Kia Picanto   Women's view

June Neary checks out the latest version of Kia's citycar, the appealingly playful Picanto

My father always had a strict philosophy when it came to cars that bigger was best. He owned a string of Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar models, each incrementally larger than the last until the time that he brought a long wheelbase Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9 home that was too long to fit into the garage. His solution? He jerry-built an awning onto the back of the garage that remained until my mother threatened divorce.

I suppose its inevitable that part of that yearning for yards of metal rubbed off on me. My first car after passing my driving test was a rather sorry Vauxhall Senator but over the years Ive accepted that small can be beautiful. Ive thoroughly enjoyed many superminis but have found most of the current crop of citycars to be that little bit too claustrophobic for my taste. The Kia Picanto looks to offer something different, being light, airy and cheekily styled.

While the rest of the road test team lunged for the keys to the sports coupes parked outside, I was allowed to give the recently restyled Picanto the once over at my leisure.

As befits a car with a high roofline, headroom is an impressive 1,003mm up front and 996mm in the rear which means that theres ample space for taller drivers. Front legroom is also very good thanks to the compact engines with 1,041mm up front and up to 872mm in the rear. Shoulder room is very good front and rear although this is a car that you may not want to travel in five up. With 19 storage areas dotted about the cabin, Kia have done their homework when it comes to sheer utility, learning lessons from their huge selling Sedona and Carens MPV range.

It would be unreasonable to expect a huge amount of luggage space given the cars urban remit, and the 157 litres of available room wont make the Picanto your first choice for a trip to IKEA. Fold the seats flat and theres a reasonable 882 litres of space but youll struggle for length. The 60/40 split rear seat back offers a little extra carrying space if youre travelling with three on board. Three different two-tone trims are available for the cabin, black/silver, black/orange and black/blue.

A fairly rudimentary manual temperature control system is fitted as standard although there is an optional air conditioning system (but quite what running this on full blast does to the cars acceleration remains to be seen).

Two engines are available with the Picanto, a 60bhp 1.0-litre and a 64bhp 1.1-litre, I took the executive option and tried the 1.1.

Although 64bhp may not sound anything to get excited about, its a fair amount for such a small car and is enough to give the 1.1-litre Picanto a modest turn of speed. Itll get to 60mph in 15.1 seconds and run on to a top speed of 96mph.

While this may make the cut and thrust of the British motorway system something of a white knuckle ride, its perfectly adequate for city motoring and with its 35 litre fuel tank will manage up to 435 miles between refuels. Given the typically short journeys that many citycars undertake, the staff in your local petrol station are unlikely to be on first name terms with you. A five speed manual transmission is supplied as standard but if youre really serious about city driving you may well be tempted by the four-speed automatic option. The 1.

0-litre engine is only slightly slower but isnt offered with a choice of an automatic box. Kia have developed a miniature fully independent suspension system that aims to deliver both zippy handling and a reasonable compliant ride and has been tuned to cope with typical poorly surfaced European roads. Based on a shortened Hyundai Getz chassis, the steering is fairly quick witted and the wheels are diddy 14-inch numbers fitted with tall 165/65 series rubber. Kia havent cut any corners when it comes to safety, the Picanto featuring not only anti lock brakes but load sensitive electronic brake force distribution as well that directs braking power to whichever tyre can best deploy it.

ABS and EBD can only do so much if the brakes themselves arent up to the task, but rather unusually for this class of car, the Picanto features disc brakes all round. Its also equipped with steel side impact protection beams in the doors, reinforced rear bumpers, child locks on the rear pair of doors and five three-point seat belts. Twin airbags come as standard and side airbags can also be specified at extra cost. Security hasnt been ignored either, the Picanto being fitted with an engine immobiliser and remote releases for the tailgate and fuel filler cap.

Theres also an optional keyless entry and anti theft alarm.

The Picanto scores well in the VFM stakes. Prices start from around the £5,995 mark and most Picantos are fitted with electric windows and mirrors with remote central locking for all four doors and the tailgate. Insurance is ultra cheap, too. The trim levels kick off with the standard model than run through Picanto 2 before topping off with the sporty Picanto 3 which features a mesh grille, fog lamps and 15" alloy wheels.

If youre still an unreconstructed big car lover, a week in a Kia Picanto will comes as shock therapy. Despite the mental readjustment this entails, youll find that motoring in the bargain basement has quite a bit to be said for it. The Picanto offers a lot more design savvy than many rivals and the price tag speaks for itself. 21st February 2008