2021 Kia Picanto S Manual: Car Review.

This Car Review Is About: The baby of the current Kia range, Picanto. A pert five door hatch, Picanto is available in either S or GT-Line specification. It’s also one of the cheapest new cars currently available to buy in Australia.How Much Does It Cost?: Kia has the Picanto S, in manual transmission and 1.2L engine spec, at $16,990 and in non-metallic Clear White. The specification sheet supplied by Kia says there are no options available aside from the exterior colours such as Sparkling Silver, Honey Bee Yellow, or Aurora Black Pearl at $595.

Under The Bonnet Is: A 1.25L petrol four and a five speed manual in the review vehicle. There is an auto available with just four ratios available. That engine is the only option with the turbo 3 cylinder reserved for the Rio GT-Line. Peak power is 62kW (6,000rpm) and peak torque is 122Nm at 4,000rpm. Economy is a strong part of the Picanto’s appeal, with a combined figure of 5.0L/100km (manual) from the 35.0L fuel thimble. Our final overall average was a very creditable 6.0L/100km with a best of 4.4L/100km seen.On The Outside It’s: Not as visually appealing as the GT-Line. The Picanto S has a wheel and tyre package of 175/65/16 with steel wheels and plastic covers. The front bumper has halogen driving lights that come on with the ignition, with the bumper jutting forward from the headlights and tiger nose grille. There are no LEDs here, it’s pure old-tech front and rear on the slightly boxy body. The Clear White emphasises the more cubic shape of the Picanto when it’s sans GT-Line enhancements.On The Inside It’s: Dominated by the now ubiquitous stand alone touchscreen. At 8.0 inches in size it’s well amongst the standard sizes and features smartapp compatibility. Both Apple and Android are wireless and have voice recognition. Sound is good without being muddy. There is also a USB and 3.5mm socket in the lower front centre console.

The driver’s display is also familiar with a 4.2 inch colour display and analogue dials. An intriguing feature is the screen rolls lines upwards as the vehicle moves along and the driver changes gears.

Plastics throughout tend to the hard side; there is no soft touch on the binnacle, console, door tops, to add a touch of comfort. The upper section of the cabin is trimmed in a light grey material to counterbalance the largely black lower section.Seats are cloth covered, manually operated, and comfortable enough for the Picanto’s natural home, short suburban runs. Front seat leg and head room is adequate, as is rears eat head room, but taller people will find the rear pew a little claustrophobic. And nominally a five seater, the rear seat is not suitable for three adults. Luggage space echoes this at 255L (seats up) with 1,010L available with seats folded.On The Road It’s: Suitable for purpose. The 1.2L engine is by no means a firecracker, with alacrity not a word in its dictionary. That may sound harsh as even with four aboard, it pulls well enough although noticeably blunted compared to having just the driver aboard. Even with the free-spinning engine being wound up, it’s enough for moderate acceleration only. It also makes it a questionable choice as being the only engine option for the GT-Line version.

We’ve noted previously the soft springing for the clutch and gear selector; there is little to no weight in the lever and a very gentle one finger movement is enough to see the first to second to third and so on happen. The clutch is the same, there is no real pressure here at all. However, there is an upside to this and it’s that the Picanto S manual slots into the space needed for a learner driver.

It’s ideal for a new driver because that combination of soft clutch and lever won’t be intimidating and the pairing make for the ideal training mechanism. This applies to the somewhat woolly steering and soft suspension setup. The Picanto S bottoms out easily to the bumpstops, meaning some serious speed reduction or driver planning is required to lessen the bang thump. The miniscule disc and drum brake combo do a decent job of hauling up the petite Picanto, and work great with the down-changing of the gears coming to a set of lights or a stop sign.What About Safety?: Autonomous Emergency Braking with Forward Collision Warning is standard, however there is no Blind Spot Warning, Lane Keep Assist, or Rear Cross Traffic Alert. These may seem a major omission however it brings back to the driver their responsibility to not be trained to rely on electronic aids.

