2018 Kia Picanto GT-Line review<br /><br />The only option available for local versions of the GT-Line is premium paint, limited to Aurora Black, Titanium Silver, and the Signal Red you see here, each asking for $520 extra. As tested, our Signal Red GT-Line is priced at $17,810 plus on-roads or $18,010 drive-away.<br /><br />Despite the standard inclusion of AEB, the Picanto wears a 2017-stamped four-star ANCAP safety rating. According to the independent crash-testing body, the little Kia only managed average scores in the areas of child occupant protection and pedestrian protection.<br /><br />What hasn't changed is what sits under the bonnet – a 62kW/122Nm 1.25-litre four-cylinder 'Kappa' petrol engine mated exclusively to a four-speed automatic in GT-Line trim. Peak power comes in at 6200rpm, while maximum torque is available at 4000rpm.<br /><br />While those outputs seem rather meagre in an era when turbocharging gives small-capacity engines similar outputs to naturally aspirated units twice their displacement, the Picanto performs adequately in the urban jungle – where it will spend almost all of its time.<br /><br />It has no issues getting up to city speeds at a decent pace, and the four-speed auto generally shifts smoothly and intuitively considering the limited ratios.<br /><br />The little 1.25-litre motor is also generally refined, even when you're pushing it, not sounding too thrashy under load. It probably helps that the Picanto GT-Line claims a tare weight of 995kg, meaning there's not a whole lot of heft for the little engine to shift.<br /><br />While it's adequate 90 per cent of the time, you can be left wanting for more when accelerating up to freeway speeds. Getting to 100km/h, for example, can feel like an eternity, and to get there you have to push your foot further to the floor, so it can be a little noisy.
