Kia will launch a new Picanto 3-door model next month, bringing a sport-style three-door body to the Picanto range for the first time since the car debuted in 2004.
Drawing from the new Kia Picanto 5-door launched earlier this year, the new Picanto 3-door comes with an even lower entry-level price of £7,795, £200 cheaper than the five-door alternative.
Kia has not simply just taken away two doors, either. It has instead given the Picanto 3-door a sportier look than the 5-door, with new doors, rear panels and glass. It has new bumpers front and rear that make it look lower and wider, while the 5-door’s hidden exhaust is now exposed by twin tail pipes.
There is also a much larger front grille, available with silver trim inserts or – in a nod to the VW Golf GTi hot hatch, racy red surround.
Despite these changes, key dimensions remain the same as the 5-door, so the new 3-door Picanto still boasts a stubby 3.6 metre overall length.
Mechanically, it shares the 1.0-litre and 1.25-litre engine line-up of the 5-door, meaning most models emit 100g/km CO2 or less. Kia has broadened the trim line-up, though: it offers the Picanto 3-door in 1, 1 Air, Halo and Equinox trim, mimicking the more bespoke approach also taken by the Kia Soul.
Key features include a ‘Supervision Cluster’ electronic instrument pack on the Halo, which has high gloss dashboard trim and Lunar Glow metallic paint. The Equinox, meanwhile, matches bright red ‘Chilli’ upholstery to high-gloss black dash trim.
It has 15-inch wheels, black metallic paint and also includes standard climate control plus an engine start/stop button. Like other Picantos, it has standard stability control and six airbags, along with Kia’s unique seven-year warranty.
The 3-door is an important addition to the range, adds Kia. Three-door models take 30% of the European city car sector – growing to 45% in the UK. By lacking a three-door, Kia would in theory be cutting itself off from half the market… but, from 1 September, that will finally be rectified.
