Test drive Kia Picanto 2004 - 2007 hatchback

Kia Picanto

At first there was the sun, under the rays of which the nature of central Italy began to play with summer colors: the orange mixed with bright green under the fabulously blue sky of Tuscany. Then cars drove into black strips of asphalt in small flocks, the same bright ones - red, red, green - red. Kia Picanto took his first steps in Europe, for which it was created.

Europe is crowded

It is no secret to anyone that European states have recently burden the problem of overpopulation of roads in cities recently. Care, there are not enough parking places, narrow streets are often not able to digest a huge number of cars. Europeans park the bumper in the bumper, violate strict parking rules, risking to get a huge fine, but this only exacerbates the situation.

Apparently, therefore, Kia introduced her car near the city of Siena, where two small -leafing barely move out on the narrow streets of the tourist center. In Korea, such problems, apparently, are not, so the country of morning freshness decided to extend the hand of helping to the old light. To this step, the leadership of Kia pushed not only the stable demand for city cars, but also the fact that compatriots are already present in this sector - models from Hyundai and Daewoo. Therefore, the KIA marketers needed a unique advertising move for promoting new items. And they found him, abandoning the thought of painting cars in ordinary colors. No, of course, in the range of colors offered for Picanto there are gray metallic, wet asphalt and others, but the emphasis is placed on bright lemon, orange, bright red and pale green. The color of the car should create a certain mood, and Kia Picanto is, if you want, a car -summer car. Accordingly, the target audience of Picanto is young people with an average income that follow fashion and not discouraged in trifles. Such, for example, like Italians or Russians. Yes, it is with you! After all, Koreans consider our market as one of the strategic. And the success of the same Hyundai Getz in the Russian market played an important role in the formation of such a position.

Picanto really looks funny: an almost toy 5-door double-hobby with a large radiator with a grate and large headlights, like Ford Fiesta. The window sill line on the back door playfully rises up, adding not aggressiveness to a typical design, but, on the contrary, funny notes. Koreans say that the design of the front part is sketched from cats from children's cartoons: large, widely placed eyes and small nose. True, we represent cats a little differently, and we did not find another suitable association from the animal world. Just an outwardly pleasant car with quite understandable purpose.

Opening the door, we fall into a salon trimmed with plastic and cloth, the ergonomics of which is not as original as the colors of the body. Everything is clear, everything is at hand: three dials on the dashboard, an indicators block, four large keys on the central console and Alpine alien radio. The climatic installation is controlled by three rotating regulators, there is also a position of the recirculation mode. Since we got the car in the rich configuration of EX, the small three -spoke steering wheel is covered with the skin and has an height adjustment.

If a person of medium height is driving, then two adults can accommodate behind. The ceiling, however, is low. In addition to the 5-seater version in Europe, a 4-seater car with two separate seats from behind will be offered-for city families with two children. The trunk is quite suitable for the role of a large household bag: it is wide, but small - only 157 liters. However, if you fold the rear seat, its volume increases to 882 liters.

Piquant details

Koreans were in a hurry to present a novelty to European journalists, so pre -production copies intended for Korea were brought to the test drive - they are equipped with a 61 hp gasoline liter engines. and mechanical 5-speed gearboxes. For Picanto, another gasoline engine is offered - with a volume of 1.1 liters and a capacity of 65 hp, which can aggregate with a 4 -band automaton. There will also be a diesel version, promising to become the most powerful in the Picanto model range, but this will only be next year.

The character of the Korean machine was to match the appearance and colors of the body - funny and a little frivolous. Under the growing buzz of the engine, the car is quite cheerful. Electronics allows the tachometer arrow to reach 6500 rpm, but there is practically no need for such experiments. The motor, although small, has enviable elasticity, and the maximum of torque reaches at 2800 rpm. The only thing that is given to the car with difficulty is acceleration in higher gears: the driver has to decline by one, and sometimes by two gears. When traveling to Picanto, only manipulations of the gearbox lever, information content and the work of adhesion and gas pedals do not cause lifting.

And Picanto's frivolity manifested itself in the work of its suspension. It was not possible to optimally select the characteristics of stiffness and damping by Korean engineers on the pilot batch of cars. The driver and passengers feel all the slightest bumps on themselves, and on the waves of asphalt there is a strong vertical buildup. But do not rush to put the minus in the crown suspension. The company's engineers assured us that conveyor cars would be different. There will also be a set for countries with difficult road conditions, which include Russia.

Picanto is controlled easily and understandable, as befits a city car. We were convinced of this on the second day, when a natural cataclysm happened in Italy - snow fell. Italian drivers poured to the roadsides, and only some particularly hot guys allowed themselves to go quickly. That the catastrophe is for the Italian, then the norm for the Russian, ”we reasoned, preventing the famous expression, and went to conquer the snowy roads. In this situation, Picanto behaved like a well -mannered thoroughbred sedan: he did not require steering, maintaining a good exchange rate, quickly reacted to the desire to change the lane. Still leaving the parking lot, we noticed not the kindergarten in the steering of steering: moderate elasticity and information content and the absence of almost limp lightness. This, of course, helps when Picanto, having rejoiced into the turn, begins to show a tendency to skidding and requires the trajectory adjustment.

The stabilization process is fast and intelligible. A second ago it seemed that the amplifier could not cope with a serious load, but nothing criminal was happening and the Korean car continues to delight with its behavior, even despite the blizzard.
But best of all, the consumer qualities of Picanto are revealed in the cramped city: a small brisk car not only attracts attention with its color, but also allows you to park in the most seemingly not adapted places. Here Alfa Romeo left with nothing, the owner of which could not squeeze into a small legitimate piece of asphalt, and our bright green Picanto easily moored, shining, like an apple, in breaking the sun's rays. And in traffic jams on such a car it is easier to drive.

The final

The manufacturer plans to sell in Europe this year 43 thousand Picanto. In the old world market, the initial price of this colorful car will be about 8,000 euros. Koreans look optimistic towards Russia, promising that the car will cost about 11 thousand dollars. The situation develops in such a way that small cars have ceased to be in Russia as an object of ridicule, because we also stand in traffic jams and also hardly find a parking place. And this means that soon we can expect the appearance of a large number of various babies on our roads. And the bright Picanto colors among the gray winter will probably cheer others up.

Some technical characteristics Kia Picanto
(manufacturer data)
Dimensions, mm: 3495x1595x1480
Base, mm: 2370
Front/behind, mm: 1400/1385
Diameter of the turn, m: 9.2
Engine type: 4-cylinder gasoline 12-valve
Working volume, cubic meter. See: 999
Max. Power, L.S./rpm: 61/5600
Max. moment, nm/rpm: 86/2800
Transmission: mechanical 5-speed
Tires: 165/60 R1
Max. Speed, km/h: 154
Acceleration time 0-100 km, s: 15.1
Fuel consumption (average), l/100 km: 4.8
Top volume, l: 35

Maxim Rakitin
 

 

Source: Avtopanorama magazine