Kia Picanto Sport 2024 Review

The 2024 Kia Picanto Sport remains one of the most compact and accessible new cars available in Australia, but its appeal extends beyond a low purchase price. This five-door micro-hatch has been updated with sharper styling, a more contemporary cabin and a surprisingly comprehensive suite of safety and convenience technology. Its small footprint makes it naturally suited to urban driving, where light steering, a 9.4-metre turning circle and easy visibility help it feel at home on crowded streets and in tight parking spaces.

Power comes from a naturally aspirated 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 62kW and 122Nm. The tested version uses a five-speed manual transmission and sends its drive to the front wheels, while a four-speed automatic is also available. The engine is adequate for the Picanto's light 976kg body, although maintaining momentum on hills or keeping pace with faster traffic can require frequent gear changes. The manual gearbox is reasonably smooth, but the automatic is likely to be the more relaxed choice for drivers who spend most of their time in stop-start traffic.

Fuel use is one of the Picanto's practical strengths. The official combined-cycle figure is 5.4L/100km, while the tested manual returned 4.8L/100km over an extended period of mixed driving. It runs on regular 91 RON unleaded and uses a 35-litre fuel tank, giving it more than 600km of average range. Those figures help keep the running costs aligned with the car's city-friendly dimensions.

Despite its modest size, the Sport avoids feeling austere inside. The cabin has a light, airy presentation, straightforward controls and good all-round visibility. An eight-inch colour touchscreen provides wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while USB-A and USB-C ports, a 12-volt socket and a six-speaker audio system add useful everyday flexibility. The digital driver's display includes speed and engine-speed readouts, with trip-computer information accessible from the multifunction steering wheel.

Storage has been considered carefully, with bottle and cup holders in the doors and centre console, along with a pocket behind the front passenger seat. All four windows are electric, the driver's window has automatic operation, the exterior mirrors fold electrically and the rear seatback splits 60/40. There are compromises: the front seats lack height adjustment, the steering wheel adjusts for rake but not reach, the centre console has no lidded storage compartment and rear occupants do not receive air vents.

The Picanto is most comfortable carrying two adults in the front. Rear legroom is tight, particularly when the front seats are pushed back, and the rear bench is not well suited to carrying three adults. The 255-litre boot is similarly limited with the seats in place, but folding the rear seatbacks expands total luggage capacity to 1010 litres. That flexibility gives the small hatch more practical breadth than its exterior dimensions initially suggest.

Ride comfort is helped by a suspension tune developed for Australian conditions, with the car providing a generally compliant response over urban roads. The small tyres can run out of grip relatively early when cornering hard, so the Picanto is better understood as an efficient city car than a sporting hatch. Its four-wheel disc brakes provide appropriate stopping power for a light vehicle, while the compact dimensions and responsive steering make low-speed manoeuvring particularly easy.

Safety equipment is a notable part of the package. Standard features include autonomous emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, driver-attention detection, blind-spot monitoring assistance and lane-following capability. Six airbags cover both rows, supported by anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, traction control and electronic stability control. Current models are officially unrated because the previous ANCAP assessment is now considered out of date, despite earlier Picanto models having achieved a four-star result under testing conducted in 2017.

The 2024 Kia Picanto Sport is therefore best viewed as a carefully equipped, economical urban hatch rather than a substitute for a larger family car. Its limitations are clear, particularly the restricted rear space and modest performance, but its manageable dimensions, low fuel consumption, useful connectivity and thoughtful safety specification give it a well-defined role for drivers seeking simple city transport.

Other highlights include Drive train: Front-wheel drive; Engine or motor: 4cyl 1.2L naturally aspirated petrol.