SMELLS LIKE SPIRITED TEENS
“OH! WON’T SOMEBODY please think of the children!” Or at least the teens.
Over the past few years, more than a handful of sub-$20,000 superminis have vanished from Aussie roads, as importers divert resources towards larger and more profitable SUVs and dual-cab utes.
The list of the bargain-basement dearly departed reads like the In Memoriam at the Oscars: Holden Barina (after 33 years!), Hyundai i20 (and soon Accent), Nissan Micra, Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Up… The carnage is scandalous for lovers of compact, talented miniatures.
Thankfully, some brands still see the sense in taking a punt on a peppy pint-sized runabout, luring buyers of all ages with the hope of nurturing lifelong loyalty. After all, a relationship has to start somewhere, right? So, we’ve corralled a trio of the remaining favourites (in their preferred manual-gearbox guises, naturally) to see which is best and brightest, beginning with the progressive, far-sighted Kia.
Sure, at 3.6 metres long and 1.6m wide, the pert Picanto is a sub-B (or inaccurately named ‘Micro’) class contender, rather than a proper, full-sized supermini. The thing is, though, the Korean/German co-developed five-seater, five-door hatch has hit top form since the latest, third-gen model
