Kia Picanto: Everything you need

Retirement, it’s going to be ok, not that it’s looming with my outgoings.

A review of the old pension pot tells me two things; it will be some time before I hang up the gloves and when I finally have to, I’m going to be impoverished.

The biggest shocker is that when income is limited to the state handout and the miniscule pension accrued while being a slave to the wage, ie before working for myself, it’s unlikely those great credit-mongers who have been extending me PCPs for years are likely to be impressed.

That means I’m likely to have to buy a car outright, something I haven’t done since I was about 35.

Now that’s a worry as I don’t seem to have large bundles of cash stashed anywhere to reflect my four decades on the job. What have I been doing?

But I now know that I’ll be ok as I’ve just driven the new Kia Picanto, which is everything you could possibly need from a car but has an affordable price tag and an amazingly long warranty.

Let’s face it I won’t need much carrying capacity as children will be under their own steam by then so a little car will be fine.

As I sit on the motorway at 70mph the thought strikes me I wouldn’t be going any faster if I was behind the wheel of a Ferrari.

I might get by the slow-movers a tad quicker with a prancing horse, but on this occasion the 62PS available will have to do and generally the pleasantly rorty 1.0 three cylinder petrol engine is more than enough for the job – and it will return 60mpg which will mean that I’ll be able to afford to go further for my morning coffee.

In town it is better still. Picanto fairs zips away from the lights, can slot through the narrowest of gaps and is so easy to park making it a stress-free means of transport. It also has a great turning circle making it especially nimble.

On the open road Picanto thinks it’s a go-kart and enjoys being driven with a bit of vigour, the slick five-speed box being the perfect mate to the willing motor to keep things moving along nicely.

It’s getting dull out, oh goody, that gives me an excuse to switch the lights on. New-look Picanto has the grooviest lights ever. The whole front seems to light up around the grille to give it spacecraft-like illuminations. The back lighting is funky too.

Inside, the dash is positively retro, with knobs to grab and twist for the heating and fan and switches for all the other main stuff. There is a touchscreen and useful infotainment but it is easy to use and I love the dash for its simplicity, so it will be perfect for my dulling brain.

Strangely Picanto not only appeals to the more mature driver in search of a bargain and decent running costs, the teenage boy likes it too. He’ll be learning to drive next year and this could well end up on his shopping list, and why not?

Both of us will love the trouble-free seven year warranty, in fact the car could very well last longer than I do.

So thanks Picanto for putting my troubled mind at rest. I’ve a bit to do yet but it is comforting to know that when the time comes there is a great little car out there to carry me into retirement.