Occasion: the first Russian test drive Kia Third generation picanto

Scene: Moscow and surroundings

Impression: Doesn't look outdated at all. Created under the leadership of Peter Schreier, this urban hatch continues to be eye-catching and fits perfectly into the company's current lineup. And yet six full years on the assembly line is an impressive period. At the beginning of this year, the Koreans showed. And yesterday the city car was rolled out to the Russian press.

The share of high-strength steels in the body structure has doubled - from 22 to 44%. The torsional stiffness increased by 32%. The length and width of the car remained the same - 3595 and 1595 mm. But the wheelbase is stretched by 15 mm and is now 2400 mm. The company proudly emphasizes that the first generation Golf has exactly the same performance.

With a height of 176 cm, you really manage to settle down well for yourself. In this case, the knees from the back of the driver's seat are separated by a few centimeters. Kia Picanto can be confidently called a full-fledged car for four. And although I would not dare to travel with such a train for several thousand kilometers, it is easy to give up with friends to Minsk or St. Petersburg for the weekend.

According to the manufacturer, the trunk volume has added 55 liters and reached 255 liters. They say that a slightly increased rear overhang and a different finish allowed achieving such indicators. It seems to me that the real value is much more modest, but let's still wait for a full test and our measurements.

What really captivates the new Picanto is the lack of a cheap and small feel. Yes, everything inside is made of hard plastic, but the fit, ergonomics and level of equipment are absolutely adult. If a broad-shouldered comrade is not sitting on the right, trying to grab the center armrest, you quickly forget about the modest dimensions of the Picanto.

The top versions of the Picanto are equipped with a heated steering wheel, push-button engine start, a multimedia system with a 7-inch touchscreen (support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay) and even a rear-view camera. So, in terms of options, the small Kia surpasses all direct competitors, of which there are only two - Ravon R2 and Smart ForFour. The first does not offer any of the above in principle. The second is deprived of a push-button start of the engine and steering wheel heating.

At the presentation there were cars exclusively with a top-end 1.2-liter engine with 84 hp. This is only combined with a 4-speed automatic and should accelerate the Picanto to a hundred in 12 seconds. There are no special questions about the dynamics. But the number of stages in hydromechanics and, as a result, fuel consumption is very frustrating. After a 100-kilometer route with an average speed of 58 km / h, the trip computer showed 7.4 l / 100 km. I think Picanto can gobble up all nine in tight traffic jams. Liter versions power 67 HP equipped with a 5-speed manual, so the demand for such Picanto will be small.

GT-Line version? This is just styling. Behind the evil appearance is still the same harmless kid: a 1.2-liter engine, similar suspension settings. By the way, Picanto drives very well by the standards of the class. It stands perfectly on the arc, practically does not roll in corners. And the effort on the steering wheel is also in order. If Picanto can be blamed for a lack feedback, then only at high speeds.

Where is kia picanto collected? I ask because I categorically do not accept the Russian and Chinese assembly. and got the best answer

Answer from CAIIIA [guru]
south Korea

Answer from 2 answers[guru]

Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Where is kia picanto collected? I ask because I categorically do not accept the Russian and Chinese assembly.

Answer from Tamara.[guru]
it can be collected in Russia and in any other country. It is quite possible the assembly process, for example, in one country a little, then this assembly is taken to another country and at the end. ... Well, where do you pick the "Mercedes"? yes, the collection is carried out everywhere .. YOU probably do not know and therefore are categorical about this

Answer from Dmitry[guru]
Kia cars are being assembled in Ukraine
autonews 02/11/2005
OJSC "Lutsk car factory"(LuAZ, Ukraine) started assembling kia cars, the company told RBC.
Until the end of p. The company plans to assemble more than 1.5 thousand cars of this brand. In 2006. LuAZ plans to assemble 3.8 thousand Kia vehicles.
LuAZ will assemble Kia Picanto, Kia Rio, Kia Cerato, Kia Magnetis, Kia Opirus and Kia sorento... In addition, it is planned to start assembling Kia Pregio minibuses. The assembly of cars will be carried out by the SKD method.

Answer from Pepel[guru]
The official presentation of the new generation Kia Picanto took place on March 1, 2011 - on the opening day of the Geneva Motor Show. The sale of the new Picanto in Russia will begin in the summer of 2011.
so far like Slovakia, Ukraine.

