The third-generation Kia Morning compact hatchback has been on the road for three years and it's the ideal opportunity for the city car to undergo a minor change for the 2021 model year. Called Morning Urban, the latest minor change adds some more life to the third-generation model while balancing the things that are right with the things that are wrong. Let's take a look at the latest minor change.
2021 Kia Morning
The latest minor change for the Kia Morning features a revised front face complete with a reworked grille, new LED lamps, and new front bumper design while the rear view's slightly changed with new rear lamps, new rear bumpers, and for all the wrong reasons, faux exhaust tips to fool motorists from behind. Quite a tricky little city car, eh?
2021 Kia Morning interior
2021 Kia Morning interior
Before complaining about the facelift's rear design controversy thanks to the faux rear tips bolted to the rear bumpers, let's take a look at the interior because for the minor change, the interior's mildly revised with refined instrumental paneling, revised climate control switches, and an even bigger sat-nav from last time complete with revised UVO into the mainframe. You can even opt-in for optional driver's side seat ventilation to make it feel premium because the interior really feels premium for the drivers.
2021 Kia Morning
The Morning Urban features a brand new Smartstream G 1.0 MPi engine, which replaces the old 1.0L Eco Prime Kappa 3-cylinder engine from the pre-facelifted engine of the old model. Although the power output remains at 76PS, the torque output is down by 1Nm from the old engine, which doesn't mean much for them, and when mated to a 4-speed AT, fuel economy is now 15.7km/L combined, quite an improvement of course.
Safety is the top priority for the minor change and with that, the Morning Urban features a windscreen camera capable of using lane departure warning and lane departure assist as well as blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. With this, this facelift makes it one of the safest compact cars you can buy.
The Morning Urban starts at 11,750,000 Korean won (around $12,000) and while slightly more expensive than the old one, it's still the cheapest Kia you can buy.
If you didn't mind about the faux rear tips as well as the torque drop from its new engine and care about its tech and fuel economy, this recently facelifted Morning isn't quite bad at all. It drives nicely all of the time and that's it.
Available colors: Clear White, Milky Beige, Titanium Silver, Shiny Red, Sparkling Silver, Aurora Black Pearl, and Honeybee
Kia Motors starts the year 2017 with a brand new car and this is none other than the all-new, third-generation, Kia Morning (Picanto) compact hatchback, and because this is an all-new model that succeeds where the previous less-adored generations left off with new stuff that will take lots of time to learn more from this full model change. So, let's find out what's what about the all-new Morning.
2017 Kia Morning
2017 Kia Morning
Focusing on the exterior, the new model's design sees a much better improvement compared to the previous model. When I said improvement, look closely at the new exterior design. It feels like it came from the latest K5 judging from a sharper take on Kia's signature Tiger Nose grille as well as the headlamps look very similar to the K5 as well. As for the back, it's very reminiscent of the Hyundai Accent, although it's even sharper to look at compared to the previous model. As a result, the new Morning's design promises to be something special for the customers, although what this car does is yet to be felt.
2017 Kia Morning interior
Inside, it still remains skeptical hidden beneath its exciting design. Even if you are toying around with the new tech with smartphone connectivity, climate control, new instrumental cluster, sporty interior coordinates, and much more of what this new car can offer, especially with its five-seater capability and added space for some usual shenanigans, you are still wondering what will this new car be hidden beneath its exciting new design, unless if you can go deeper to find out.
2017 Kia Morning
If you can go deeper through this car, the all-new Morning sees a much major improvement compared to the last model. The body is now 44% made out of a super high strength steel plate with 67m of structural adhesive for the car's body as well. Not only it feels slightly lighter than the previous model but it is more durable and more robust than the previous model, making this foundation a much stronger base in an event of a collision.
Apart from the more durable bodywork, the Morning is powered by the brand new 1.0L Eco Prime Kappa 3-cylinder engine with the firsts from this category such as cooled EGR, OVC on the CVVT, and separate cooling flow stop valves. With these new engine features, it produces 76PS of power and class-leading 15.4km/L of fuel economy (or perhaps higher or lower depending on the variant). It can be mated with either a 4-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual gearbox.
The new Morning comes with the category's first features such as Torque Vectoring Brake Based system, which transfers the power to the outer wheel while braking for better handling, Straight Line Stability, which controls the unstable phenomenon of leaning to the left or right when braking in the event of braking on the straights, Vehicle Stability Management +, and Autonomous Emergency Brake, With numerous active and passive safety features offered, the new Morning is all about being prepared in the case of the inevitable.
With prices starting at 10,750,000 Korean Won (P460,000/$9,300), it still is one of the most affordable cars ever offered in South Korea, although some small price to pay for delivery charges and optional extras you are gunning for. Still, with the robust backbone, a more efficient petrol engine, and some new tech, the new Morning really is a compact car that can really ring in the new year with a bit of pop rather than a bang. Yep, Kia really is starting a New Year with pop with the arrival of the Morning's full model change.
