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New Car Honours 2006

Best Budget Car: Kia Picanto

Kia produced both the winner and a commended in the Best Budget Car category with the Picanto and Rio

Kia Picanto

29th June 2006

 
Low costs are matched by decent equipment levels and good all-round ability, meaning the Picanto boasts not only stunning value, but fine road manners, too.
It goes without saying that the winner of the Budget Car category has to be affordable - but more than that, it has to offer great value for money. And one marque is rapidly establishing a fearsome reputation in that regard. So much so, that Kia has produced two of this year's three finalists.

And it's the Picanto city car which has most impressed us over the past 12 months. With prices starting at £5,895, and even the range-topping 1.1 SE+ coming in at substantially less than £8,000, it's not going to break the bank.

However, the low costs are matched by decent equipment levels and good all-round ability, meaning the Picanto boasts not only stunning value, but fine road manners, too. Nimble in town and able to cope with the worst that life on our congested streets can throw at it, the Kia's perky and responsive nature really appeals.

Offering five doors as standard in a market where three is the norm is a further plus. Whichever model you opt for, though, the Picanto isn't only a sensible buy, but a satisfying one, too.

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Commended

Fiat Panda

The winner of the City Car category proves it's also a wise buy, earning itself a Commended place here. The Panda is another model that knows how to stretch a pound, with base variants available from a whisker over £6,500. Penny-pinchers will be most tempted by the 1.3-litre diesel, which returns a claimed 65.7mpg on the combined cycle.

Kia Rio

The Rio supermini has much to recommend it. It's comparatively large, is available with an excellent 109bhp 1.5-litre CRDi diesel engine, plus other niceties such as air-con, electric windows and curtain airbags, yet still comes in at well under £10,000. Thoroughly capable and pleasant to drive, it proves Kia is set for a bright future.

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