On the road
The launch event saw us driving UK-specification cars, in Tuscany, which offers both twisting gradient-swapping routes to test the car’s dynamics and also road surfaces of pretty indifferent quality, particularly in towns, and pretty close to what UK owners will likely experience, in the south-east especially.
We tried both engines, with manual transmissions, and were most impressed by the smaller 1-litre unit. Yes the figures don’t lie and it cannot match the 1.2 for pace, but it feels so much more eager and perky.
This becomes particularly apparent under challenging cornering. The new Picanto combines the McPherson Strut front suspension of its predecessor with a new torsion beam layout, and this makes for assured turn-in and grip, while also serving to dial out most of the lumps and bumps of the indifferent road surfaces, though crashing over the biggest potholes does transmit into the cabin.
There is nothing at all amiss with the 1.2 unit, it cruises in confidence and maintains its poise in the turns – it just doesn’t feel as much fun as its smaller sibling. Certainly, the 100hp 1-litre turbo Picantos coming in the year will be interesting to test and possibly more worthy of the sporty GT-Line trim levels that currently one can only have with the 1.2.
Next page: Equipment levels
