Kia has revealed the sporty three-door version of its all-new 2012 Picanto city car, six months after its five-door sibling arrived on the international scene.
The Picanto three-door’s styling is largely identical to the five-door and, despite the shorter appearance that the missing rear doors create, both bodystyles ride on the same wheelbase – giving buyers the same interior space in each variant. Capitalising on its racier profile, the three-door also gets a larger grille, framed by a Golf GTI-like red and chrome trim. There are also more sports-styled bumpers front and rear, with larger foglight bezels and twin chrome exhaust tips.
Like the exterior, the cabin of the three-door is a near facsimile of the five-door’s interior, except for the sliding and tilting front seats.
In Europe, the Picanto will be offered in four trim grades: 1, 1 Air, Halo and Equinox – the latter two being unique to the three-door bodystyle. The up-spec Halo and Equinox models get voice-recognition Bluetooth connectivity, auto-sensor LED lights at the front rear and side skirts. The Equinox also benefits from automatic air conditioning and a smart key and start button combo. The Halo variant offers 14-inch alloy wheels, while the Equinox rides on 15-inch alloys.
Power for the three-door is a mirror of the five-door range, including a 50 kW 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and a 62 kW four-cylinder petrol engine.
August 16th, 2011 at 10:43 am
It is a stunning little car, but with those mags does it not remind you a tad of the Fiat 500???