City hatchback "Picanto" of the second generation in three- and five-door body versions was first exhibited to the public in March 2011 - at international car shows in Geneva, and in the summer of the same year it reached the Russian market.
Four years later, the European premiere of the updated version of the 2nd generation "Korean sitikar" took place in Switzerland - the car retained its characteristic style, but got redesigned bumpers and slightly different lighting equipment, which added a bit of seriousness to its look.
The interior did not remain unchanged either, which was refined with chrome inserts near the dashboard and better finishing materials, and in the third quarter of 2015 the car was equipped with a multimedia system with a 7-inch screen ... And, finally, the 1.0-liter "troika" inscribed environmental standards "Euro-6" (but, alas, this did not apply to cars for the Russian market).
For all its compactness, the "second Picanto" looks dynamic, powerful and at the same time friendly, and its appearance is devoid of obvious femininity and toy motifs. The design of the car is clear and correct, but not boring, for which we can say thanks to Peter Schreier. The front part of the Korean "baby" is distinguished by large headlights of a searchlight type with LED running lights, between which there is a branded "mouth of a tiger", and a solid bumper with a large air intake and fog lights (in expensive versions - lensed).
From the side, the KIA Picanto looks harmonious and lean, the appearance of the hatchback is defined by a short sloping hood, a pronounced rib that prescribes the sidewall along almost the entire length, and compact overhangs.
The three-door, due to the presence of only two doors and a sill line that rises sharply to the rear, has a more charismatic and even sporty look. The neat stern concisely completes the image of the car with stylish lanterns, a modest trunk lid and an interesting bumper, into which additional lighting elements are integrated.
The dimensions of the body of the Korean compact do not depend on the number of doors: 3595 mm in length, 1595 mm in width and 1480 mm in height, the wheelbase is 2385 mm. The ground clearance of the 2nd generation car is 142 mm, in addition, a package is available that increases the ground clearance to 152 mm (the height also increases by 10 mm - up to 1490 mm).
The interior of KIA Picanto pleases with an interesting and stylish design, as a result, it seems that this is not an A-class hatchback, but a more status model.
Directly in front of the driver is a two-spoke steering wheel with another "tiger's mouth" at the bottom, behind which three "deep wells" of the instrument cluster are located. The originally arranged central console is not overloaded with unnecessary buttons and is distinguished by the presence of "music" and "climate" control units with a small monochrome display. But ... it's all in expensive modifications, the simplest configuration is devoid of all the frills - plastic plugs instead of an audio system, three "washers" for a conventional stove and a dashboard without a tachometer.
Be that as it may, inside this hatchback does not feel like a cheap car, which is typical for many members of the A-class. Of course, the decoration of the car is cut from inexpensive and not soft plastics with a rough surface, but pleasant both in appearance and in touch. Dark tones are diluted with silvery accents on the dashboard, steering wheel and dashboard, and in many versions there is solid leather.
At first glance, it seems that the "Pikanta" salon is frankly small, but this is just a visual deception. The front seats are endowed with a comfortable profile with good lateral support, and a fairly wide range of settings provide an opportunity to find the optimal position. On the second row of seats, the three of them are cramped, but two passengers no more than 180 cm tall will be able to get comfortable.
The trunk of the Kia Picanto is designed to carry 200 liters of luggage, but by folding the back of the rear sofa in two parts, the capacity can be increased to 918 liters (the floor is practically flat). A compact spare wheel and the necessary tool kit are located under the raised floor.
One of two gasoline units to choose from helps the Korean compact to move.
- The base version is a 1.0-liter (998 cubic centimeters) three-cylinder engine equipped with distributed fuel injection, which produces a maximum of 66 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 95 Nm of torque at 3500 rpm. In combination with 5-speed "mechanics" and front-wheel drive, it provides the "kid" with good characteristics: acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h takes 14.6 seconds, and at around 158 km / h the peak of the maximum speed is recorded. In the combined driving mode, the car is content with 4.5 liters of gasoline for every hundred kilometers.
- More powerful versions are equipped with a 1.2-liter naturally aspirated engine of the Kappa family (1248 cc) with four cylinders in a row and distributed injection. Its output is 85 "horses" at 6000 rpm and 121 Nm of ultimate thrust, transmitted to the front wheels at 4000 rpm. The "senior" unit relies only on the "automatic", and in four stages. This Picanto spends 13.7 seconds to accelerate to the first hundred, its "maximum" reaches 163 km / h, and the consumption of fuel does not exceed 5.6 liters in the combined cycle.
"Pikanta" of the second generation is built on the Hyundai i10 platform with independent MacPherson struts on the front axle and a semi-independent beam on the rear axle.
High-strength steel is widely used in the body structure, due to which the curb weight of the hatchback varies from 840 to 900 kg.
The steering mechanism of the car is aggregated with an electric booster, and the braking system is represented by ventilated discs at the front and drum devices at the rear.
On the Russian market, the updated 2nd generation Kia Picanto went on sale on May 12, 2015:
- It is offered at a price of 489,900 rubles (for which a three-door hatchback in the "Classic" configuration). Basic equipment includes two airbags for the front riders, fabric trim, power steering, power windows, a 12-volt outlet and 14-inch steel wheel rims.
- The five-door version in the "Classic" version could be purchased at a price of 529,900 rubles, but the list of equipment here is somewhat richer (to all of the above in the "three-door", here are added external mirrors with heating and electric drive, a leather steering wheel with heating, heated front seats ).
- The "top" hatchback was offered for 774 900 rubles and it was equipped "in an adult way": climate control, rear parking sensors, cruise control, inflatable airbags in front and on the sides, technology to help when starting to climb, regular "music" wheels, keyless entry and engine start from a button, as well as other options.
