The 2018 Kia Picanto: Great Things Come in Small Packages

Small is beautiful, especially when it can take you to many unexplored and interesting places in laid-back style. The Kia Picanto offers you just that--and much more.

Also known as Kia Morning in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Chile, and Naza Suria or Naza Picanto in Malaysia, it has been in production for 14 years already.

Don't be fooled by the size--this car packs some mean punch, with favorable to good reviews. It's cheap to run, well-made and well-equipped, with a classy cabin and a good-looking exterior to make it extra special.

And don’t take our word for it. Ben Barry of Car Magazine called the Picanto "a very accomplished car, one that looks good and is fun to drive whether you’re in town or out on the open road.” In 2016, J.D. Power and Associates awarded the Picanto in its Vehicle Dependability Study in the City Car category, while the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers awarded the Picanto as "Best Small Car" in 2011. It also snagged the iF product design award in 2011 and the Red Dot award in 2012.

Winning Features

So really, what else do you need if you have the Picanto by your side? The newest, four-speed automatic or five-speed manual Picanto offers a Kappa 1.2 In-Line four-cylinder, Multi-Point Injection engine, with a power punch of 84 PS (83hp) @ 6,000 rpm and 12.4 kg-m (122 Nm) @ 4,000 rpm of torque.

Its 60:40 split-folding rear seats and dual-level luggage board are a winner, and the MDPS tilt steering wheel and segmented cluster LCD makes viewing controls easier and more convenient.

Safety is also better. The Kia Picanto has "more than 44 percent Advanced High-Strength Steel (AHSS), resulting in phenomenal rigidity and hot-stamping of components employed in core stress areas." The result is "improved average body tensile strength, enhance cabin protection and improve dynamic performance."

So are you interested in owning a Kia Picanto? You can learn more about it on Carmudi's site here.