What About Warranty And Service?: The standard seven years warranty and capped price servicing applies. Total cost over the seven years is $2,806, for an average cost of $400 per year or just $7.70 per week. Years two, four, and six are where the costs climb higher than the others.At The End Of The Drive. For less than $18K (with metallic paint) the Picanto S manual is ideally priced to be a first new car or a supplementary car. It’s a city car, a suburban car, and fulfills this design brief perfectly. It’s comfortable enough for the city environment, has the basics at a suitable level for tech and entertainment, and provides a reasonable ride and handling package. It’s the sort of vehicle that, when expectations aren’t of a super level, it meets those expectations perfectly.

2020 Kia Rio GT-Line: Private Fleet Car Review.

This Car Review Is About: Kia’s second smallest car, complete with attitude and spunk. It’s a bit like “it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog”. Complete with a three cylinder engine and DCT, plus some body add-ons, and in the review car’s case, an eye-catching Mighty Yellow paint, how much fight is in this pint size warrior wannabe?How Much Does It Cost?: $24,490 drive-away plus $520 for premium paint.

Under The Bonnet Is: A relatively tiny 1.0L three cylinder with the Hyundai/Kia Smartstream label. But don’t think it’s too small for the Rio. 74kW and 172Nm (1,500 to 4,000rpm) combine to foist upon the 1,197kg (dry) machine enough pizzazz and spriteliness to provide enough of a grin factor when the car is driven…ahem…appropriately.It’s cheap to run as well; our worst was 7.0L/100km, with a best of 4.1L/100, with a final average of 6.2L/100km. Tank size is 45L worth for regular unleaded. None of those figures are far from Kia’s official figures of 5.3L/6.3L/4.8L per 100km on the combined/urban, and highway drives. And not that many would, but towing is rated as 1,000kg. Transmission is a seven ratio Dual Clutch Transmission.

On The Outside It’s: Largely unchanged for the past couple of years. It sits nicely in the compact class at 4,070mm in length although it looks smaller. It’s 1,450mm high, and 1,725mm wide, sitting on a wheelbase of 2,580mm.

That means it’s a stubby little thing with short overhangs, and slightly cubical when seen from either end directly. In profile the A-pillars have a slope that matches the rear pillar, bringing some visual balance to the main body.

Driving lights are the four-cube set, cast to either end of the front bar and in an enclosure limned in black that reaches out but doesn’t quite meet a slim air intake sitting under the main slimline tiger-nose. This is echoed with a mirror set in the rear bumper that has a pair of reflectors.

Wheels are 16 spoke 17 inch alloys with dark grey highlights, shod in Continental Contisport Contact rubber at 205/45.On The Inside It’s: Quite sparsely trimmed. The seats are a black cloth with white stitched leather bolstering, white piping, and fully manually adjustable. No electronics at all. Pedals are alloy, and a carbon-fibre look inlay runs full length across the dash. Otherwise, plastics are a bit low-rent to look at and touch aside from the piano black for the air vent, touchscreen, and drive selector surrounds.

Driver’s dials are analogue with the familiar 4.2 inch info cluster. Here is where a digital screen would have been a nice step up. Aircon controls are basic yet idiot-proof dials and push-buttons, sitting over a 12V & USB port. A sole USB port sits at the end of the small centre console. The main touchscreen is an 8.0 inch unit in glorious monochrome, featuring AM, FM, and Bluetooth along with Android and Apple compatibility.Convenience features run to bottle holders in each door, a pair of console cup holders, and rain sensing wipers. No airvents for the rear seaters though… Luggage space is 325L to 980L, with the second row seats folding but not level with the boot floor. That’s not quite enough for a weekly shop for a family of four, but then, the Rio GT-Line probably wouldn’t be in a driveway for that demographic.

