New 2020 Kia Picanto caught on camera
The Korean manufacturer will soon update its entry-level supermini with a handful of cosmetic revisions and a fresh range of engines
A heavily camouflaged mule of the facelifted Kia Picanto has been photographed during its winter testing programme. When the production model reaches the UK later this year, we expect it will adopt some of the updates added to its recently revised sibling, the new Hyundai i10, giving the city car a substantial technology and safety equipment upgrade.
Styling updates for the new Picanto appear to follow the same pattern as those applied to the new Hyundai i10, with fresh headlamps, updated daytime running lights, new front and rear bumpers, mildly tweaked door skins and a new tailgate. Like the Hyundai, the Kia looks to be slightly longer than its predecessor with a longer wheelbase.
The outgoing Picanto and i10 shared the same engine range – a trend we expect will be carried over to this new model. As such, base-model Picantos should come with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol unit with 66bhp and 96Nm of torque, while more expensive variants will probably feature a 1.2-litre four-cylinder developing 83bhp and 118Nm of torque.
Judging by our spy shots, the Picanto and its Hyundai sibling are similar in size and similar in shape, which means they should share the same economy figures of around 56mpg for the 1.0-litre engine and 55mpg for the 1.2-litre unit. Both engines will also be available with either a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic gearbox.
Standard equipment should also be similar to the i10’s, with buyers getting air conditioning, a DAB radio, four electric windows, electrically adjustable door mirrors and cruise control. There will also likely be a choice of alloy wheel styles, ranging in size between 15 and 16-inches, as well as an eight-inch infotainment system on higher-specced models.
What do you make of the new Kia Picanto? Let us know in the comments section below…
