Refreshed KIA Picanto is now on sale in the Philippines

Kia recently took its Picanto in for a mid-cycle retouch. What they came up with is the same youthful and energetic hatchback, but with enhancements in the visual, comfort, and technical aspects. Best of all, it’s now available in the Philippines.

The new Picanto now has a wider “tiger nose grille” accented with clearer integrated fog lamps. It also has a flared front bumper and a rear bumper with an integrated black diffuser-like panel. Though the side profile remains mostly the same, the update enhances the car’s upbeat look. There’s even an option to roll out on a new 14-inch alloy wheel design. But the visual treats don’t end there.

The refreshed interior is now beckoned with patterned fabric seats and chrome strips on the gauge cluster, AC vents, and gear shift lever base. A glossy piano-black trim meanwhile lines the transmission panel and the gear shift lever. Onboard entertainment was also updated with a larger LCD screen, improved MP3 player device synchronization, and enhanced analogue radio antenna reception.

Kia didn’t touch the Picanto’s engine, so it still runs on the same gasoline engines: a 1.0L 3-cylinder with a 5-speed MT and a 1.2L 4-cylinder with a 4-speed AT. What they tweaked though is the car’s driving dynamics. It now has larger brakes - a set of 252 mm front brakes (from 241 mm) available as an option. These further improve the car’s stopping distance from 100 km/h to full-stop in just 37 meters.

From a standstill, the Picanto now launches more smoothly especially in 1st and 2nd gear. This is due to new carbon-coated manual transmission components and new urethane stoppers at the end of the shift throws.

With all these updates, the new Picanto is now available from Columbian Autocar Corporation at P575,000 for the Picanto 1.0 EX and P650,000 for the Picanto 1.2 EX.