Mini 5D Hatch vs Kia Picanto
What's the difference?

Mini 5D Hatch

—

2020 price

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Kia Picanto

$15,190 - $24,990

2024 price

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Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Summary

2020 Mini 5D Hatch

2024 Kia Picanto

By Andrew Chesterton

By Tom White

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Turbo 4, 2.0L

Inline 4, 1.2L

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

6.0L/100km (combined)

5.0L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Potent engine
Tons of grip
Funky cabin ambience

Affordable
Available as a manual!
Deceptively well equipped

Dislikes

Ride can be harsh
Jittery drive experience
Cabin tech overly user friendly

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

2020 Mini 5D Hatch Summary

That the 2020 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works is the most powerful Mini to have landed in Australia isn’t all that surprising. After all, parent company BMW has squeezed the thumping four-cylinder engine from the M135i under its bonnet, and that thing creates a snarling beast of any vehicle it finds a home in.

What is a surprise, though, is that having now driven this angry, crackling, snarling hot hatch, what with its burbling exhaust and properly rapid acceleration, is that it took Mini this long to get around to doing it.

So does the engine upgrade now put the Clubman JCW on the same pedestal as the best European hot hatches? There's only one way to find out.

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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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Deep dive comparison

2020 Mini 5D Hatch 2024 Kia Picanto

Verdict

The Mini Clubman JCW is quirky in a lot of the right ways, and now has a hard-charging engine to up the adrenalin factor. If you were already sold on the idea of joining the Clubman club, this one will steal your heart more than any other.

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.

Mini 5D Hatch vs Kia Picanto What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Mini 5D Hatch vs Kia Picanto
What's the difference?