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Kia's most affordable car, the ‘enhanced’ Picanto, has arrived in South Africa.
Kia says the Picanto’s charm has not worn off but four years down the line it's gained a few enhancements.
While the two-model Picanto line-up is unchanged enhancements to the exterior see a restyled front bumper and a revised 'tiger nose' grille.
WHAT’S NEW?
The new bumper is flatter and more square. The large central air intake is now a single unit compared to the previous model and is flanked by two larger, also more square fog light housings recessed into the corners of the bumper.
IMAGE GALLERY: 2015 Kia Picanto
The lights, positioned centrally within the housing, now function as daytime running lights and come on with the ignition. There's also a revised rear bumper that now incorporates a matte black lower edge that rises at the sides to house revised rear fog lights.
The 1.0-litre LX models have 14" steel rims with full covers, the 1.2 EX has 15" alloy rims.
The Picanto now has a range of 10 exterior colours: White, Silver, Beige, Titanium Silver, Black, Honey Bee??, Red, Blue, Pink and Dazzling Blue, new to the range.
INTERIOR TWEAKS
Standard on both are aircon, retractable cup holders and sun-visors vanity mirrors, as well as AUX/iPod/USB connections for the radio / CD player with MP3 compatibility (the EX sports steering wheel mounted controls and hands-free Bluetooth). The Picanto's radio system now (at last) has RDS.
The 1.0 LX and 1.2 EX models now have two front crash bags and anti-lock brakes on the 1.2 EX. All have IsoFix child-seat anchors.
SAME ENGINE/GEARBOX OPTIONS
The Picanto's engine line-up remains unchanged, the familiar three-cylinder, 998cc producing 51kW/94Nm in the 1.0 LX, with slight modifications to ensure it meets strict Euro 6 emissions standards. And the four-cylinder, 1.2 in the EX producing 65kW/120Nm.
Each engine drives through a five-speed manual transmission; four-speed auto is an option.
PRICES
1.0 LX - R136 995
1.2 EX - R149 995.
The automatic transmission adds R12 000; each car comes with a five-year or 150 000km warranty. A two-year or 45 000km service plan is optional.
