Kia Picanto comes in more colours than a bag of skittles and is cheaper pound for pound than cinema sweets
Kia’s city car costs £9,450 and weighs 936kg, which works out around £1.01 per 100g
GOLD, oil, saffron, heroin. These are the things you grow up thinking are the most expensive in the world.
But then you go to the cinema and realise it is pick and mix.
Just five minutes at the sweet counter is enough to melt your debit card.
In fact, pound for pound, a bag of cola bottles, pink lips and jelly snakes is more expensive than a car. It’s true.
And nothing illustrates the point better than a Picanto.
Kia’s little city car costs £9,450 and weighs 936kg, which works out at around £1.01 per 100g.
A bag of pick and mix at Vue Sheffield costs £1.39 per 100g.
So, er, 936kg of cinema sweets is £13,010, which is £3,560 more than a Picanto.
Incredible.
THIS KIA IS OFFICIALLY CHEAPER THAN ITS WEIGHT IN SWEETS.
Now, the old Picanto is, shall we say, a bingo carriage.
A shopping trolley for people with nothing to do between meals. For people who like Werther’s.
OK, before I get hate mail, the old Picanto was a favourite with older, wiser people who had done the maths.
Well, the 2017 Picanto is aimed at you grandad — and your grandkids. It is stronger and safer. The boot is bigger (now bigger than a VW up!). And there are more colours than a bag of Skittles (Pop Orange, Blue Breeze, Chilli Red etc).
In fact, there are more than 70 colour, trim and engine combos to “Pic and mix”.
MOST READ IN MOTORS
Do you see what I did there? For £9,450, you get the not-so-basic Picanto “1” (1-litre petrol, 64mpg, 101g/km) with electric front windows, USB, hill start assist, split rear seats and six airbags.
Walk up the range to Picanto “3” and you get 7in touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, rear parking camera and auto emergency braking as standard.
The top-of-the-range GT Line S is crammed with big car toys like heated seats, heating steering wheel and wireless phone charger.
But that’s almost 14 grand, grandad. My pick for the young blood is the GT-Line, priced between the “2” and “3” models.
That wears the same tracksuit as GT Line S but has less kit and will soon be available with a zippy 1- litre turbo. Expect to pay around £13,250.
Other observations. Kia’s USP is its seven-year warranty — the best in the business.
But there’s another treat for Picanto buyers. One year’s free insurance and finance from £129 a month.
S-w-e-e-e-e-t.
KIA PICANTO
Key facts:
Price: £9,450
Engine: 1-litre, 3cyl petrol
Economy: 64mpg
0-60mph: 13.8 secs
Top speed: 100mph
CO2: 101g/km
Rivals: Hyundai i10, VW up!, Toyota Aygo
Out: Now