USED Kia Picanto Hatchback (04 - 11)

My car

So ,the first thing to say the car itself is ok and no more, but the dealer is a disgrace. I was in an accident last year and they insisted they do the repairs in order to keep the warranty valid. I agreed and i am now living to regret this.

To my amazement they painted the car the wrong colour of silver, which they tried to pass off as the correct colour. I refused to accept this, and eventually was painted in the correct silver. As a kia dealer they should never have allowed this to ever happen, and there is corrosion around the petrol flap. I am still waiting for someone to correct this, and i am still waiting for a letter of apology for their incompetance.

Moving on, I had the car serviced there last year and all i can say they charge a lot for little work. They informed me i needed new ignition leads, strange for a two year old car to need new leads, but i checked them myself and found one them to be loose. No problems since, but I did get a free maglite torch they left under the bonnet while they where doing the service. If the person who left it there reads this let me know and i wll return it.

This dealer is always blowing its own trumpet about the awards it wins i can only assume customer complaints go straight in the bin.

This is my first Kia and my last Kia, mainly because of the dealer. But Kia motors themselves should hang their heads in shame that the warranty they offer is not worth the paper it is written on.

My car

What brilliant value for money. The suspension is not too good on bumpy suburban streets but otherwise I could not be more pleased with my purchase. The dealership and aftersales has been excellent, and I am looking forward to years of fun motoring.

My car

Guys, I thought I would leave this review on the basis of a long term test. I have owned the car since new, a 1.1 SE (2005) on the 05 plate. (March 2005)

Although ideally suited for the commute or school run, I was mad enough to take across Europe during 2006. The car performed above expectations. Fuel econ is approx 42mpg around town and 45 mpg on run between 70-80mph. If you have a light right foot and do mostly clear motorway driving, @ 60mph you will achieve approx 55mpg.

As other reviewers have noted the boot is not large, but big enough for the weekly shop. As there are only 3 of us, the 60/40 split rear seat, is available for the airport runs or weekends away, providing additional luggage space when needed.

Problems with the car and nil to date and in 2 yrs I have put a set on front tyres on and that’s all. Equipment levels are high, when compared to other brands.

To conclude, with a 3 yr warranty from new included, this is good value for money, and I would recommend.

My car

I have owned this car from new for around six weeks now.

The interior is basic, but well laid out - the plastics look cheap in some respects, but I didn't buy the car for leather and velour!

The fuel economy is around 300 miles on 29 litres (35-litre tank minus the six when the fuel light pops on), so that equates to around 46mpg on long runs including motorway and town driving.

If you don't expect it to perform like a Ferrari, the performance isn't too bad. It sits at motorway speeds without issue, although (as expected) you need to drop a couple of cogs to third to accelerate sufficiently at those speeds.

I use it as a daily commute car, and for that it works wonders on fuel costs and comfort.

I much prefer the seating position and the all round visibility to my Peugeot 306.

For £4995 I cannot grumble. The only real issue is a design fault at the dealership - their storage yard backs onto a railway and thus my car is covered in rusty sparks! They have been really good and are fixing this (as they should!) so not much of a complaint there either.