New Car: 2012 Kia Picanto 3-Door

This sportier three-door version of the recently launched Kia Picanto has been officially revealed ahead of UK sales in September.

The new doors and rear panels give the three-door Picanto a “fresh, dynamic appearance,” according to Kia, accentuated by the car’s rising belt line and side mouldings.

External revisions to the new model include a bigger front grille - available with silver or red trim surrounds – and revised bumpers, with a “slim, full-width lower grille, housing large black-bezelled foglamps,” at the front and a rectangular black central section at the rear. An exposed twin-chromed exhaust finishes off the car's new rear.

Four trim levels are available for the three-door Kia Picanto - 1, 1 Air (both carried over from the five-door car), Halo and Equinox – the last two of which join the Picanto range for the first time.

Halo and Equinox versions get Bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition, automatic LED lights front and back, side skirts and a red front grille surround as standard.

Halo also includes 14-inch alloys, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, reverse parking sensors and an electronic instrument binnacle as well as a high gloss white centre fascia and Lunar Glow metallic paint outside.

Top-spec Equinox models are finished with Kia’s ‘Chilli’ red interior and gloss black fascia and gearknob. Beefy 15-inch telephone-dial style alloys “lend a more sporting look” to the exterior, which is finished in Galaxy Black metallic paint. Aditionally, Equinox models get automatic air conditioning and smart key with starter button.

Power comes courtesy of the Picanto’s current engine range – either a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine producing 68bhp and 99g/km Co2, or the larger four-pot unit, which produces 84bhp and 100g/km Co2, when fitted with stop-start. Both are exempt from London’s Congestion Charge.

Prices for the new three-door Picanto start from £7795 for the entry-level 1.0 ‘1’ - £200 less than the five-door equivalent - rising to £12,295 for the 1.25 Halo fitted with a four-speed automatic gearbox. Equinox comes with the manual ‘box only and costs £11,695.

Kia predicts that the new three-door car will make up 45 per cent of Picanto sales.

Thanks to: Autocar