Buying guide Kia Picanto 2012 – 2017: these are the strengths and weaknesses

In the peak year of 2012, no less than 11,400 Dutch people signed the purchase contract of a Kia Picanto of the second, so-called TA generation. Typical Korean value for money wins over countless buyers. This generation is also very popular in used, so every reason for a Koopwijzer.

In 2004, Kia launched the first generation of the Picanto, which became an instant sales success. About 3.50 meters long, less than 1.60 meters wide, two or four doors and a low weight. Plus: Korean reliability, solidity and a seven-year warranty. What more could a customer who travels within the city limits want? The Picanto comes, sees and conquers, because it knows how to trump the closest competitors. In the same vein, with more dynamism in the design, generation II will start in 2011, which will become an even greater success, thanks to the German design chief Peter Schreyer. The third generation has now also become established. We are curious if there will be a fourth, now that developing small cars is becoming increasingly expensive. With a three-door Kia Picanto in R-Sport trim from year 2012 from Willems Automobielen in Dronten, we walk along the pros and cons of the second generation Picanto.

We grab a three-door, second-generation Kia Picanto, aka the TA.

Thousands of Picantos for sale

Leave the compact car to the Far East. As an expensive location, Europe has left it behind. The Citroën C1, the Peugeot 108: no successors. The Toyota Aygo continues solo as Aygo X. Volkswagen Up and Fiat Panda? Uncertain. Small cars for the small purse are no longer lucrative for manufacturers, so countless buyers grab a used one. Despite the general scarcity, there are still thousands of Picantos for sale. There is a wide choice of colors and versions, you can pick up a three- or five-door model and then there are the various motorizations: 1.0-liter three-cylinder or 1.2-liter four-cylinder petrol, a single with automatic transmission and then there is still the rare Bi-Fuel …

The installed options have been written off, so that you no longer have to pay hundreds to thousands of euros for a luxurious or extra sporty variant. A Picanto with seat heating, smart key, climate control, a multifunctional, even heated steering wheel and a navigation system is one of the options. Interestingly, the three-door car has gone out of fashion. Despite the sportier appearance, users no longer put up with the inconvenience of getting in and out of tight parking spaces, let alone the uncomfortable movements of the body to get into the back. hassle. The four- or five-door has won. There is no longer even a three-door version of the current Picanto, the discussed second generation still does. Those who can live with that are nuts.

Seat heating on a Kia Picanto, you see it more often than you would expect.

Multimedia control from the steering wheel, a popular option.

Easy entry on the right side of the Kia Picanto three-door.

Three-cylinder with 65 hp not popular

The three-cylinder engine does not have many enthusiasts; with its turboless 65 horsepower, it has just too little punch for today’s hectic traffic. Most buyers therefore opt for the four-cylinder with 85 hp. Among owners of this version, lamentation immediately breaks loose about consumption, which does not come close to the manufacturer’s specification. With that, we immediately have the biggest complaint about this generation of Picanto in the dust. Explainable: he has little torque and has to work hard to keep up. In addition, the gearbox only has five gears.

The four-cylinder also has to work quite hard.

If you opt for the traditional four-speed automatic transmission, you will lose an extra liter per hundred kilometers. Then perhaps the Bi-Fuel (petrol and LPG, from 2014) will be interesting, but it is very scarce. The 2012 three-door Picanto 1.2 that we’re taking for a test drive has only run 74,000 miles and was built in the year Kia issued two recalls. Given the stamped maintenance booklet, any defects should have been remedied. The black paint gives this R-Sport together with the larger 15-inch wheels, the red grille surround, the twin pipe tailpipe and the three-door spec a sporty touch. The interior also contributes. In particular, the original upholstery and the aluminum accents on the steering wheel and dashboard lift the otherwise quite colorless interior to a higher level. All around you can see some of that typical damage you get in the parking lot at the supermarket, but the ten-year-old car looks fresh and fruity.

The Picanto is known as a solid and reliable no-nonsense city car. The TA generation has always received two criticisms from its users. Firstly, it lacks axial steering adjustment, secondly, the tailgate only opens to a height of 1.75 meters. We add two more points: the mediocre sound insulation and the audio. Everything in the operation is equally simple and logical, also because there is not that much to operate. As a result, you quickly become familiar with the car. The seat is a bit high, although the height of the driver’s seat can be adjusted.

The moderate operation of the air conditioning and the limited volume of the luggage compartment (200 liters) are regularly mentioned in the user reviews. For a city car, the latter two are serious shortcomings. Something to give extra attention during the viewing. Furthermore, the infotainment has to suffer. Bluetooth is difficult to ‘pair’ and the speakers produce a tinny sound.

Many complained about the air conditioning in the reviews.

TA generation Picanto is now 10 years old

Now that the oldest TA-Picantos have been riding the planet for a decade, all kinds of earthly flaws are coming to light. For example, the horizontal parts of the headlights suffer from years of UV radiation, causing the glass to lose its clarity. There are also reports of defective dipped headlights. Corroding and damaged alloy wheels are also no exception, but you shouldn’t be surprised about that after ten years. Rust on the bodywork, on the other hand, can be ruled out. We also searched in vain for the chassis components of our test car.

Now that the car can be inspected on the four-column lift bridge, we walk past possible technical defects. For example, the steering ball joints wear out excessively quickly – not surprising for a car that moves a lot on short distances such as in the city – and wheel bearings give up the ghost more than once. Both possible defects are clearly heard during a test drive. The reason for rejection of the MOT are the brakes. One of the two recalls during 2011 and 2012 was related to the rear brake callipers that can corrode and cause pistons to stick or go back and forth heavily. As a result, the handbrake is not fully released, resulting in overheating of the pads and discs. Put the car in neutral and push it a little forward or backward and you know if it works properly.

The second action concerned the fuel filler pipe that could leak. For a car that usually travels short distances, a look at the exhaust can’t hurt either. Moisture in the system can cause rust, especially on the rear muffler.

The engines are known as robust, because there are hardly any reports of problems. However, a few things stand out. Some users have had a new timing chain kit installed in their Picanto under warranty. The 1.0 three-cylinder has needed a modification to the crankcase ventilation and a software update for a better cold start. Check whether it has been performed.

Now that we have arrived at the engine and gearbox: a drop of oil sometimes leaks from the engine or between the engine and gearbox. That could be a crank seal. Other obvious wear parts are the clutch – still without self-adjusting cable – and the battery, which can be exhausted after such a long period, partly as a result of the start-stop system. Typical for this front-wheel drive are cupping rear tires, recognizable by a roaring murmur from behind. This is due to the alignment of the semi-independent rear suspension. Something to pay attention to during the test drive: radio off (always!) and driving on asphalt that is as young as possible.

Thanks to the low mileage and the neat dealer stamps in the maintenance booklet, the ten-year-old Picanto is still entitled to the Kia warranty.

Long warranty

It is difficult to choose from the thousands of Picantos! Don’t rely too much on your gut. Realize that there are city cars that consume less fuel. In the case of this generation Picanto, we would choose a somewhat more bare or younger version, which has all its dealer stamps in the service booklet. Only then are you entitled to the seven-year or 150,000-kilometer warranty, in case something is wrong with your purchased copy.

Even our test car, which has covered only 74,000 miles and has been fully dealer-maintained, is still eligible for the Kia warranty. That is of course great fun for the used car buyer. Those who are not so sensitive to this, also run little risk with a more experienced copy. The Picanto is simply a reliable car without serious shortcomings. So typical Kia.