This is the facelifted Kia Picanto! The car gets a completely new front and rear.
Totally new front, clearly different ass
The Kia Picanto can take it again! Kia chooses not to completely replace its smallest model, but also not to scrap it. The alternative is a solid facelift that brings a lot of news, especially visually.
This Picanto is no longer a real surprise, because a month ago the little Kia fell victim to the confusion that often occurs when it comes to the months ‘June’ and ‘July’. In concrete terms: competitors elsewhere in the world made a mistake for a month and placed the Picanto online as early as June. Since then we already know what the car looks like, but today the facelifted Kia Picanto is finally official.
The fact that the Koreans choose to give the Picanto, launched in 2017, a facelift for the second time, is somewhat remarkable. After the somewhat more subtle refresher round of 2020, followed more recently by the new logo, now would be the time to completely replace the Picanto with a new one. The fact that Kia doesn’t do that has everything to do with money. Nowadays it is apparently impossible to make a model in the so-called A segment profitable, so most other brands choose to leave this segment completely. Not Kia, but this facelift is actually quite a treat.
Appearance
And the facelift is certainly extensive. The front of the Picanto has been rigorously modernized. Not only the headlights and front bumper, but also the bonnet and even the front screens are new. This makes this facelift much more extensive than usual. The vertical light units are reminiscent of those of the all-new Kia EV9. In more expensive versions, they are connected by an LED strip, which also forms the upper part of the ‘Tiger Nose’ grille. Simpler versions do without the piercing LED seeds of the car shown, which unfortunately is the only Picanto we have an image of for the time being. Halogen headlights are standard after the facelift, but with ‘LED’ it definitely looks much more modern.
The GT-Line front bumper on the car shown looks nice and thick and sporty, more affordable models get a less confident front. Via a side view brightened up with new wheels, we arrive at the rear, which is also introduced to optically connected light units. Here it is not a continuous LED strip, because the handle is in the way for that. The rear lights reach out the proverbial hand, because the bar under the rear window largely burns with more expensive versions. Four new colors complete the party fun: Signal Red, Smoke Blue, Sporty Blue and Adventurous Green.
Interior
There are also new colors for the interior, namely ‘Adventurous Green’ – matching the paint color of the same name – and ‘Rich Brown’. For the rest, the interior largely remains the same, although the Picanto will be fitted with a new digital set of instruments. Don’t think of a configurable ‘super screen’ as in larger models, but more of a simple set of instruments that happens to be completely digital.
Engines
Under the skin, everything remains the same. The biggest news here is in the delivery range, because the range of engines is now limited. The 1.0 T-GDi turbo engine with 100 hp disappears, leaving only the 67 hp turboless 1.0. However, the choice between a manual five-speed gearbox and a robotised manual gearbox remains, so that the Picanto is available without a clutch pedal if desired. Also when it comes to trim levels, not everything stays the same. The ‘upped’ X-Line disappears, so you can whistle to a Picanto with SUV aspirations from now on. However, it remains available as a four-seater and as a five-seater. That four-seater is less practical, but cheaper due to its lower theoretical consumption.
Prices and exact equipment specifications are not yet available at the time of writing. The Picanto before the facelift is currently available from €17,245, so count on at least that amount for the facelifted copy. We are also looking forward to the private lease rates, because this construction is of great importance in this segment in particular.
History Kia Picanto
The Kia Picanto first appeared in 2004, marking an important moment in the brand’s European career. The Picanto was a smooth, fun car from the start, which easily left the Atosjes and Altootjes of that time behind. The second generation of the Kia Picanto appeared in 2011 and made an overwhelming impression again. This was the only Picanto that was also available as a three-door, although that variant remained quite rare. The current, third generation has been around since 2017. It already received a – subtle – facelift in 2020, with differently arranged headlights, a different grille and different bumpers. In the course of 2021, the new Kia logo began to appear on the nose and butt, as introduced on the EV6. The current Picanto is still very popular in the Netherlands to this day, and in 2023 it is in fifth place in the sales rankings. Last year he even finished in second place! The best year for the Kia Picanto in absolute figures was 2012, when more than 11,000 copies were registered in the Netherlands.