Solar or UV blocking glass is standard for the GT’s front three windows, with privacy glass for the rears. A drive mode tab is placed up towards the drive selector, with Eco, Normal, and Sport the choices. There’s a sporting hint with the now familiar flat bottomed tiller. Packaging overall is good thanks to the slightly boxy body shape.

On The Road It’s: Much better in Normal mode than Eco. There’s more life, lighter steering, whereas Eco drags the Rio GT-Line into the mud and everything feels heavier and slower. Sport mode adds extra zip and especially in the mid-range of the engine’s torque delivery. In Eco, the steering has a feel of the front tyres being deflated. Switch to Normal and it lightens up just enough to feel…well…normal.

The seven speed DCT isn’t one of the better of its type, nor is it one of the worst. The clutch gaps aren’t as bad as it has been, with stop then start driving feeling more intuitive and natural. And safer. It also makes for normal and sportier driving a much more enjoyable experience, as changes are sharper, crisper, and more efficiently translating into getting the Rio percolating.

Engage Sport and it’s even swifter, however switching to manual changing (no paddle shifters either, by the way) and there’s a hint more speed in the cogs swapping. Under a gentle foot there is also the audible changes for the gears, with the three cylinder thrum that is so characteristic of these engines running up and down in the revs as the clutch disengages and re-engages for the next ratio. Some DCTs take time to warm up and perform at their best, Kia’s is somewhere between that and being ready to go from the get-go.Ride quality is where the Rio GT-Line varies. It’s too hard sometimes, with little travel and tyre absorption. There’s just that little bit too much bang-crash on some road surfaces, but in contrast nicely dials out any float, with zero rebound on those wallowy surfaces. There is ample grip from the Continental rubber too, making cornering at increasing speed a simple proposition, alongside easy lane changing.

Hit a flat road and it’s ideal, feeling tied to the tarmac, and it’s on this kind of surface where the GT part of GT-Line pays off. Ditto for the engine as that broad swathe of torque effortlessly pulls the GT-Line along. The steering is almost ideally weighted, with little effort needed to switch lanes. Road noise is noticeable but not to the point that cabin conversations feel intruded upon.

What was apparent, too, was the rate of rolling acceleration. Where a merge road goes from 80 to 100 or 110, a change of pace, rapidly, is needed. Here the Rio GT-Line shows appreciable agility without being a neck-snapper, with decent forward progress. It’s perhaps where the 1.2L three with more torque would be a better fit for the name GT-Line.What About Safety?: Autonomous Emergency Braking with Forward Collision Warning, Lane Following and Lane Keeping Assist. Six airbags, and the mandated assorted electronic driver aids are standard.

What About Warranty And Service?: Kia’s standard seven year warranty applies. Total service costs across the seven years is $3,299. That’s an average cost per year of $471 or just nine dollars per week. As is the norm, it’s service four for the big ticket cost at $704, with year five under half that at $319. Year six and seven see $602 and $569.

At The End Of The Drive. Kia’s Rio GT-Line isn’t aimed at the hot hatch market. It’s not aimed at the warm hatch market. It’s aimed at those that want a semblance of performance combined with user friendly economy figures and no need for anything bigger. It’s an ideal first car for the new driver as it’s not excessively endowed with snap/crackle/pop BUT there is enough to provide the appropriate grin factor.

As such, the Kia Rio GT-Line offers up a decent amount of fight however those looking for something with more spice will look elsewhere. That’s no shade on the GT-Line, by the way. It’s intended to be what it is and it fulfills that particular brief perfectly. Check it out, here.

Facelifts For Favourites. Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross And Hyundai i30

Mitsubishi’s oddly styled and oddly named Eclipse Cross has been given its first facelift. There’s is still the sharp kink to the rear window line but here the lights have been given a deeper silhouette with extensions upwards and inwards. The rear glass is larger for better visibility and the lower door now has a sculpted hexagonal look which Mitsubishi says evokes its historic spare tyre cover logo. The front is updated to the Dynamic Shield design with a new bumper plus enhanced headlight design.The updated Eclipse Cross will also pack a hybrid drivetrain however this not yet confirmed for Australia. It will use the same twin-motor 4WD PHEV system as the Outlander PHEV but with modifications specific to the size and weight of the Eclipse Cross chassis. Front and rear mounted electric motors pair with a high capacity battery and a 2.4L MIVEC engine driving a single-speed planetary gearbox. Drive selection can be automatically switched between three modes: fully EV, Series Hybrid, or Parallel Hybrid.

