Kia Carens will be offered in three engine choices and it can be had as either a six- or a seven-seater
Kia India unveiled the Carens in December 2021 and its bookings opened across authorised showrooms present in the country last month. The Carens has already begun reaching dealerships across India and its official price announcement will be held on February 15, 2022. Kia calls the Carens a recreational vehicle and it has its styling influenced by an MPV and an SUV.
The Kia Carens will be offered in six- and seven-seater configurations and for easy access to the third row, it gets a one-touch tumble function. Folding the rear row will give plenty of cargo room as the Carens is one of the practical offerings in the midsize space targetting family audience. The Carens comes with a single-pane sunroof as the Seltos as well.
While some of its competitors offer a panoramic sunroof, Kia decided against it as the rear occupants get individual roof-mounted air conditioning vents. The Carens is available with plenty of storage areas as cubby holes, regular seatback mounted trays, under trays, cup holders, individual smart air purifier and AC blower, adjustable headrests, etc further enhance its practicality.
The three-row UV will compete against Maruti Suzuki XL6, Mahindra Marazzo, Hyundai Alcazar and entry-level variants of the Toyota Innova Crysta and is expected to be priced competitively in the range between Rs. 13.5 lakh and Rs. 19 lakh (ex-showroom). The Carens is underpinned by the stretched version of the Seltos’ platform and it has a longer wheelbase than Innova Crysta.
It will be sold across five variants and three engine options and features a slew of premium equipment onboard. The Kia Carens gets a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system neatly integrated into the dashboard, a dual-tone interior theme, an all-digital instrument console, cruise control, a flat-bottom steering wheel with mounted controls, wireless charging pad, five USB-C charging ports, etc.
As for the performance, the Carens uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine developing 115 PS and 144 Nm, a 1.5-litre diesel delivering 115 PS and 250 Nm and a 1.4-litre turbo petrol kicking out 140 PS and 242 Nm. The transmission choices are a six-speed manual, a six-speed torque converter automatic, and a seven-speed DCT.