KIA PICANTO 1.1 SE+ 5dr (2005)

1.1SE+ Kia Picanto

I was 19, just finished my A levels and my mum and dad bought me a brand new Kia Picanto. It was a complete surprise and they chose the 1.1 SE+ which came with 4 electric windows, leather trim, Air con, alloys a CD player, remote central locking, the list goes on, pretty much everything that I could of wanted. During the time I had this car I mainly used it to travel to uni, shopping trips and the odd road trip. Being the only driver in my group of friends meant my car was always full, and my Picanto took it in its stride. The car may look small from the outside but on the inside it was really spacious, well that is apart from the boot. The boot is really small and doesn’t fit many shopping bags in but personally I never had a problem, there was always the back seat or on knees.

The Picanto is ideally suited to city driving. The cars size makes it so easy to park and fit through tight spaces. Despite the cars 1.1 litre engine it was always quick off the mark and got up to speed quickly. I didn’t do much motorway driving in this car but when I did, I usually stayed in the slow lane and happily went along doing 60mph, any faster and the road noise would become louder than the CD player on full volume. I would say that cost and value for money was the major factor in choosing this car. To start with you get a lot more kit and extras for your money. The cars running costs are also really good, a full tank of petrol seemed to last forever and I used to get around 450 miles from a full tank. All the Picanto’s are in lower insurance groups and the model I had was group 3, road tax was a measly £40 for 12 months, a nice price for a student.

During the 2 years that I owned the car I didn’t have to replace or repair anything, the only money that I spent on it was £130 for an annual service.

At the time this car was perfect for me, and I soon regretted selling it after buying a Beetle. For someone who wants more for their money and isn’t to obsessed with speed and performance this would be an ideal car that I would highly recommend.