Mario James, Gleaner Writer

The 2008 Kia Picanto. Available at Kia Motors for a mere $1.235 million. - Photo by Mario James

WITH THE price of oil cresting at US$100 a gallon, downsizing is again the watchword among automotive manufacturers. Sales of SUVs in developed countries have been trending down for more than five years, and tree-huggers everywhere are clamouring for the death of the SUV.

Whether we like it or not, cars like this week's Sunday Drive are going to be the norm rather than the exception, for this current price upswing shows no signs of abating, and besides, it can be argued that such massive platforms are wasteful of the precious gooey stuff. And because they are produced in such large numbers they place a huge demand on scarce resources. They have become politically incorrect.

The Kia Picanto is a vehicle that is placed at the other end of the automotive spectrum; it is light, economical to own and has enough space for a growing family of four. It has been in production for several years, was given a facelift in 2007 to broaden its appeal in the youth market. New lights were added (front and rear) to soften its lines and its wheelbase was increased.

Whereas the older model's interior was clad in an unattractive plastic, the improvements made to this latest model definitely move the Picanto's upholstery upscale. A CD/mp3 player coupled with soft orange lighting (the same hue as your friendly neighbourhood sodium street lamp) add warmth and texture to driving experience.

Quality feel

Ergonomically, the interior scores well, switch gear in the right place and having a quality feel. Automotives feels the absence of a dash gear selector indicator is felt though, seeing that the selector stick console quadrant is obscured by the driver's left foot. This can be overlooked, though, as the Picanto makes up for it in other areas.

Interior space is limited in this car. Drivers and front passengers who are above five feet ten inches will have to endure cramped quarters. Rear seat space is so scarce it is probably going up in price.

The boot looks small as well, but it can be augmented by the folding rear seat. Keep in mind though that this is a sub-compact, and is made to a price. Fit and finish are excellent, and the lighting at night scores high marks. The headlights provide excellent visibility, and the reverse lights provide so much illumination and are so large that they may be mistaken for headlights.

Driving this little yellow banana though was a delight. There is a zone of operation, a sweet spot, as it were, where the car can do no wrong. Its 1100cc four-banger puts out 64 bhp; in a body that weighs around 900 kilos. It won't exactly set the world on fire with its performance benchmarks.

But the four-speed tranny works in concert with this engine; at 3,000 rpm the unit gels and becomes super mini, able to leap high over tall mountains in a single gear throw. Stony Hill was made a pimple. Temple Hall was reduced to ruins, all in one gear.

Kia claims that Picanto's top speed is around 105 mph, which Automotives thought was ludicrous until the hill tests. Now we are not so sure; zero to 60 times of 13.5 seconds underline the unit's lack of horsepower.

Intelligent gearing

But a good reserve of torque and intelligent gearing can overcome that obstacle, and our movements through the mountains seem to at least confirm that the Kia is very well thought out, and that the applied technology works. So speeds greater than 100 mph is possible.

Kia's braking is world class. Vented discs up front and solid rotors at the rear acting on a mass of less than 2000 lb means that stepping on the middle pedal gets you stopped with an immediacy that is reminiscent of some race cars.

So much so that transiting into these brakes from almost anything else will require an adjustment, and will probably elicit an illegal response! The Picanto is rather stiffly sprung, however, and road ripples will cause the rear to break loose, both under braking and cornering.

The overall feeling, though, is a car that is fun to drive and economical to own. Mileage could not be ascertained with any degree of accuracy though as the car was brand new when we got it, and had not been through the initial break in period.

Kia, though, estimates the Picanto's fuel consumption to be (average of both urban and highway cycles) a mind-boggling 57 mpg. The engine is sweetest in the 2000-3000 rpm range, and its torquay 72 LB and high-gearing bode well for fuel efficiency.

Couple all that with four-door power windows/central locking, plus driver and passenger seat airbags, and the value of this little runabout becomes quite apparent. Inescapably so.

Mario.James@gleanerjm.com