearance. The chrome-effect surround formed a sweeping shape that extended into the lower part of the redesigned headlamps, giving a wider stance for the car.

Inside, the Picanto featured a series of visual and technological upgrades, centered around a bigger 8.0-inch widescreen infotainment system and a high-resolution 4.2-inch digital display in the instrument cluster. Depending on trim level and market, the Picanto’s cabin was offered with a black cloth or man-made leather seats. The cabin was finished with black, silver, or gloss black highlights in the door, on the dashboard, and around the gear selector.

The engineers installed two new gasoline engines for the engine compartment, enhanced for fuel-efficiency and low CO2 emissions compared to their predecessors. The base version was a 1.0-liter naturally aspirated unit that offered 67 hp, while the top-spec model featured a 1.0-liter T-GDI (Turbocharged Gasoline Direct injection) engine good for 100 hp.

Kia introduced the third generation of its smallest vehicle, the Picanto, at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show.
Designed on two continents and developed on the same platform as the Hyundai i10, the Picanto started to look more like a shrunk MPV than a small-segment hatchback. Maybe it wasn’t the best choice for a family or a pizza-delivery shop, but it could work very well in both situations.

Peter Schreyer designed the Picanto and used the same signature front fascia known as “Tiger nose” for the grille with a dent in the middle on the upper and lower sides. Its swept-back headlights sported an angular shape and were long, almost enough to touch the A-pillars. The big bumper with a trapezoidal-shaped lower grille was the one that ensured most of the engine’s cooling. The Picanto kept the same length of its predecessor from its sides, but its wheelbase increased by 15 mm (0.6”). An ascending beltline and tilted-forward C-pillar created an image of a dynamic car.

Inside, the longer wheelbase was translated into a more interior room, especially for the rear-seat passengers. Its dashboard featured floating-type infotainment unite placed above the center stack, with two round knobs and a few extra buttons. Kia didn’t cut corners and offered better features for the Picanto than most small-segment cars provided, including steering-wheel buttons, automatic climate control, and an LCD in the instrument cluster, between the tachometer and speedometer.

Under the hood, the carmaker installed a choice of three gasoline engines ranged between 67 hp and 100 hp.

Kia offered the smallest member of its family, the Picanto, in two shapes: three or five doors, a car built for city traffic and tight parking spots.
The second generation of the Picanto surprised the audience at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. It was designed under Peter Schreyer’s supervision at the Kia’s European design center from Germany. Picanto received a facelift in 2015 to comply with the new, Euro6 regulations.

The three-door version featured the same front fascia as its 5-door sibling. From the sides, the longer front doors were necessary to allow easier access to the rear seats. To offer a sportier image of the car, the design department installed a coupe-like rear window, which led to a very wide C-pillar on the bottom. An exclusive line of 14” light-alloy wheels was available for the Picanto 3-doors.

The interior featured a new instrument cluster with three-cylinders styling and chromed rings. All versions were offered with USB-port for the audio system and power windows. The automatic lights were introduced as a standard feature. The sliding and tilting front seats allowed access to the rear seats, which were cramped due to the small wheelbase. But then, again, it was a city car engineered for urban use.

Under the hood, the 2015 Picanto featured a choice of two engines with an intelligent Start-Stop system. Both of them were paired as standard with a 5-speed manual gearbox. Still, the 1.2-liter version was available with a four-speed automatic transmission as well.

The second generation of the Kia Picanto received a facelift in 2015 and was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show.
It was available in a 3- and 5-door configuration and its design was revised: new headlights accompanied new front and rear bumpers.

The car is equipped with either a 1.0-liter or a 1.25-liter Kappa engine and meets the EU6 emissions regulations.The three-cylinder 1.0-liter unit delivers 68 hp through a 5-speed manual gearbox, while the 1.25-liter four-cylinder develops 84 hp and was paired with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission.

Even if this is a small car, occupying only 3.6 meters on the road, it has an exceptional cabin space and the luggage capacity is 200 liters. The model uses Kia’s steering system MDPS (Motor-Driven Power Steering), which allows the driver to control the car with greater maneuverability.

Safety wise, the Picanto is equipped with a full range of electronic features that were designed to prevent accidents. The electronic safety equipment includes: ESC, VSM (keeps the car on course on slippery conditions), ABS, EBD and BAS (Emergency Brake Assist). The Picanto is also equipped with front, side and curtain airbags and front seat-belt pretensioners.

Kia was well known for the warranty offered for its models and is thought to be the best in the business: 7 years. The warranty is transferable to the next owner if a criteria is still met.

The smallest and cheapest car in Kia’s European model range is the Picanto 3-door.
This is available in three trim levels: Base, Classic and Comfort, also called 1, 2 and 3 in Britain. The advantages of the 3-door are that it costs a little bit less to buy in the first place, which makes it popular with buyers who only want to use the Picanto for their daily commute. The 3-door version is the same length as the 5-door model, but it sports new windows and doors and other small cosmetic changes that make it look sporty. In January 2013, the Picanto was named most reliable car in the UK and the car is also relatively safe with a 4-star rating from Euro NCAP.

As Kia’s smallest car for the global market, the Picanto plays the role of the city car in their European lineup, though it’s also known as the Morning or K1 in Korea and some parts of Asia.
Designed to appeal to a younger generation of buyers, the second generation model launched in 2011 is much better designed than its predecessor. The car was drawn by none other than Peter Schreyer, featuring elongated headlights and the now famous tiger-nose grille. It’s based on the same platform as the Hyundai i10 and comes with 1-liter L3 or 1.25-liter L4 engines, the larger being available with a 4-speed automatic gearbox as well.

Kia was on the verge of upgrading its vehicle lineup and, a year after the introduction of the cee’d, it refreshed the smallest family member, the Picanto.
While it wasn’t a spicy vehicle, it was small and able to squeeze through the city traffic. It benefited from the carmaker experience in producing small cars for the Korean market, and thus the result was a fit-for-congestion vehicle.

Regardless of the car’s qualities, the design was far from appealing to European or U.S. customers. The refreshed version tried to correct some mistakes, and the car showed different headlights, swept-back toward the top of the front fenders. It kept the same boxy-style with rounded edges and an ascending line on the rear doors. In the back, the design team refreshed the taillights and offered them an unmistakable look, improving the car’s rear visibility.

Inside, despite being just a little commuter car, the carmaker tried to make it more pleasant and took inspiration from its bigger brother, the cee’d. The upholstery was enhanced, and new materials found their way inside the cabin. There was hardly room for two adults in the back, but the carmaker made them mostly for kids on their way to school. Inside the trunk, there was room for two backpacks and a briefcase.

Under the hood, Kia squeezed a choice of two engines: a 1.0- and a 1.1-liter engine. The carmaker added a 1.1-liter turbo-diesel engine for selected markets, but it was considered useless hence it didn’t offer such a big fuel-efficiency as expected.

Basically a shortened Hyundai Getz, the Picanto or the Kia Morning as it known domesticaly, is a very popular city car.
It is sold worldwide under various names but it is only available with a 1.0 and a 1.1 liter petrol engine and a 3 cylinder diesel based on Kia Cerato’s design. It has direct injection and a variable geometry turbocharger. For European markets, the car was sold with a deal of features in order to make it more attractive to buyers. These included MP3 player, air conditioning, power windows on the front and rear, power windows and central locking.