Answer from Ykov Sokolov[guru]
Cool, and the TV set is at your place. where is it collected? What do you think?)))) In Kalinengrad, native))))) If you don't believe, look at the label on the TV's ass))))))))

One of the main features of the Kia company is that cars are assembled at the branches of those countries in the market of which they will subsequently be sold.
Photo: Kia plant in the USA

It is worth noting that appearance and specifications one model may directly depend on the branch at the facilities of which the car is produced.

The most powerful enterprise in Russia where Kia products are made is the Kaliningrad plant Avtotor.

The Kia Rio car is considered one of the best-selling on the world market, in particular in Russia. Car enthusiasts primarily celebrate high quality assembly, nice design and low cost.

As mentioned above, for Russia, Rio is assembled at a Kaliningrad plant.

Among the producing countries of Rio was Ukraine, where the Kia Rio was assembled at the LUAZ plant. Do not forget about branches in Thailand, India, China, Ecuador and South Korea.

Kia Sid

Golf-class car, which for several recent years is among the leaders in sales.

For the Russian market, Sid is assembled at the Kaliningrad Avtotor, and for the CIS markets at an enterprise in Kazakhstan.

The most powerful plant is a South Korean company, whose products can be found all over the world.

Kia Carnival

Kia Carnival is one of the most "ancient" cars of the Korean concern, which has been assembled since 1998. Since that time, the car has gone through three modifications, each of which was made at a plant in South Korea.

Also, until 2014, the car was produced in the UK and the USA, but there it was called Kia Sedona.

Kia Cerate

At the moment, Cerate is on the list of leaders in sales in Russia. Until 2013, the car was made in South Korea and Kazakhstan.

It should be noted that a new modification of the model is also being assembled at a Russian enterprise.

In 2006, when the second generation of Cerato was presented, the “Korean” was started to be collected in the USA.
Kia Clarus

Clarus is one of the few Korean cars that was assembled exclusively at its own factories. For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that a short period of time the assembly took place at the Kaliningrad Avtotor.

Kia Mojave

Even at the initial stage of development, company representatives argued that the Kia Mojave SUV will only be supplied to the United States. But later, it was decided to export the model to the Russian market.

To date, Mojave is assembled at the Kaliningrad Avtotor, as well as in Kazakhstan and South Korea.

It is worth noting that in the US, the SUV is referred to as the Kia Borrego.

Kia Opirus and Kia Quoris

It's no secret that Kia Quoris is the most expensive car of the company. Its predecessor was a sedan Kia Opirus, the production of which was completed in 2010, and took place exclusively at South Korean enterprises.

Kia Quoris is going to Kaliningrad to this day.

Kia Optima

Another popular Kia Optima model among domestic motorists appeared on russian market in 2012, and it was then that its mass production began at Avtotor.

Kia Sorento

The new generation of the Sorento mid-size SUV cannot boast the same popularity as the previous ones, but there are fans.

Today Sorento is produced at a Kaliningrad enterprise. For some time, the assembly was carried out at Izh-Auto.

It should be noted that Sorento SUVs for the European market are made at the facilities of Turkey and Slovakia.

Kia Soul

Russian kia variant Soul boasts a unique design. Thanks to this, the car domestic assembly significantly differs from foreign counterparts.

No one will be surprised that the car is produced at Avtotor.

In addition, mostly for local markets, the model is assembled in Kazakhstan, China and South Korea.

Video: the process of assembling Kia cars

Kia Sportage

Crossover Kia Sportage has gained high popularity due to its design, and fantastic driving performance... The first generation of the car was assembled at German factories. Subsequent modifications are produced in Russia and Slovakia.

Kia Wenga

Until recently, Kia Wenga was the only one kia model, which did not gather on the territory of Russia. But, in 2015, the situation improved, because the Avtotor enterprise undertook to fill the domestic market with high-quality cars every year.

Conclusion

Kia cars are among the most popular, both in the world and in the domestic market.

The range of models is really impressive, and it seems that the Korean concern has set itself the task of inserting at least one representative in each class of cars.

For domestic market Kia models are assembled mainly at the Kaliningrad Avtotor plant. However, for some time, the assembly was carried out at the Izh-Avto enterprise.