The Picanto’s entry engine option might seem a bit meagre on paper, but in practice it’s a great little motor that suits the Picanto’s peppy character. Of course, if you’re in anything approaching a rush, the only option is to go for the more powerful 1.2 number, though shaving the 0–62mph time down from 15.4s to 13.1s is hardly the stuff of hot hatch legend.
In many ways the Picanto is a delightful analogue riposte to the easy torque of electric vehicles everywhere: it’s light, and you feel a direct connection to the mechanical elements of the car, whether it’s the steering wheel, gearstick or pedals. The Picanto feels chuckable, and has that rental car quality of feeling like it can take a bit of abuse. Not something you can say of many EVs.
