Powertrains
Initially, the new Picanto goes on sale with two of Kia’s ‘Kappa’ petrol engines carried over from the previous car, a 1-litre three-cylinder unit with 67hp, and the 1.25-litre four cylinder of 84hp. Kia says that both have been comprehensively re-engineered for their new application, with resultant fuel consumption and emissions gains.
Standard transmission is a five-speed manual unit, but the larger engine is also offered with a four-speed auto. This does, however, come with significant efficiency drawbacks – it extends the 0-62mph time by over 1.5 seconds, while combined cycle fuel economy falls from 61.4 to 52.3mpg, with an extra 18g/km in emissions.
Towards the end of 2017, Kia will be adding its latest three-cylinder 1.0 T-GDi (Turbocharged Gasoline Direct Injection) unit to the range, with 100hp and efficiency gains to boot.
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