USED Kia Picanto Hatchback (04 - 11)

My car

While this car is nippy enough for use as a town car, the harsh suspension does not generate confidence on longer journeys.

The tiny boot is absolutely ludicrous and this in itself should be enough to put anyone off buying this car.

Fuel economy was pretty good, averaging around 45mpg, and the air-con, radio/CD player, four electric windows and electric mirrors are all plus-points. Sadly all of this is let down by the flimsy plastic interior.

It's probably worth the money, but I would prefer to go for something more substantial even if it was second-hand.

My car

Given the obvious limitations of a car of these dimensions and cost, this is a pretty good effort by Kia.

The boot is very small but realistically you're not going to be carrying more than one passenger for most trips and the rear seats quickly fold to improve space significantly.

The range is also limited by what must be a tiny fuel tank.

The Picanto is very well equipped and the interior seems to be made solidly with nothing falling apart or rattling. After two and a half years and 25,000 miles the only mechanical fault has been a front wheel bearing which was replaced under warranty.

The only real fault in driving the car is a poor gearchange which is baulky and occasionally reluctant to engage reverse.

Overall, it's good value, cheap, no-nonsense motoring.

My car

I have this as a loan car from my local SEAT dealer. This is an 06 car with a little under 10,000 miles.

First impressions are not good. The car is unattractive, uncomfortable (both seats and layout), with a generally low-rent interior. The gearbox is recalcitrant, with a long-throw gearlever. The engine is noisy and needs to be driven extremely hard to keep up with traffic. Pulling onto a main road is a bit nerve-racking! The ride is choppy and handling very mediocre. The boot is also small. Overall the car feels very flimsy, and very much like a throwback to a well-used Mark 1 Ford Fiesta. I would NOT like to take my chances in having an accident in the car and, quite frankly, would not feel safe carrying my family around in it.

Having checked the new prices, I honestly don't understand why anyone would ever choose one of these over a quality used (modern!) car such as Ford Focus.

Overall verdict - disgusting! There is no other word for it.

My car

I have only had this car for 1 month, so I am being conservative with my rating of it. However, my initial impression is as follows.

It is easy to drive and quite nippy for a 1.1 engine. I don't do a lot of miles, making mainly short trips, but it is giving good miles per gallon for 'around town'.

It's reasonably spacious for passengers compared with similar cars that I tried that were available in the same price range. The boot space is a little compact and wouldn't be useful for a large family shop, but if there's only 2/3 passengers you can split the rear seat to extend the space available.

Overall, at this stage I wouldn't put anyone off buying one if they were looking for a small car for a reasonable price.