We recently joined Kia South Africa for the launch of the Picanto X-Line which replaces the Smart derivative.

Adventurous styling

The exterior design of the Korean automaker’s A-segment range-topper features Kia’s new interpretation of the ‘tiger-nose’ grille, aggressive-looking LED headlights and taillights, revised front and rear bumpers with faux skid-plates, X-Line badges, 15-inch alloy wheels, mud guards and contrasting cladding, which gives the Kia Picanto X-Line a distinctive new look.

Slightly more remium interior

Moving on inside, the Picanto X-Line gets comfortable patterned two-tone artificial leather seats and optional sunroof (R8,000). The sporty looking multifunctional steering wheel is wrapped with artificial leather.

Atop the centre of the dashboard is an 8-inch touchscreen with rear-view camera and useful shortcut buttons with volume and tuning knobs. The intuitive infotainment system features Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and bluetooth connectivity. It also comes with a USB slot and a 12-V socket. Overall the cabin is a very pleasant place to be in.

The rest of the range, which comprises of the Start, Street, and Style derivatives misses out on styling refresh but gains a few standard features. Here are some of the features on offer:

Smart – power steering, an adjustable steering column, manual air-conditioning, radio with RDS and MP3 capability, Aux and USB connector jacks, Bluetooth connectivity;

Street – 8-inch touchscreen with an infotainment system featuring Android Auto and Apple CarPlay; and

Style – alloy wheels, automatic headlamps, electric folding mirrors, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift.

The drive

There is a choice of two engines – 1.0-litre MPI and 1.25-litre MPI engines in the Picanto range and the X-Line derivative only come with the four-cylinder 1.25-litre engine producing 61 kW and 122 Nm. The engine is paired with either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission.

We drove the manual derivative around the city of Tshwane, which consisted of steep inclines, twisty roads and somewhat heavy traffic. During our drive it never felt under powered, especially on inclines. It felt nippy on the twisties and the sound insulation was decent throughout the day.

Pricing

The Picanto X-Line range is currently on sale and pricing starts at R237,995. All Picanto models are sold with Kia’s unlimited kilometre, 5-year warranty (inclusive of Roadside Assistance) and a prepaid 2-year/30,000km service plan.