2005 Kia Picanto LX 1.0

Summary:

Cheap, cheerful and reliable

Faults:

Occassionally after braking and the car comes to a stand-still, the gearstick needs to go into another gear before selecting first. I'm not 100% sure that it's actually the car at fault here, as it may also be because I tend to change down gear rather lately (if at all) when braking.

This is my only complaint about this car, and for the car's low price I can live with this.

General Comments:

Fantastic brakes.

Plenty of storage room when the rear seats are lowered.

Fuel economy figures are roughly what the manufacturer states, despite some other negative reviews that I've read.

Plenty of inside room.

I drive roughly 110Km per weekday and have had no major problems.

At the time of buying the Picanto, it had only been available in Finland for roughly nine months and I hadn't seen any on the roads, which I was a little cautious about. But, after test driving it, I was quite pleased.

At the time of writing, I have been driving this car through three months of severe winter weather (average temperature -7c) and have had no problems whatsoever. However, I do have an engine block warmer installed.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th January, 2006

9th Jan 2006, 06:55

I have found the gearbox to be a bit stiff too, and also have to try to slot into another gear, particularly when going for reverse. I think its just because it's a new gearbox (my car has only covered about 1000 miles so far) but will no doubt loosen up.