City roamers
The small city car segment (A segment) is important to two very distinct groups. Young students looking at mobility that matches their lifestyle and older retirees looking for affordable, reliable transport. These two groups place very high significance on cost effective ownership as money is often very tight. We delve into the numbers to see which car you should consider.
Related: Fiat Panda vs Suzuki Ignis vs Mahindra KUV100: here's our winner.
Let's take a look at four categories that influence the overall running costs of these small city cars
Purchase price and depreciation
Fiat Panda 0.9 Twin Air Easy - R 204 900
Volkswagen take up! 1.0 - R 180 900
Kia Picanto 1.0 Start - R 167 995
Based on the pricing for each models' entry level variant, the Kia Picanto comes out tops. The Panda, unfortunately, is the most expensive offering as it comes from Europe and is heavily taxed on import. The up! also comes in from Europe but gets a significant rebate as VW's are also manufactured here in SA.
Fuel efficiency
Fiat Panda 0.9 Twin Air Easy - 4.2l / 100km
Volkswagen take up! 1.0 - 4.6l / 100km
Kia Picanto 1.0 Start - 5.0l / 100km
The Panda runs a small turbo charged, 3 cylinder, 900cc engine which when driven slowly around town should deliver the lowest consumption and the best efficiency at higher altitudes. Our tests have proven otherwise at times and based on the paltry difference between the Picanto and up! it's hard to pick a winner here, so let's take a look at the overall performance figures.
Performance
Fiat Panda 0.9 Twin Air Easy - 63kW / 145Nm
Volkswagen take up! 1.0 - 55kW / 95Nm
Kia Picanto 1.0 Start - 49kW / 95Nm
The NA Picanto is the unfortunate loser here being considerably down on power versus the other two. The Panda benefits from its turbo engine but needs to be driven hard if any type of driver enjoyment is wanted. Taking the middle ground, the VW up! is choice to make here, with the better fuel economy and power output balance of the three.
Warranties and maintenance plans
Fiat Panda 0.9 Twin Air Easy - 3 year / 100 000km warranty and service plan
Volkswagen take up! 1.0 - 5 year / 120 000km warranty, customisable optional service plans
Kia Picanto 1.0 Start - 5 year / unlimited, 3 year / 90 000km service plan
Kia takes the win here with the most comprehensive warranty of the lot. If you are after a customisable service plan that caters to your pocket then the up! is the way to go. The Panda has the shortest coverage period and is also dragged down by the negative brand perception among South Africans.
Verdict
If you are operating on a strict budget the Picanto is the one for you. If you however enjoy choice and options, we can highly recommend the up!, The Panda just doesn't score many wins in these categories but if you are all about Italian flair and style then perhaps the Panda will suit you, we still recommend the Volkswagen up! in this heads up.
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