Behind the wheel

Driving position, visibility, build quality

For relatively cheap cars, these all provide perfectly comfortable driving positions. Okay, none offers a reach-adjustable steering wheel, but their wheels adjust for height, as do the driver’s seats of the Picanto and Viva. The seats in all these are fairly narrow, with no adjustable lumbar support, but they are nevertheless comfortable enough for mid-distance commutes.

The Picanto edges it as the most relaxing, though, thanks to welcome touches such as its well-positioned central armrest. It also has very clear dials and a well laid-out dashboard, although you can’t really fault any of these cars in that respect.

Seeing out of all three is relatively easy, while the Ignis and Picanto make life easier with standard rear-view cameras. The Picanto complements this with rear parking sensors as well.

The Picanto feels the plushest inside. Sure, these cars are all finished with hard, unforgiving plastics (they’re built to a price, after all), but the Picanto manages to look the smartest and feel the most robust. It also gets a leather-trimmed steering wheel as standard. So does the Viva, but you can’t get one on the Ignis in SZ-T spec.

On the whole, the Viva also feels solid, and the chrome and gloss black details on its dashboard add some sparkle, but that’s downgraded elsewhere by such things as the cheap-feeling, loose-fitting boot carpet. Not to the level of the Ignis, though; its interior is certainly a cheerful piece of design, but you sense the materials used to build it came from a box labelled ‘bagatelle’.