In a move that is becoming more widespread, the traction battery can also be used as a reliable source of electricity for outdoor leisure or in an emergency as it supplies up to 1,500 watts of power from an on-board outlets. When the vehicle is fully charged and fuelled, it can supply power to a general household for up to 10 days via the Vehicle-to-Home system. The Eclipse Cross will also bring the previous 1.5L turbo four and Constant Variable Transmission.For the interior, there is a new 8.0inch touchscreen with Mitsubishi’s Smartphone-Link Display Audio system. This is designed to make a safer situation for the driver to use. The screen has been moved rearwards down the centreline of the Eclipse Cross, making access easier and has moved away from a strictly touchscreen use for volume and tuning.

For the chassis the Eclipse Cross continues with the Mitsubishi S-AWC system. There has been subtle tweaks to the MacPherson struts and multi-link rear for better ride and handling, with larger shock absorbers increasing comfort and stability. Pricing will be confirmed in November 2020.Hyundai’s popular 130 also has gone under the knife for a mild facelift. The company’s “Sensuous Sportiness” highlights a new grille, restyled headlights, and bumper. Part of the Sunsuous Sportiness ideal is a “parametric pattern” design for the grille with dark chrome geometric shapes. These complement the black bezels inside the headlights and the redesigned LED running and indicator lights inside the broader wheel curtain.

The rear bumper hasn’t been left untouched. either. The reflectors have been repositioned and join with an insert that is full width and of a mesh look. Rolling stock will be 16 and 17 inch alloys as standard, with a dark grey paint that has been machined down to showcase the alloy. All i30s have a solid safety package; Collision Avoidance Assist, Lane Following Assist, and Lane Keeping Assist will be standard from the entry level model upwards. Depending on grade, Blind-Spot Collision Warning, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Smart Cruise Control (automatic and DCT variants) will be featured as standard equipment. Lane Following Assist or LFA works thus: it uses the front windshield-mounted camera to detect lane markers as well as vehicles ahead, and provides steering assistance to ensure the vehicle stays in the centre of the lane. It will work at velocities of up to 180kph.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity will also be standard, along with an 8.0 inch touchscreen (i30 entry, Active, and N-Line level) and 7.0 inch main screen for the driver. This display will change in look depending on the chosen drive mode.Also standard across the range are a leather steering wheel and gear knob, an electronic parking brake and air-conditioning vents for rear occupants. The i30 Elite and N-Line Premium increases the touchscreen to 10.25 inches. Infinity will supply the audio system, and a smart keyfob enables push button Stop/Start.

The growing N-Line range now has LED headlights as standard, plus the 150kW 1.6L turbo petrol four and a sports oriented suspension.There will be seven colour choices. Polar White, Phantom Black, Fluidic Metal and Amazon Grey, as well as the vivid Intense Blue and Fiery Red, and an eyecatching vibrant N Line-specific Lava Orange.

“With range-standard SmartSenseTM safety, refreshed styling and extra equipment, our ever-popular i30 hatchback is now an even more compelling proposition in the small car segment,” Hyundai Motor Company Australia Chief Executive Officer, Jun Heo said.

“The stylish 2021 i30 hatchback complements the progressive all-new i30 Sedan as well as performance N Line variants to provide the perfect small car package for a wide variety of customers,” he said.

