2005 Kia Picanto LX from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing as of yet, it is brand new after all. It is a new purchase, mainly for my wife as it is purely for city work which so far its perfect for.

The first thing you notice is the dash layout is very conventional and easy to use. A lot of modern city cars have quite futuristic cabins (Aygo, C1, etc) but the Kia interior looks like one from a "normal" car from a standard european manufacturer.

Cabin is quite roomy for two adults and two children, but boot space is non existent. It fits a standard fold up pushchair though which is all we need it for. Seats are comfortable, and you seem to sit quite high up which actually makes you feel quite safe, as if you are in a much larger vehicle which appeals to me.

Seats good, visibility excellent, interior well assembled (although some trims do feel a bit cheap) but I can't fault the external finish.

Some reviews do state that this car struggles on the motorway, but I drove it 120 miles on the motorway and it didn't feel particularly weak or slow. Quite stable too, although heavy crosswinds moved it around a little as you'd expect from a tall, narrow vehicle.

Me again. Had the car for 9 months now, still performing well. It has picked up a few scratches, but luckily they aren't deep so they should polish out or hopefully respond to some colour magic wax. One thing though - many people have commented on not being able to get anywhere near Kia's fuel economy figures. I have managed to break 40mpg (just) on one occasion, but the usual is closer to 34mpg which is poor. I have found though that if you run the car on super unleaded (97 octane or higher) you get better performance and economy so its worth hunting it down. Tesco 99 octane is just superb. Other than that, the rest of the car is just fine, nothing has fallen off or broken and the air con has been absolutely brilliant in the recent hot weather we have had in the UK. Still more than happy to thoroughly recommend this car.

And its me again! Car is due for its first service in a couple of weeks, but is behaving faultlessly. No problems whatsoever, but the fuel economy still bugs me a bit. In the recent summer, we had the aircon on a lot, and we were struggling to get 200 miles out of a tank of fuel. Now its cooling off, we haven't used the aircon at all and this month we have driven 250 miles and still have a quarter of a tank showing - so we could be up for a 320 mile range on one tank. That equates to 40mpg which is better than it has been, perhaps it is because the engine is loosening up?

I still recommend using the highest octane fuel you can get. At a recent fill up I had to use standard UK 95 ron unleaded and the car felt like it had lost 10 horsepower - and with a little motor, you can't afford to lose any! I still stick to 97 or 99 if I can get it as the car is so much peppier, and economy improves too.

As for the rest of the car, the bodywork and interior show no signs of wear. I am beginning to think this little thing will have a much longer lifespan than I first thought! My wife adores it, as does my daughter. it must be good as I thought about buying another car for myself, and the first thing I thought of was a Picanto! It has certainly drawn me into the KIA range of cars and would definitely look at one of their cars first if I buy another new car.

Pikachu had his first service last week - £170! Things werent done, I was billed for stuff that didn't exist, and the customer service was atrocious in dealing with my query. After all, if the car holds 2.9 litres of oil, why am I being billed for 4.5 litres? Or have you put 4.5 litres in the motor? Hmmm, the oil level on the stick looks a bit high... sorted now after creating a scene in showroom, but it has left a bit of a bad taste in the mouth. THIS WAS A MAIN DEALER!! Car superb though, although economy rarely goes over 35mpg. Still can't imagine buying anything else although the hunt is on for a good local dealer for future services!

I've had my Picanto for about 2 years and 4 months and still rate the car strongly. I do agree with the poor fuel economy though, and to achieve 42 mpg, then I really have to run the car dry before fuel stops. I'm intersted in the 99 octane fuel though, and will start giving that a try. Servicing does seems to be pricey with Kia, and keep your eye on the part prices to, as a quote for front brake pads was a high £60 (for supply only). I think I'll be trading in for something different when I reach the three year mark (at this is the point where things will need replacing). Still - great car.

Pikachu has just gone through the 12000 mile barrier, running well with no problems. Slight rattle from the exhaust on pulling away, but other than that, no issues. Next service due in three months and it will be a pricey one or so I am told - brake fluid needs changing so unlikely to get much change out of £250 apparently. A friend has just bought a Kia Sorento on my recommendation and he is very impressed with it, and the new Ceed looks good so Kia seem to be going places. Would definitely continue to recommend the Picanto though, still a cracking little car which really only needs a bigger engine option to be even better.

Second service due next week - quite a difference in servicing charges! If I head to the dealer five miles west, the service will be £310, yet if I go five miles east, the cost falls to £205. Definitely worth shopping around if possible as I'm not too worried if my car is serviced at the shiny new dealer, or the smaller one that has been running 20 years, but doesn't have a plasma screen in the waiting area...

Other than that, all good, no problems at the 16000 mile mark. Fuel economy averaging around 38mpg which I am still a little disappointed with to be fair. However, I recommend all UK Picanto owners to use super unleaded wherever possible as the economy on regular unleaded is very poor. Tankful of 95 octane gives 240 miles on a tank - 31mpg! Tankful of 98 octane gives 290 miles on a tank so I find it is worth spending the extra three or four pence a litre to get the better economy. And performance too, as the car is much less peppy on 95 octane!

Second service came in at £236 all inclusive although that did include a new pollen filter as the old one was quite disgusting! Fairly happy with that all in all so the replacement dealer will get all my sales and service business going forward! Am sure I can't mention names or advertise on this site, but the Kia Dealer in Southend is very good. Little tip for those of you who live in the area.

Well after two years, two months, and 17000 miles, Pikachu became a little too small for the family and was replaced with a Seat Leon. In two years, I had two services, no issues with reliability, and I would happily recommend one to anyone. In fact when I was driving him to the part exchange, a lady stopped me at a petrol station asking me about the car as she was looking to replace an unreliable VW Polo so she looks like getting one now. All in all, my opening comment of "I think this is an excellent town car" holds true, and it didn't do too badly on a 350 mile trip to Cornwall! Adios Pikachu, and well done to you. And well done Kia!

To "PIKACHU", Was wondering if your good old Pika and your new LEON share the same dealer??? Thks for the good Kia service tip!