2008 Kia Picanto

By Dr Long

The cute little Kia Picanto has undergone a mid-cycle facelift to refresh its looks and renew buyers’ interest. Nicking aesthetic cues from the Kia Cee’d, minor updates are made on the interior. Meanwhile, the front now sports a visibly ‘softer’ visage, mostly contributed by a set of rounder headlamps and slimmer-lower-wider grille. Apart from a redesigned rear bumper, the rear light’s elements has been rearranged. The 2008 Picanto is now 40 mm longer - a total length of 3,535 mm – with most of the extra length contributed by the extended frontal fascia and slightly bulkier rear bumper. Engine range and wheelbase however, remain the same.

With NAZA assembling and rebadging the pre-facelift Picanto as the Suria, and likely committed to a certain contracted number of CKD packs from South Korea, it is unlikely that Malaysians will see the facelifted Picanto as the ‘new’ Naza Suria anytime soon.