Metallic paint will be a $495 option. The range starts at $23,420 (plus ORC) for the i30 entry level 2.0L manual, with the auto a $2,000 impost. The Active and Elite start from $26,920 and $30,220. The N-Line range kicks off from $29,420 for the manual and 1.6L turbo, $31,420 for the auto, and the Premium manual and auto at $34,2320 and $36,220.

Car Sales In Australia Continue To Slide In September

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries has released the numbers for new car sales in September 2020. 68,985 new vehicles were sold and that’s a drop of 21.8% compared to last year’s September figures of 88,181. For 2020, 644,891 vehicles have been moved, that’s down 20.5% for 2019’s 811,464.

Ford’s Ranger lead the way with 3,726, heading Toyota’s RAV4 on 2,433, Hyundai’s i30 with 1,786, which just pipped Mazda’s CX-5 on 1,765.On a brand basis it was Toyota on 12,936, Mazda with an even 7,000, Hyundai on 5,723, whilst Kia was nipping at its sister company’s heels at 5,092. Ford was fifth, with the Ranger making up most of the 4,816 sales.

In a category comparison, 17,720 passenger vehicles were sold, for 25.7% of the overall market. 47.3% of new vehicles sold were SUV at 32,647. Light Commercial Vehicles had 22.9% for 15,772 sales. Victoria’s lockdown situation saw 10,447 vehicles sold. That’s a decrease of a whopping 57.7% compared to September 2019. In opposition, the A.C.T, the N.T, and W.A. had increases of 3.4%, 10.6%, and 1.5% respectively.

The Chief Executive of the FCAI, Tony Weber, commented: “First of all, we are seeing COVID-19 health restrictions across Australia, and particularly in metropolitan Melbourne, continue to ease. Another sign that the market may improve is the announcement by the Federal Government last week of an easing of lending conditions for private buyers and small business in Australia.” and added: Freeing up restrictions around financial lending will act as a stimulus for Australian industry.” Mr Weber said.

The numbers reflect thirty months in a row of decreasing sales, affected by exchange rates, economic uncertainty, Covid-19, and other natural disasters.Diesel powered passenger vehicles continued to slide, with 2019’s figures of 6,890 well ahead of 2020’s 4,185. This mirrors the SUV segment with 2019 seeing 86,969 compared to 2020’s 64,009 so far. Electric passenger cars are the opposite, with 701 for 2020 compared to 2019’s 527. A big change has been the SUV hybrid segment, with new models being available and reflected in the 23,173 compared to 2019’s 5,986. In comparison, petrol fed SUVs dropped dramatically, from 270,923 to 225,443.In the sub-$60K people mover segment, Kia’s Carnival dominated. 237 were sold in September, well ahead of Honda’s Odyssey and LDV’s G10, with 69 and 67 apiece. Above $60K and it’s a two way tussle between Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, with the Granvia’s 22 nudging the German brand’s V-Class and Valente 34 and 27.

Ford’s Mustang continued its winning ways in the sub-$80K Sports car segment with 145, well ahead of Mazda’s MX-5 (54) with Hyundai’s recently revamped Veloster in hot pursuit on 49. For the over $80K segment, Mercedes-Benz again continued to lead with their E-Class and C-Class duking it out on 97 and 94.

For the sub-$40K small SUV market, it was gold and silver for Korea, with the Kia Seltos finding 1,089 new homes, Hyundai’s Kona into 1,036, and bronze for Mitsubishi’s ASX on 940. For the medium sub-$60K SUVs it was the RAV4 with 2,433 heading the Mazda CX-5 with 1,765. Third place was Hyundai’s Tucson on 1,199.

Toyota also took out the sub-$70K large SUV market with the Prado selling 820, ahead of the Mazda CX-9 at 624 and the Kia Sorento on 569. Toyota’s LandCruiser swamped the Nissan Patrol, with 990 for September over the Patrol’s 190.In the crucial 4×4 pick-up/cab chassis sector it was the Ford Ranger leading the way on 3,454, well ahead of the soon to be updated Toyota HiLux on 2,790, and Mitsubishi’s Triton on 1,234.