Demand for small cars remains high and although some major manufacturers have stopped producing them, Kia has confirmed its commitment to the sector. Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time.
More info In this week’s instalment of Drive Time, John travels to the Surrey Hills to sample the significant changes Kia has made to its smallest and largest models, with both the tidy Picanto and seven-seat Sorento SUV updated and refreshed to make them even more tempting to customers. Kia has just made significant mid-life changes and updates to the smallest and largest vehicles in its range. Demand for small cars remains high and although some major manufacturers have stopped producing them, Kia has confirmed its commitment to the sector.
The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now. Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7. The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.
Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android As a result, the Picanto supermini has just had a major mid-life refreshment. Now priced from £15,595 on-the-road, the new Kia Picanto remains one of the most affordable new cars on sale in the UK and is a significant model in the company's line-up. Last year the Picanto sold 14,143 units and accounted for more than a fifth of all small car sales in the UK and it has notched up more than a quarter of a million sales across its previous generations.
That success is set to continue thanks to this major exterior redesign along with significant updates to make its neat interior more refined and attractive. The exterior benefits from new vertical headlights and a powerful new lightbar leading into the front air intakes. The rear also gets a new lightbar.
Inside, the Picanto is surprisingly roomy and there is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an eight-inch touchscreen with navigation and multiple USB charging ports, all of which are standard on every model. The new Kia Picanto comes with a choice of two petrol engines - a three-cylinder 1.0-litre developing 62bhp or four-cylinder 1.
2-litre with 77bhp. Both engines are efficient and offer good economy. Both drive the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission as standard and you can also opt for automatic versions at extra cost.
In the UK, the 1.0-litre engine is available on the ‘2’, GT-Line and ‘3’ grade variants. The 1.
2-litre engine is available only on GT-Line S models. The good news is that the Picanto is still fun to drive in town and is a hoot on country roads when you push it along. It also cruises nicely at motorway speeds and delivers over 54mpg.
The updated models boast great equipment levels throughout the range as well as all the latest safety and driver aids. As usual, the Picanto comes with Kia's seven-year/100,000 mile warranty and some attractive customer offers are also available at the moment including a generous £1000 finance contribution on a PCP deal. At the other end of the KIA range the seven-seat Sorento SUV has also been redesigned and refreshed to keep it at the top of its game.
This top class family SUV also gets the bonus of a price cut with the new Sorento starting from £41,995 - £3030 less than the model it replaces. The updated model offers three grades to choose from ‘2’, ‘3’ and ‘4’ and all offer stacks of equipment and technology. Each variant is available with the choice of three power plants - a 2.
2-litre diesel, 1.6-litre turbocharged-petrol hybrid, or a 1.6-litre turbocharged-petrol plug-in hybrid at the top of the range.
If you tow caravans or trailers I would stick with the diesel for its grunt, otherwise I would opt for the plug-in model for its tax breaks and economy. The HEV and PHEV Sorento variants are equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission, while diesel models receive an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. The Sorento has now been on sale in the UK for over two decades and this year is celebrating its 21st birthday.
It started out in life as a fairly rugged and basic offering but it is now a luxury product competing with the best in the business. The current fourth-generation model has been on sale since 2020. It now benefits from a refreshed exterior and interior design, and an expanded specification line-up to make it more competitive.
The updated Sorento sees the model take design inspiration from the brand’s all-new electric flagship SUV, the Kia EV9. This includes new vertical headlights and "star map" daytime running lights, with redesigned alloy wheels and a new bonnet design. The car also features a redesigned gloss black radiator grille, as well as black side sill and wheel arch mouldings, which combine to give it a tougher look.
Inside, the Sorento has been modernised with fingerprint recognition, dual curved 12.3-inch displays, ambient lighting, and a customisable head-up display. The new Kia Sorento also features artificial leather and recycled PET cloth throughout the cabin and upholstery.
The diesel models are the cheapest in each grade with petrol hybrid versions priced from £42,995 and the PHEV from £47,295. High specification grade ‘4’ Sorentos cost from £50,695 for the diesel, £51,695 for the hybrid and £55,995 for the plug-in. My favourite was the plug-in model which provided all the luxury and safety features you could want along with a huge amount of space and a mature comfortable ride.
It can also travel up to 35 electric-only miles, making it ideal for short daily commutes. This latest model pushes the Sorento further upmarket and makes it equal to the best in class. It may be much more expensive these days but the Sorento has evolved from being a budget option seven-seater into a car that easily stands comparison with anything else in its class in terms of style, equipment, technology and build quality.
Like all other Kia products it carries the firm's 100,000 mile seven-year warranty. *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here .
And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here ..
