It may not be hot weather yet in Seoul, but our all-new Picanto is certainly heating things up! This is the second generation Picanto, known as Morning in some markets, and it was one of the most surprising A-segment vehicles I’ve ever driven. To be honest, I had a prejudice about A-segment car as most Korean men have. But all my prejudices were challenged during a drive on city streets last week when I had access to Picanto’s most basic models with a 4-speed automatic transmission.
Exterior of the new Picanto was bold and unique. I liked its front grille and side character line – those two elements represent that new Picanto’s double sidedness, sportiness and ‘cute’ appeal. Here are some photos that show the difference between the previous generation and the all-new Picanto.
We drove a basic model but there were some vast improvements over the first generation Picanto with features that would normally be reserved for vehicles in B-segments or at higher price points. Instead, on this cold winter day, I enjoyed the heated steering wheel and seats, along with great convenience features like AUX and USB functions, rear parking assist, electric folding outside mirrors and a runway style illuminated vanity mirror. The heated steering wheel was the best option by far and I wanted to transplant it to my car! It only takes about two minutes to warm up the steering wheel and I was happy to warm up my hands!
The interior of the new Picanto was roomy and comfortable. And its interior design was simple and driver-oriented. I especially thought the steering wheel was sporty and I liked its grip more than other car.
Front seats give plenty of space for legroom and headroom. The rear seats were not as roomy as the front but still gives enough space for rear passengers. Leg room is longer in the front and head room is plentiful. I measure 5’6” (about 169cm) while my passenger is 5’9” (176cm) and we could both comfortably fit in the front and back with plenty of leg and head space left over.
About luggage space, the rear trunk is about 200L and although that’s not enough space for heavy use, it’s enough space for daily commuting from your home to work.
If you want to be on trip with a lot of luggage with two or one more person, you can fold the 6:4 split rear seat to load more luggage. As you see we managed to fit our selves comfortably in the rear space
The drive was stable and controlled with a lot more power in the Kappa 1.0 engine than I would have guessed. I even couldn’t recognize that I’m driving A-segment. The noise level in the cabin was low and vastly improved upon.
It was a great ride and we hope you all enjoy the driving experience with the all-new Picanto as much as I did – once it becomes available in your countries. The next generation Picanto will be officially unveiled at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 2011.
(Credit to KiaBuzz)
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