Kia Picanto gets updated

Kia has updated the Picanto, giving the model a new design and advanced technologies.

The Korean automotive brand said that the latest iteration of the compact hatchback (which is one of the best-selling models in several regions globally) is fitted with more standard features and driver assistive technologies to make city driving easier and comfortable.

According to Kia, the enhanced Kia Picanto wears the brand’s “Opposites United” design philosophy that creates a “bold and futuristic impression with a modern and sporty design.”

Reflecting the aforementioned image at the fore is the new light signature, front bumper design, "tiger nose” grille, fender and bonnet. At the back are the redesigned taillamps and rear bumper to emphasize width.

In addition, the new Kia Picanto sits on 14-, 15-, or 16-inch alloy wheels — depending on the variant.

The new Kia Picanto can be had with either a 1.0- or 1.2-liter gasoline engine mated with either a five-speed manual gearbox or automated manual transmission (based on the five-speed manual but gear shift actuators).

Taking care of the new Kia Picanto’s ride quality are the independent MacPherson strut suspension at the front and a torsion beam rear axle.

Fitted on the new offering’s dashboard is the eight-inch “floating” touchscreen navigation system with multi-connection capabilities and Android Auto and Apple Carplay connectivity as well as a digital display in the driver's instrument cluster.

The multi-connection technology available in the new vehicle’s infotainment system allows up to mobile devices to be paired simultaneously — one for hands-free phone and media use, and the other for solely media use.

Further, the new Kia Picanto features Kia Connect that provides an array of on-board services including live traffic information, weather forecasts, points of interest (POI), and details of potential on- and off-street parking. Depending on the country, users can remotely send route directions to their car before a journey, check the location of their vehicle, and access vehicle reports and diagnostic notifications.

Moreover, the online voice recognition lets users search for POI, addresses, or receive weather updates while the new online navigation routing service uses cloud-based real-time and historical traffic data to predict time-efficient routes more accurately than ever before.

Additionally, the new Kia Picanto is equipped with new over-the-air functionality — with the navigation and infotainment systems automatically kept up to date wirelessly.

Also present in the new Picanto are advanced driver assistance systems and active safety systems like the forward collision-avoidance assist 1.5 with vehicle, cyclist, and pedestrian detection; blind-spot collision-avoidance assist; lane keep assist; driver attention warning and leading vehicle departure warning; intelligent speed limit assist; lane follow assist; among others.

Furthermore, the new Kia Picanto is equipped with an emergency stop signal hill-start assist, vehicle stability management, cornering brake control, and straight-line stability.

To note, the Picanto nameplate has left the Philippine market.

Photos from Kia

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