You’ve heard of small man syndrome? We’ll if there’s a small car syndrome, the facelifted Kia Picanto is definitely suffering from it. Images of the heavily revised 2024 car have leaked online and let’s just say it’s not short on attitude.
The images of the Hyundai i10’s cousin that appeared on a number of forums and websites including The Korean Car Blog and Autospy show a much squarer front end with a flatter face and a hood that appears to be slightly taller than before. The headlight are now stacked vertically and it looks like they might be connected by a transverse light bar sandwiched between the new-style Kia logo and a grille with more than a hint of Mini Cooper about it.
At the rear of this sporty-looking GT-Line car we can see another new set of lights, again joined by a transverse light bar, a new hatch and a new bumper, in this case fitted with a comical lower diffuser to deliver that crucial bit of extra downforce as you navigate the school car park.
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A solitary interior image appears to show a new digital instrument cluster, though we’ll have to wait until the end of June to find out if that’s reserved for high-spec models, and also if Kia has any changes planned for the 66 hp (67 PS) and 99 hp (100 PS) 1.0-liter drivetrains.
The current Picanto already looks like an angry little car thanks to its swept-back headlights and a big lower grille that looks like a shouty mouth. But the new one has a ton more presence, and that’s no bad thing. City cars are the very lowest step on the new-car ladder and they can often look a bit feeble and insubstantial, but the 2024 changes make for a much tougher, more confident Picanto.
More importantly, they give Kia’s most affordable car a helping of the brand’s new design language, bringing it into line with recently introduced or revealed models like the Sportage, Niro and EV9 electric SUV.
