Kia Picanto vs Audi S1
What's the difference?

Kia Picanto

$15,190 - $24,990

2024 price

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Audi S1

—

2015 price

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Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Summary

2024 Kia Picanto

2015 Audi S1

By Tom White

By Peter Anderson

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Inline 4, 1.2L

Turbo 4, 2.0L

Fuel Type

Unleaded Petrol

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

5.0L/100km (combined)

7.1L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Affordable
Available as a manual!
Deceptively well equipped

Sensational engine
Quattro drivetrain
Great chassis

Dislikes

Minimal interior upgrades for 2024
Feeling its age
Fuel consumption is so-so

Price
The interior is a bit dull
Stiff ride

2024 Kia Picanto Summary

If you're feeling the cost of living sting, there's a good chance you've scaled back your ambitions for your next new car. You may have even looked at some of Australia's most affordable brand-new vehicles and the Kia Picanto is one of them.

It's one of the few brand-new options left with a before-on-roads starting price of under $20,000 and it's one of the few non-performance models left which can still be chosen as a manual.

It's one thing to be affordable, though, and quite another to be good value - so does the freshly updated 2024 Picanto have what it takes to stack up against more expensive options? Let's take a look.

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2015 Audi S1 Summary

Spoilt. That's what we are. If you're in the market for a hot hatch, you can have your pick of German-built and French ones from as little as $27,000. There isn't a dud among them now that the VW Polo GTI has had a bit of an update and you can pick and choose your style. Audi's S1 is aiming to be king of the kids with its stiffly-priced S1.

Set the finances aside and consider for a moment what's on offer. As it turns out, a lot.

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Deep dive comparison

2024 Kia Picanto 2015 Audi S1

Verdict

Australians are moving into ever-larger vehicles when really we should be embracing the small car now more than ever. It's great Kia is still here, with its Picanto showing what can be offered in such a compact form-factor.

While it's not as affordable as it once was, it looks like it won't be long before Kia is the last torchbearer of sub-$20k starter cars. Even so, this is a great choice for buyers on strict budgets.

Verdict

Cars this small shouldn't be this fast and useable at the same time, but the Audi S1 is. It isn't without its problems - the ride is harder even than the Fiesta ST which might weary some prospective buyers.

It's also a bit difficult to justify the price - in its basic form it's missing a few creature comforts that you'd expect in a $50,000 car - reversing camera, high-res screen, that sort of thing.

However, in the hot hatch world, those things don't matter. It has the bragging rights, the tech and the outright blinding speed to take on the bonkers Focus ST and equally zany Megane RS. And even the Audi S3.

Kia Picanto vs Audi S1 What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Kia Picanto vs Audi S1
What's the difference?