What are Kia Picanto's like?

easylife73

Looking for opinions on Kia Picanto's from about 2011. We already have a Kia Ceed SW, which we bought after having had a Renault Scenic, as we wanted the comfort of the balance of the 7 year warranty. The Scenic cost us sooo much money to keep going!

We've been happy with the Ceed, and the issues we've had have been dealt under the warranty with no problems. We're now looking at getting a second car, so obviously doesn't need to be big as we already have the Ceed, so just a small car for getting the kids to school and me to work (local at the moment).

Our kids are 15 and 12, so in about 18 months the eldest will potentially be learning to drive, and whilst I wouldn't have a problem with him learning in a bigger car, it is an automatic, so makes sense to get a smaller manual now so it's in place for when he starts learning.

Really want peace of mind (the Scenic once cost us £2k in one year to keep on the road :eek:) so once again we're drawn to Kias and the 7 year warranty.

Any opinions on Picanto's of this age? There would be about 3 years left on the warranty.

Mankysteve

Had a test drive if picanto then tried i10 similar underpinning same engine gearbox Ect but the i10 feels like better built car. Wasn't impress at all wotv picanto of that age.

Rolandtheroadie

We've the Ceed sw too, first Kia and happy with it.

Here's a link tho the Picanto section of the owners forum, it'll give you experiences of the people that own them.

http://www.kiaownersclub.co.uk/forum/picanto_forum9.html?SID=4288223f6a22e47d12eec2d9a83e18849652778

Noticed theres a "Does anyone actually like their Picanto" thread, might be worth a read.

peter_the_piper

Actually I really like my picanto, 2012, quite nippy, easy to get in and out of(useful as you get older). Up to 55mpg(despite the leaflets showing a lot more.) A mite stiff on the suspension, clutch light but the brakes take a bit of getting used to being rather sharp. Handles well without too much roll around corners. I mostly like the stop/start system, bluetooth phone system , so hands off answering. Air con is good and I know its silly but like the electric folding windows.
That's my opinion after 3 years, hope it helps,

ps. Cheap insurance, free tax.

GwylimT

Very uncomfortable and they are very sluggish in all of the engine choices, not something I would want to rattle about in, this is coming from someone with a corsa!

bigjl

I think they look quite nice

The old one was reliable if a bit boring.

I would avoid the 1.1 diesel and go for one of the petrol engines.

I would expect them to be reliable as are most Hyundai's and Kia's

easylife73

Thanks for replies. I've ad a quick look at the Kia forums - opinion seems to be divided, with quite a lot of people really liking them, and others who've had problems. I always think that those that have problems are more likely to post about it on a forum, everyone else is just getting on with their life!

What I don't understand though, is why, with the people who have had issues, it hasn't been sorted under the warranty? Am I missing something? If I'm honest, the main reason for leaning toward Kias is the warranty, as I want to know if something goes wrong I won't have a massive bill...it' why we bought the Ceed. Maybe we have just been lucky with our local dealership, but so far they have been great.

GwylimT

Warranties wont cover everything, also many dealerships will try to avoid fixing things under warranty where possible. My mum had a petrol version for a while which is why I know just how uncomfortable they are to ride in, she had lots of minor faults within the first two years (purchased from new), the final straw was the gear box failing as you were unable to select forth gear in a three year old car.

Originally Kia decided this was wear and tear, it took an independent report and the start of legal action to get this issue sorted. No matter the age of a car things can go wrong, but dealers should be providing a promised service without being awkward.

FreddieFrugal

easylife73 wrote: »

opinion seems to be divided

opinion will always be divided. There's no such thing as a perfect car. For every car owner with happy tales of trouble free motoring there will always be others who have had nothing but problems.

If you only went by info online you'd never buy anything!

Every car ever made is either the most supremely refined and reliable vehicle they've ever owned OR the most horrendous calamity of a machine that they've ever had the misfortune to lay eyes upon, to somebody.

There may well be some cars that fare worse on average than others historically. While certain vehicles do seem to fare much better. But you can never guarantee trouble free, and all cars have compromises.

Best bet is to go try a Picanto see what you think, don't discount i10 as although based on same platform i10 seems to be rated well.

Don't be seduced by these long warranties. Once you've got past the first few years almost everything can be put down to wear and tear, very few items that a manufacturer would still accept responsibility for as a manufacturing defect in a 5 year old car. That doesn't mean the warranty is worthless. Just it's worth checking what is and isn't covered and also their specific definitions.

easylife73

See that's the thing...I get that no car is perfect for everyone...for us the Renault has put us off ever having one again, much as I loved the actual car.

The experience we've had of our local Kia dealership has been nothing but positive. We had a massive bit of coiled metal fall off the undercarriage a few weeks after buying the Ceed second hand from a private buyer...sent them a photo, they said they'd never seen that happen before, ordered a new one and had it in to fix with a free courtesy car until it was sorted. They also ordered another one for the other side, on the off chance that the same thing happened with that an replaced that with no quibbles as well.

So whilst I know they could try and put various things down to wear and tear, my experience of this particular dealership is that they seem to play fair, if you see what I mean. Hence my tending towards a Kia at the moment. Agree we need to go and test drive one though.

FreddieFrugal

Well that fact that you have a local dealership who have proved to be very good and helpful can make all the difference. In that case certainly consider the Picanto. Got test drive, if you like it, get one that seems in good condition, ask your dealer to check it for you straight away if you want for a bit of extra piece of mind.

Avoid diesel like the plague if it's only going to be used for short trips.

But if you like the car, full service history and you've got a good dealership nearby that you already use and trust then it's a no brainer.

It's also worth checking that the Picanto has been serviced by KIA, as that will be looked upon more favourably should a warranty claim be necessary. As you've no doubt found.