First ever three-door Kia Picanto

Behold, ladies and gentlemen of the Internet, the entirely new and rather delightful Kia Picanto three-door.

This is the first time in the city car's seven-year life it has been treated to a splendid three-door bodyshape, penned by Mr Peter Schreyer, the gentleman responsible for the Audi TT. Why, you cry? Because the market for three-door city cars in the UK is split 55:45 in favour of the five-door. That's a lot of crackers.

See more pics of the new Kia Picanto three door

Kia assures us the dimensions of the new Picanto are ‘identical' to the five-door version, "even though its primary role might not be as a family runabout". Inside, you still get five seats, a big boot and an overall length of less than 3.6 metres.

There are four trim grades and two engines to choose from - a 1.0-litre 68bhp three-pot petrol that returns 67.3mpg and emits 99g/km of CO2 (thus avoiding the tax man's fingers) and a 1.25-litre four-cylinder petrol that produces a helpful 84bhp, 89lb ft of torque and returns 65.7mpg in ‘Halo' EcoDynamics trim.

Standard bits on all trim levels includes a trip computer - a computer! - height-adjustable seats, a CD player with MP3 compatibility, stability control (ESC), ABS, electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist. That's a mighty helping hand should you be slightly rubbish at the city slalom.

The ‘1 Air' model gets air con, the ‘Halo' model adds 14in wheels, heated seats, parking sensors and metallic paint, while ‘Equinox' gives you 15in alloys, auto air con and a premium red upholstery with a high gloss black fascia and gearknob.

The entry-level ‘1' costs just £7,795, rising to £11,695 for the 1.25 ‘Equinox'. The ‘Halo' Auto weighs in at £12,295. You can read our review of the five-door Picanto here, and as you'll no doubt discover, we're quite fond of it. Are you? And would you consider one over a Fiat 500 or Ford Ka? Think not in silence, friends!