Kia Picanto review

The only real bugbear with the Kia Picanto's driving position is that – as with many small cars – its steering wheel adjusts for height but not reach. Still, its driving position works well for most people, and it's certainly better than in the Volkswagen Up, which has a tendency to hide the instruments with the steering wheel. 

The driver’s seat is supportive, despite the lack of lumbar adjustment, and has enough side bolstering to stop you sliding around in corners. The well-aligned pedals and driver’s seat height adjustment (on all but the entry-level trim) make it really comfortable, even on a long trip. If you go for Shadow trim or higher, you get a front centre armrest to lean on.

The rear pillars are chunkier and the rear screen is relatively small, but even so, over-the-shoulder visibility is slightly better than it is in a Hyundai i10 and much better than the Dacia Sandero. It's a shame that rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera are available only on the mid and upper trims, with no option to add them on the cheaper variants.

With 1 and 2 trims, you get only an AM/FM radio, Bluetooth and a tiny (3.8in) monochrome screen. It feels quite old school and doesn’t match the system you get in the similarly priced Sandero.