Put off by pink? Kia has white answer

I ONCE proved to myself that I was not entirely happy about driving around in a pink car, writes Standard motoring correspondent Nigel Wigmore.

No matter how hard I tried, by the end of a week’s test driving a pink supermini, I was more than ready to give the car back. Was I being “macho but not mucho”, as the veteran movie star Zsa Zsa Gabor used to say? Yes, that could be one way of describing my attitude to a man in a pink car. But I was just being honest. I could not hack it in the pink.

So it was with some amusement that I read that Kia is making its pocket-sized Picanto now available in pink!

I am not saying that I will not be man enough to drive it. All I can say on that front is wait and see. But Kia even admits this is girl territory: in its press release it says: “Adding a splash of girly colour to the Picanto line-up, Fuchsia Blush is now available to order on the 5-door model on grades ‘2’ and ‘3’ priced at the standard metallic paint price of £445.”

But help is at hand for male drivers of the excellent Picanto. Kia goes on to say: “If pink isn’t your colour then there is also an all-new version of Kia’s city car the Picanto ‘White’. Uniquely available with Clear White paintwork, and in three-door guise, this highly-specified model sits at the top of the Picanto line-up.”

The Picanto ‘White’ model arrives with automatic air conditioning, Bluetooth with voice recognition, iPod connectivity, a six-speaker stereo system and reversing sensors. Electrically folding and heated door mirrors with integrated LED indicators, ‘welcome’ and ‘follow-me-home’ lighting, steering wheel mounted controls, a trip computer and a smart key entry system with Start/Stop button are also all part of the comprehensive equipment list.

On the outside, Picanto ‘White’ has anthracite five-spoke 15-inch alloy wheels, colour-coded side sill mouldings, a black ‘tiger nose’ grille with quirky red surround, LED daytime running lights, as well as distinctive LED rear combination lamps and a dual chrome-tipped exhaust.

The white theme continues on the inside with bright gloss white trim on the steering wheel, dashboard fascia and gear lever. A black cloth upholstery, with part-leather inserts, leather steering wheel and gear lever and alloy pedals complete the look.

Picanto ‘White’ is powered by a 1.25-litre petrol engine with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. Developing 84bhp at 6,000rpm and 89 lb/ft torque at 4,000 rpm the ‘White’ has a top-speed, in manual guise, of 106mph and completes the 0-60mph dash in 11 seconds. The automatic version has a top speed of 101mph and does 0-60mph in 12.9 seconds.

The Picanto ‘White’ is available to order priced at £11,745 for the 1.25-litre manual version and £12,435 for the 1.25-litre automatic.