Published:
13 September 2024This Picanto looks fresh, what with its hammerhead-style headlights, which ape those of the monolithic new EV9 SUV, Kia’s largest model.
However, underneath the tweaked exterior sits the same platform that arrived in 2018. The JA generation of Picanto is thus fundamentally unchanged, with MacPherson struts ahead of a torsion beam. This means it remains remarkably narrow, easily slipping through gaps that even a Volkswagen Up would need to slow for.
The only notable change concerns the powertrain. Gone is the old 99bhp 1.0-litre turbo triple that gave this supermini a certain hot-rod appeal.
You can still have the same unit in naturally aspirated form, although output has dropped from 66bhp to 62bhp, with Kia claiming that improved exhaust gas recirculation has lowered NOx emissions and that intake valve timing has been “optimised”.
