Of all the questions you need to ask yourself when searching for a Kia Picanto for sale, manual or automatic should be near the top of your list. Most South Africans prefer a manual gearbox to an automatic one because, as a rule of thumb, manual cars are faster, more fuel-efficient, and most driving schools tend to teach with a manual car, so it’s what driving citizens are used to. The Kia Picanto is no different, but there are some merits to using the automatic transmission if that's the way you’re leaning towards. So let's talk about the differences between them.

The Picanto

Let's talk about the Kia Picanto for a moment. The Kia Picanto is an inexpensive, compact, five-door, petrol-engined vehicle that is seemingly perfect for city driving. It has a spacious, ergonomic, and stylish interior with a well-designed dashboard that makes it easy to use. It comes with an automatic option, and while it has been out for a few years now, it can still hold its own on the automobile scene.

The Automatic

The automated manual transmission Kia Picanto excels in several points. First, it’s a more leisurely drive, with only two pedals and no manual gear shift. It adjusts the gears for you to ensure that you have the right gear at any given time, making it ideal for stop-and-go traffic with smooth shifts you won’t even feel. It’s very much a “put it in drive and go” kinda vehicle. Even those trained to drive manual cars could pick it up quickly.

The Manual

Here’s where the Picanto shines. While not as easy to drive as the automatic, the manual version is much more fun to drive. It’s faster, and you’ll save more money on fuel than you would with the automatic variant.

To put it simply, if you buy an automatic Kia Picanto, you are driving a small, five-door city car that is really easy to drive. If you buy the manual Kia Picanto, you’ll be buying a small, five-door city car that is still pretty easy to drive, goes faster, and is more efficient on fuel.

Ultimately, it’s your choice in the end. But so long as you choose the Kia Picanto for sale, you’ll come out tops.