Available colors: Crystal White (Black/Metal), Crystal White (Lime Point), Milky Beige (Black/Metal), Milky Beige (Red Point), Aurora Black Pearl (Metal Point), Aurora Black Pearl (Red Point), Sparkling Silver, Shiny Red, Titanium Silver, and Aries Blue.
The second-generation Kia Morning (Picanto to the world market) has been around for four years since its early 2011 debut and now, it has been given a minor facelift to keep it fresh for what's ahead for the second-generation model.
For this facelift, the updated second-generation model features a slightly revised front rear bumpers with new fog lights, refreshed signature grille, new alloy wheels, and that's about it. No further changes on its interior though. It still looks pretty much the same as the pre-facelifted one.
2015 Kia Morning interior
2015 Kia Morning interior
For the first time, the 2015 minor change Morning offers a turbocharged 1.0L 3-cylinder engine as well as a Bi-Fuel variant. The turbo model produces 106PS of power and 14kg-m of torque while mated exclusively with a CVT gearbox. Fuel economy is a shy 14.0km/L.
The 1.0L Bi-Fuel, on the other hand, is powered not just on petrol but on LPG as well. It retains the same 78PS power output as the regular 1.0L engine while mated with either a 4AT or 5MT but fuel economy figures can vary depending on the source of fuel it runs. Running on petrol, fuel economy may be about 15.8km/L but running on LPG alone will return about 13.2km/L of fuel economy.
Let's not forget that in the normal 1.0L 3-cylinder engine, the fuel economy is about 15.2km/L for the 4AT variant and 16.2km/L for the 5MT variant.
2015 Kia Morning
The 2015 minor change Kia Morning now starts at 9,500,000 up to 14,400,000 Korean Won, depending on the variant.
Available Colors: Galaxy Black, Bright Silver, Milky Beige, Original White, Titanium Silver, Alice Blue, Dazzling Blue, Celestial Blue, Signal Red, and Cherry Pink
The second-generation Kia Morning (Picanto) was launched in late January 2011 and we waited 4 months for this. With its Philippine arrival, can the new Picanto stand out against its rival made in Korea such is the Chevrolet Spark (designed and engineered from GM Korea Company)?
Well, whatever. I already compared both the Spark and the Morning and like I said, the Spark has a better design while the new Morning/Picanto is fuel efficient. Why not find out for yourselves? As of press time, only four colors are available for the Philippine-spec Morning/Picanto such as Titanium Silver, Signal Red, Clear White, and Lemon Grass. Intro price is 545k Philippine Pesos for the manual grade while the AT grade costs 599k Philippine Pesos.
2011 Kia Sportage R
If you guys asking when will the Kia Sportage R arrive in the Philippines, CAC President Ginia Domingo has an answer for you guys. She said the new Kia Sportage R will arrive this June 2011. I hope she won't delay it! Cross our fingers, guys! And we're ahead from Malaysia!
Yes, both of these fuel-efficient compacts were made in South Korea. The Kia Morning was made in Seosan, South Korea, while the Chevrolet Spark, in the other hand, was made in Changwon, South Korea. For the fact, the Kia Morning is now on its second-generation model while the Chevrolet Spark is the new name of the GM Daewoo Matiz Creative since the GM Daewoo name was replaced into GM Korea Company, using the Chevrolet brand as their front. The Spark was arrived in the Philippines a few months ago while we are still waiting when will Columbian Autocar Corporation bring the second-generation Morning as the new Picanto (2nd half of this year perhaps?). Let's tackle both of these Korean made compacts and try to figure which fits my discriminative taste.
CASE ONE:
First of all, the second-generation Kia Morning (known worldwide as the Picanto) takes center stage in the compact category since it was debuted in late January 2011. Come to think of it, the design looks more matured since the first generation but to me the round shape on the new exterior looks more bubbly and chubby, making it one big fat compact car others wouldn't know what comes next. Under the hood, the new Morning is equipped with the Kappa MPI 1.0L engine that produces 82ps/6400rpm and in terms of fuel economy, the 4-speed automatic variant can go for about 19km/L while the 5-speed manual transmission goes to about 22km/L.
CASE TWO:
As always said, the Chevrolet Spark from Hankook GM (GM Korea Company) is the new name of GM Daewoo Matiz Creative as part of replacing the highly criticized GM Daewoo Auto and Technology name into Hankook GM (GM Korea Company), using the internationally-acclaimed Chevrolet as a primary brand in Korea. Other cars from GM Daewoo such as the Damas van, Labo truck, and the premium sedan Alpheon (based on the second-generation Buick LaCrosse) retains under unique brands. Anyway, enough what I said, the Chevrolet Spark offers the best design only this compact hatchback can achieve, unlike its rival, the second-generation Kia Morning, which has some weird bubbly and chubby look. The Spark offers two engine types; a 1.0L DOHC petrol engine and a 1.0L LPGi engine that runs on Liquefied Petroleum Gas. The 1.0L DOHC petrol engine produces 70ps/6,400rpm of power output and with a 5-speed manual, it goes for about 21.0km/L of fuel economy. The 4-speed automatic transmission equipped on the Spark can go for about 17.0km/L.
