The Kia Picanto, a small and quirky city car available with 3 and 5 doors, launched in 2004 and has been popular worldwide ever since. In January 2013 it was voted the most reliable car in the UK and comes with a variety engines.
As a small city car, it is rather good looking, full of prominent lines, grills and fashionable headlamps. Kia have spent a lot of money designing the look of this car, and it seems to have paid off. Making this car good looking has attracted a younger clientele, especially with most models having free road tax and being cheap to insure.
All in all, a good looking reliable car. But, and that's a big but, this is far from the most practical car for people with disabilities.
The Picanto is small, possibly too small for anyone with physical difficulties. The cabin is cramped and if there are 4 people in the car, the boot is near non-existent, so no room for a wheelchair on scooter, and with the Picanto being very low down, getting in and out could be very tricky.
Emma Lou owns a 1.1 '2' automatic Picanto, she doesn't use a wheelchair but describes what her car is like from a disability point of view.
"My Picanto is a 1.1.2. It's just the basic, I didn't have to pay any money upfront. The boot is tiny, i cant even get my mums case in it. I dont have a wheelchair, but I think it wont have much room for one unless they have the all the back seats down, or split seats. It goes really well, petrol is a little thirsty, but then it depends how fast you drive. To me I can get in and out easily, as i'm only little with an extra cushion to sit on.
I have the Auto 5 door, so far this car is the best I've had, though the Ford Fiesta Zetec was just as good."
One thing this car does have in ample amounts, is safety equipment. From the common 6 airbags and Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS), to doors that lock when you drive, and automatically unlock after a collision. The latest Picanto scored 4 stars on the Euro NCAP test, not bad for a small city car. Kia have built this car to be as safe as possible for the driver and passengers.
So, a small city car that is easy to drive, easy to park and safe but not so easy to live with. The Picanto seems to be having an identity crisis, and it's the practicality side that really lets this car down.
