A New Three Door Version of The Kia Picanto Available From November 2011

From the 1st September 2011, the Kia Picanto will be available as a three door bringing with it new trim levels.

Dimensions for the three door Kia Picanto remain the same as for the five door in order to offer the same levels of crash safety and interior space.

The front of the three door Kia Picanto features a larger main grille, available with silver or red trim surrounds. A reprofiled front bumper with a slim, full width lower grille and black bezelled foglamps on the two upper trim grades, gives the car a wider and lower appearance.

At the rear, the bumper sees a rectangular black central section which gives the Kia Picanto three door a more sporty appearance, enhanced by twin chromed exhaust outlets as apposed to the hidden single tailpipe of the five door.

The Kia Picanto three door has its own colour options and trims. The entry-level Kia Picanto 1 or 1 Air -featuring air conditioning - comes with all black upholstery. Two other models are available, Halo and Equinox, instead of 2 and 3 available for the five door Picanto. Halo trim comes with a black and grey interior trim, Equinox features a premium 'Chili' red finish.

Brand new 1.0 and 1.25 litre Kappa-family petrol engines are available for the Kia Picanto three door, offering fuel efficiency of up to 67.3mpg with CO2 emissions of 99g/km. A larger engine with Kia's EcoDynamics fuel saving technology is also available,.

The three cylinder 1.0 litre engine delivers 68bhp and 95Nm of torque. The 1.25 litre engine, available in three forms, all develop 84bhp and 121Nm of torque. In standard setup, it delivers 60.1mpg, with a four speed automatic transmission, 53.3mpg and the EcoDynamics version - with Intelligent Stop & Go engine stop/start system, offers fuel consumption of 65.7mpg.

Standard features on all versions include a trip computer, height-adjustable seat, a tilt-adjustable steering column and Motor Driven Power Steering. In-car entertainment is provided by a RDS radio and CD player with MP3 compatibility. The Kia Picanto 1, 1 Air, and Halo have four speakers while Picanto Equinox has six. Halo and Equinox models also feature USB and AUX ports, an iPod cable and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

Both the Kia Picanto Halo and Equinox models feature Bluetooth connectivity with voice recognition, automatic lights, LED front daytime running lights and LED rear lights, body-coloured side sill mouldings and a red front red grille surround.

The Kia Picanto Halo sees 14 inch alloys, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, reverse parking sensors, alloy pedals and Kia's electronic instrument binnacle, Supervision Cluster. For the interior, the black and grey upholstery features alongside a high gloss white centre fascia and steering wheel arm. The Kia Picanto Halo is finished in Lunar Glow metallic paint.

For the Kia Picanto Equinox, the interior features the red 'Chili' upholstery with contrasting high gloss black fascia and gearknob. On the exterior, 15 inch alloy wheels in a telephone-dial style design and Galaxy Black metallic paintwork. Automatic air conditioning and a smart key with a start/stop button are on top of the shared level of specification.

All Kia Picanto three door models versions have electronic stability control (ESC), anti-lock brakes (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) to apportion stopping effort to the wheels with most traction, and emergency brake assist system (BAS).