Kia has revealed its all-new Picanto city car at the Geneva Motor Show and it will go on sale in South Africa in the third quarter of 2017.

The Kia Picanto is one of the brand's more popular cars and it's now in its third generation. Kia has an interesting strategy of building design studios outside of Korea and the result is that the Picanto brings a youthful, European-style to the A-segment.

Let's take a look at what the new Kia Picanto has to offer…

Key features

Under the skin, the new car features a 15mm longer wheelbase and all four wheels have been pushed out into the corners. There are many new vibrant colours to choose from, an indication of the youthful market which Kia is targeting.

To improve ride and handling, Kia has fitted stiffer front and rear anti-roll bars as well as a lighter rear torsion beam. The steering rack is also said to be 13% quicker than before, which should make inner city manoeuvring easier.

Refinement has improved too and Kia has applied specific soundproofingmeasures to reduce noise and vibrations in the cabin and the firm now claims that the new Picanto has the quietest cabin it in its class.

The cabin looks good and will feature many high-tech comfort, convenience and safety features. The Picanto will be fitted witha large 7.0-inch infotainment system and features such as a rear-view camera and wireless charging will also be offered. Cloth upholstery is standard but various seat colour and material combinations will be offered.

In terms of safety, the new Picanto is well-equipped with 6 airbags, electronic stability control and autonomous emergency braking.

Space in the boot has increased to 255 litres and with the 60:40 rear seats folded flat, space increases to 1 010 litres.

The new Kia Picanto rides on 14-inch wheels as standard and customers will have a choice of 4 alloy wheel designs ranging between 14 and 16-inches in size. A sportier-looking GT-Line derivative will also be offered and will include tips for the twin exhaust system, side air intakes and red, silver and black details seen in the grille and a D-cut steering wheel.

Engine Choice

A new turbocharged 1.0-litre T-GDI engine with 74 kW and 172 Nm of torque will be the headlining act in the new Picanto. This engine will be paired to a 5-speed manual transmission and acceleration from zero to 100 kph will take 10.1 seconds with a top speed of 180 kph.

A 49kW 1.0-litre engine will also be offered alongside a 62 kW 1.2-litre petrol engine. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard for these engines while a 4-speed automatic will be offered on the 1.2-litre derivative.

Kia SA has confirmed the new Picanto for our market and it is expected to arrive in the third quarter of 2017.

Further Reading

Search for a used Kia Picanto here

See how the Kia Picanto fares in comparison to the Suzuki Swift

View teaser images of the new Kia Picanto here