The hot hatch Australia could only get in manual

The 1.0 turbo GT is the only Picanto really worth touching, the 1.25 atmo cars have basically no tuning upside. A custom ECU tune on the turbo can lift boost and clean up the throttle for a noticeable bump in mid-range, but aftermarket support for this platform is thin, so expect a custom approach rather than off-the-shelf parts.

On the stock turbo and standard fuel, a sensible tune typically nets somewhere in the order of 10-15kW and a solid torque gain low down, where this engine already does its best work. It's a small motor, so we tune for drivability and reliability, not headline numbers.

On the GT turbo, a quality intake and a free-flowing exhaust back the tune up nicely, but the tune itself is where the real gain is. On the 1.25 atmo Picanto, save your money, there's little to be had beyond a basic intake and exhaust for noise.

These are robust little cars, but the GT is manual-only in Australia so clutch wear is the main thing to keep an eye on, especially if it's been launched hard. Keep up with oil changes on the direct-injection turbo and don't chase big power on the factory internals.