New-look Kia Picanto lands in SA - 'the perfect city car, now sportier'

Sara-Jayne Makwala King gets the latest motoring news from journalist Melinda Ferguson on Weekend Breakfast.

The new Kia Picanto has launched in South Africa, showing off a sporty facelift.

Melinda Ferguson took it for a spin around the streets of Cape Town.

The motoring journo says this hatchback's competition lies with the Suzuki S-Presso, Renault Kwid, Toyota Vitz, Hyundai i10 and Polo Vivo.

She dubs the new third-gen Picanto 'the perfect city car'.

"I was able to park wherever I wanted; I was able to nip around. Of course there is the criticism that if you want to go on long journeys, in any of these kind of cars you're going to take a bit longer."

Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journalist

The Picanto's facelift is primarily a cosmetic one, and it emerges with a sportier look.

The interior is beautifully designed, Ferguson says, and while the seats are of course not leather they are 'good quality' faux.

"The outside has been updated with a bit of a redesigned bumper and redesigned tailgate. It looks sportier - it's definitely different to the same generation before the update, it looks a bit more like 'I'm here for the business'."

Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journalist

The new Picanto retains the 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre petrol engines South Africans are familiar with. 

Three different models are available: the entry level LX, mid-range EX, and the top-of-the-range EX Plus.

While Ferguson was impressed with the standard of the regular features offered by the 1-litre LX, she advises opting for the 1.2-litre model at least.

The starting price for the entry-level Picanto is R 260,995, while the EX starts at  R302 995.

The flashier EX Plus will cost you upwards of R325 000.

Scroll up to listen to Ferguson's review