Kia Picanto busted at 175km/h while driver watches videos on phone. Also a Kia Picanto can do 175km/h

The driver of a Kia Picanto has been busted by police travelling at 175km/h – while watching videos on her mobile phone.  

NSW Police says highway patrol officers detected the red pint-sized hatchback travelling at 175km/h on the Hume Highway south of Gundagai – about halfway between Sydney and Melbourne – in the middle of the day on 6 September 2023. 

When officers stopped the vehicle they noticed YouTube music videos playing on a mobile phone that was mounted in a holder attached to the mirror.

"The driver's licence was suspended immediately for a period of six months," a statement posted on social media by NSW Police said. 

A strong tailwind and a long downhill run likely offered some assistance for the Kia Picanto to hit that speed. 

It is quite slow even by hatchback standards.

The most powerful version of the Kia Picanto has a tiny turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol engine (74kW/172Nm) and a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 10 seconds – fractionally quicker than most diesel double-cab utes.

Meantime it's not the only example of drivers busted at astronomical speeds – despite the threat of hefty penalties and the risk of licence and registration cancellations.

In January this year a 20-year-old learner driver was allegedly clocked at 253km/h behind the wheel of a Holden ute in Adelaide. 

Two years ago a stolen BMW sped through the Sydney Harbour Tunnel at a claimed 198km/h.