OK, so I admit it. The Spark is more stylish than the new Morning/Picanto while the new Morning/Picanto is more fuel efficient than the Chevrolet Spark made from Hankook GM.
Launched in 2004, the Kia Morning (known worldwide as the Picanto) is the replacement to the Hyundai Atoz-based Visto and it revolutionizes the Korean compact by storm. It even got itself a minor change in 2008 to appeal more. Here in the Philippines, the Kia Morning is more of a decent rival to the Hyundai i10, Toyota Yaris, and Suzuki Celerio. Now, the Morning lost its luster because of heavily advanced rival compacts and leaving this compact Kia car to a complete surrender. However, things has changed for the Morning as January 24, 2011 saw its full model change.
2012 Kia Morning
Thanks to the Peter Schreyer design, the Kia Morning is now more stylish than ever and life as we know it, the new Morning is essentially more of a miniature version of the Europe-only Venga MPV. I guess this new model has a striking design than the third-generation Toyota Vitz/Yaris and the Nissan March K13, but the Daewoo Matiz Creative/Chevrolet Spark has a better design than the new, second-generation Kia Morning. Let's face it Korean car fans, this second-generation Morning is much more better than the previous one thanks to the new design philosophy thanks to Mr. Peter Schreyer himself. If it hits in Europe, this will shock the Citroen C1 and the Peugeot 107 for sure.
2012 Kia Morning
One thing to know about the new Kia Morning is the eco-car status; The Kappa 1.0-litre Multi Port Injection engine is capable of the power output of 82PS/6400rpm and it comes in 4-speed automatic and 5-speed manual. For fuel economy, the 4AT grade has the fuel economy of 19km/L while the 5MT grade has the fuel economy of a doubled 22km/L. What can I say? I guess the manual transmission variant of the new Morning makes it perfect for starters but for those who need some "easy driving" on the city streets, the automatic transmission may come in handy.
For safety, the new Morning comes with six airbags, HAC (Hill Assist Control), disc brakes, Vehicle Stability Management, power steering, and side windows automatically lowers down when incoming objects are nearby these windows. This Korean compact car made it more concern for the driver and passenger, at least this is how the new Morning behaves like.
2012 Kia Morning interior
2012 Kia Morning interior
On the inside, the new Kia Morning is a whole different view to tell. One glance of this new interior and someone might say that this is much better than the Suzuki Celerio and Hyundai i10 combined! On front view, the Morning is much more like a shrunken version of the popular Kia K5/Optima sedan, and it has the heated steering wheel found on the K7 and K5. There are five panel colors available to make a good look out of the new Morning; Black High Gloss, Soft Orange, Metal Silver, Metal Beige, and Gray. The seating comes in three colors; black, orange, and gray. Good to know that there is an available option where you can connect your iPod and listen to your music stored from your iPod while joyriding the new Kia Morning.
The new Morning comes in ten delicious colors to choose from;
1) Alice Blue
2) Bright Silver
3) Cafe Moka
4) Galaxy Black
5) Honey Bee
6) Lemon Grass
7) Milky Beige
8) Original White
9) Signal Red
10) Titanium Silver
My thoughts about the Morning;
The Kappa 1.0L Multi-Port Injection engine, the new design, the new interior, ten colors, nothing makes it more interesting than the full model change of the Kia Morning. It debuted in South Korea, and soon it will make a global debut in Geneva Motor Show this March. I just hope that Columbian Automobile Corporation will bring the Morning's full model change as the new Picanto and this is surely much better than the Hyundai i10 and the Suzuki Celerio combined. Speaking of much, there is so much getting to know about the Morning's full model change and I think this is enough for now.
Believe me, the new Morning is much better than the Hyundai i10 and the Suzuki Celerio in the design category. If it arrives in the Philippines soon, imagine an endless possibilities you can do with the new Morning/Picanto. Showing this up on SCTEX, SLEX, or NLEX really wows the traffic crowd, and I mean it.
Ahead for Geneva debut this March, this must be how the full model change of the Kia Picanto (Morning) looks like.
In the tradition of the Peter Schreyer design language, the new Picanto or Morning now made even more aggressive. This looks like the Euro-only Kia Venga and it looks much better than the 2011 Toyota Vitz/Yaris!
Kia Venga
Toyota Vitz RS '11
Expect more details about the Picanto/Morning's full model change soon!
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