The All-Awesome Kia Picanto.

The all-new Picanto blends modern and distinctive exterior styling with a fresh, trendy interior. Combining the very highest standards of engineering with European aesthetics in every aspect of its exterior, interior, fixtures and fittings, the all-new Picanto speaks to the needs and wants of its customers. Offering cutting-edge safety features and advanced powertrains, the all-new Picanto will delight its drivers and surprise the competition.

Kia has taken a courageous new step with the latest version of its smallest model. The character of the car has been transformed from 'cute' and 'friendly' into mature and handsome, designed to turn heads on the high street, thanks to its good looking proportions and dynamic design language. Picanto in its newest form exudes a bold self-confidence and maturity which is unique in the A-segment. Up front, the face of the Picanto expresses the same assertive vigour and refinement as its bigger brother, the Sportage, and shares with them the same signature 'tiger nose' grille.

Picanto's new found maturity is also reflected in the interior design, which sets a new benchmark in its class. The sophisticated interior will offer buyers numerous 'big car' comfort and convenience features – many of them fitted for the first time on a car in this segment. It will set new class standards for material quality that introduces a 'premium' feel offering to this segment.

Both active and passive safety in the new Picanto has been raised to the next level. The all-new bodyshell created uses a greater percentage of high-strength steel and incorporates ring-shaped reinforcing loops within the B- and C-pillars, and across the floor pan and roof for improved rigidity. Available safety equipment include a driver airbag (1.0 litre) and an additional passenger airbag (1.0 LX and 1.2 EX) with ABS anti-lock braking for the 1.2 EX only. For additional safety, a new ESS (Emergency Stop Signal) system is available on the 1.2 EX. Sensors detect when the driver is braking suddenly and hard, and then flash the brake lights three times to alert following drivers that the car is slowing rapidly.