2011 Kia Picanto 5 doors Photos, engines & full specs

Created as the cheapest car in Kia's lineup, the Picanto's second generation came with a bold design and shared its platform with the i10 from Hyundai.

Designed by Peter Schreyer, who also penned the TT for Audi, the second generation of the Picanto showed a bold look, and it dared to hit the European market exactly where the French and Italian automakers were stronger: in the supermini segment.

While creating an attractive vehicle in this segment was difficult, Kia still tried its luck. Thus, Schreyer penned the car with high-mounted headlights above a fat bumper that sported the main grille and a set of side scoops for the fog lamps. From its profile, the five-door version received a sculptured, ascending line that crossed both doors towards the car's end. At the back, the slightly tilted forward tailgate was flanked by the taillights.

Inside, the automaker tried to offer a neat design for the dashboard with a two-color option. Still, the sound system placed between the vents didn't look as good as those installed in other cars from the market. Moreover, while at the front, there was enough room for two passengers seated in high-mounted bucket seats, and there was limited legroom in the back, even for two people.

Under the hood, Kia installed a small choice of gasoline engines and ditched the oil burners from the previous version.