Eco-trendy Picanto

The best arguments for buying a new subcompact as your first car instead of a used car are: 1.) it runs farther on less fuel and 2.) it emits less carbon dioxide.

The 2011 Kia Picanto, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show last March and presented to the media in Manila last May, fits the bill exactly.

The second-generation Picanto succeeds the original model that replaced the Kia Pride and debuted in 2004, selling more than 1.1 million units globally over the next seven years. Instead of designing its new baby as cute and cuddly, as would be expected in the subcompact or A-segment, Kia Motors raised the shoulder line, drew sharp, angular lines everywhere, widened the bumpers to achieve a chunky stance and installed vertical LED combination tail lights as a finishing touch.

With the trademark Kia tiger nose grille, projector-style headlights, large front bumper-integrated fog lamps and exaggerated wheel arches, the 2011 Picanto looks more aggressive head-on than the Hyundai i10, Chevrolet Spark or Suzuki Celerio.

SPACIOUS. Built on the same platform as the Hyundai i10 (Hyundai Motor Co. owns 39 percent of Kia Motors Corp. in South Korea), the new Picanto has a slightly increased wheelbase, 15 mm longer than the original, while the 5-door body is 60 mm longer and thus offers more cargo capacity. Two hundred liters to be exact, just enough space for the week’s groceries.

Inside, the Pic is surprisingly spacious especially up front with sufficient width, enough headroom, seats not too small or too close together so you don’t bang elbows with passengers, easy-to-read and -reach dials and a strip of chrome across the center of the fascia giving the cabin an upscale, modern ambience. The driving position is comfy although a bit high and even though the seats are short on lateral support. Overall, the cabin with its neat dashboard is more refined, more mature and better finished than the predecessor’s.

SPUNKY. The Pic I test-drove had a 1.0 liter, in-line 3 cylinder Kappa MPI  front wheel drive engine delivering 68 ps peak horsepower at 6200 rpm and 9.6 kg-m max torque at 3500 rpm via a  light and accurate 5-speed manual transmission. The tiny yet spunky powerplant is exceptionally quiet, running smoothly without the characteristic 3-cylinder engine noise. Noise from the tires and wind is also minimal.

The Pic nips and tucks nimbly through city traffic where it is in its element. The brakes are sharp and the clutch is springy. Sure, it took more than 14 seconds to sprint from zero to 100 km per hour and second gear was sluggish, but when you reach peak torque the little Pic pulls eagerly enough and throttle response is immediate.

Due to its short, narrow wheelbase, the Pic pitches from side to side on damaged road surfaces and there is a good deal of body roll on the open highway, but it remains composed driving over slight imperfections. Since it is small, it could be sensitive to sidewinds – so I never drove it on the Skyway.

SOLID. The steering is light yet the car feels solid because of the firm suspension Kia claims that to improve stability and riding comfort, it has increased the castor angle in the MacPherson strut front suspension with 12 percent softer springs while the beam axle of the rear torsion beam is 60 percent stiffer with 29 percent softer springs. Fuel economy in combined city and highway driving is said to be 67 miles per gallon (28 km per liter) but because the little engine has to be revved constantly to keep up with traffic, the Pic cannot be driven as economically as anticipated and 51 MPG (21 km per liter) is more likely.

On the other hand, aside from being frugal with fuel, the Pic is ecologically trendy, emitting only 99 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. This is the ace up the Picanto’s sleeve.

Bottom line, the 2011 Picanto 1.0 MT stands out in its field because of its imaginative design, excellent packaging, spacious cabin, riding comfort and quiet engine performance. It brakes, shifts and runs with as much abilidad as can be expected from a car of its size and price (P545,000). With its new, refined iteration of the Pic, Kia has raised the bar for the subcompact class.