Yes, there are still such vehicles. Those that are fun, that require an active driver and that you can look forward to on the way to the parking lot. And that are even affordable. At least if you don't calculate the price in terms of length centimeters.
Do you remember the last time you had really fun? We mean driving a car, of course. With the SUV in the city or with the luxury limousine in the motorway traffic jam or with the convertible in this rainy spring? In any case, we still know exactly when and which vehicle put a smile on our face for the last time. It was a few weeks ago, it was a small, narrow, comparatively uncomfortable model: it was a Kia Picanto.
Tiny
What, a Kia Picanto? Okay, not just any Picanto, but the most powerful offering. Which, however, means a seemingly modest 3,60 hp for this 100-meter-dwarf. Even the maximum achievable speed doesn't exactly knock you off your socks - at 180 km / h and with the accelerator pressed down to the lane, the Armada of highly motorized business class diesel pulls past you with a cold smile. Oops, would the 5 Series Touring driver have seen us at all if we hadn't cleared the left lane in time?
No, life in Picanto isn't that spicy on the autobahn. The fun begins when it ends with other, larger, more powerful models: in the city, on country roads, on an alpine pass dotted with tight bends. Then the little Korean shows his merits, twists and turns around an asphalt loop with a three-cylinder growl, paws at the traffic lights with his chic 16-inch aluminum. With the one-liter turbo under the hood, the five-seater will be happy to do the calf bite on request, 175 Newton meters tug at the front axle from 1.500 revolutions and then up to 4.000 rpm. The approx. 1,1 tonnes curb weight are quickly brought up to speed. And the crisp five-speed gearbox wants to be used with pleasure and often.
Alternatives
Oh, it's fun with the little one. Mainly because not only does everyday life hold few joys in store at the moment, but also because there aren't too many of its kind left. Let's see: there is the Renault Twingo TCe with 90 PS, the slightly more powerful (and more expensive) VW Up GTI with 115 horses and of course the equally strong sister model Hyundai i10 T-GDI. That's it in the three and a half meter class. Or did we forget something? Thank you Kia - and of course Hyundai, VW and Renault too.
Of course, the fun costs, also because the real consumption of 7,5 liters suggests a car of a completely different dimension. Also because at least 16.850 euros in the GT-Line, even 18.050 euros in the X-Line we tested. One must not forget that it is still a model of the smallest defined vehicle class. Only theoretically with space for five people, in fact there is space for two adults in the front and two not-too-big children in the back. And for a little hand luggage. Of course, a lot of hard plastic is also used and a wheelbase of 2,40 meters cannot be disguised by any successful tuning. Especially when it is a successful, sporty basic set-up and our streets are the way they are.
Good standard equipment
But for the extremely self-confident price, not only driving fun is offered. But also in the X-Line, for example, a very complete set of equipment, with things that a few years ago you couldn't even get for an extra charge in the aforementioned business diesels, such as steering wheel heating or inductive charging of the smartphone. Also standard are automatic air conditioning, sat nav, 8-inch display, heated seats and rear parking sensors. The sporty difference is made by the aluminum pedals, seats in man-made leather, the sports steering wheel with a flattened bottom (covered with real leather) and special bumpers. More important, however, are the fog lights and the fact that Kia installs disc brakes at the front and rear, which are gripping but can be dosed.
But we not only enjoyed the sporty locomotion, the generous equipment of the equally generous seven-year guarantee. Two weeks with Picanto have also shown that less is sometimes more. For example, parking backwards in our old garage, which was so quick and easy with a width of 1,91 meters with exterior mirrors (!) That we were almost a little surprised at our driving skills.
The Picanto is a wonderful contrast, especially in this version, there is almost nowhere else so few cars because the manufacturers in this class believe they can no longer earn any money. So small and so fun to drive, that is - see above - even rarer. At the same time, this blob of cars arouses so much anticipation, even when you approach it, that is almost priceless. So if you have little space requirements, were not born stingy and if you don't make driving fun dependent on top speed, the Picanto 1.0 T-GDI is recommended with a warm smile.
Technical data
Five-door, five-seat microcar; Length: 3,60 meters, width: 1,63 meters (with exterior mirrors: 1,91 meters), height: 1,50 meters, wheelbase: 2,40 meters, cargo space: 255 - 1.010 liters
1,0-liter three-cylinder turbo gasoline engine, 74 kW / 100 PS, maximum torque: 175 Nm at 1.500 - 4.000 rpm, five-speed manual transmission, 0-100 km / h: 10,3 s, Vmax: 180 km / h, standard consumption: 4,6 liters / 100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 104 g / km, efficiency class: B, emissions standard: Euro 6d-ISC-FCM, test consumption: 7,5 liters / 100 kilometers
Price: from 18.050 euros (X-Line)
In brief
Why: crisp gear; spontaneous turbo; lots of driving fun, generous guarantee
Why not: little space in the rear; high price; high consumption; a lot of hard plastic
What else: Hyundai i10 T-GDI N-Line, Renault Twingo TCe 90, VW Up GTI
