I am looking for a 7-seater manual car which is easy to maintain. My budget is around ₹15 lakh. My annual running is 80% on the highway and 20% in the city. I am confused between two options: Carens or Clavis. Please advise which one I should pick and whether to go for a petrol manual or a diesel manual.

Autocar India

•4d

With your budget of Rs 15 lakh, you can move past the Kia Carens and up to the Carens Clavis, which is essentially a facelift of the Carens, with more features and an additional engine option. The trickier choice is which engine to choose, between the 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel, both of which are available with a manual.

The diesel is the more obvious choice, given that your usage is 80% on the highway, where the additional torque will be beneficial, not to mention the better mileage. However, in your budget, you'll only get it in the base HTE spec. If that's fine with you, then you should go ahead with that; otherwise, note that the Carens 1.5 petrol MT is available in the higher HTE (EX) trim, with more features.

You could also consider the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, which comes in petrol and CNG guises, has lower maintenance costs, and is far more affordable than the Kia.

Explore cars mentioned

Maruti Suzuki

Ertiga

from ₹9.97 Lakh

Kia

Carens Clavis

from ₹12.90 Lakh

Kia

Carens

from ₹12.80 Lakh

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Latest questions people are discussing

Nik

•2w

Hello Autocar Team, I am planning to buy a new car and would appreciate your advice. In my family, we are four adults and one child, and we usually travel around 1,000 km round-trip once a month or once every two months. City driving is very minimal. Sometimes we also travel with five adults and two kids, which is why I am considering a 7-seater. However, I am confused whether it would be better to buy a 5-seater or a 7-seater, considering that such full-capacity trips happen only occasionally. My budget is around ₹15 lakh, and I am currently considering the Kia Carens Clavis. Would this be the right choice for my usage pattern and family size? If yes, which variant would you recommend within my budget? Alternatively, should I wait for the upcoming three-row version of the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara from Nexa? Would that be a better long-term option compared to buying now?

Autocar India

•14h

It definitely makes sense for you to go for a 7-seat vehicle, given how you will be using it. These days, the price premium isn't too much more compared to an equivalent size 5-seater. Long trips for five would be more comfortable if the fifth passenger had a separate seat. Plus, your kid will grow, and eventually, the five-seater will feel like a squeeze. The Kia Carens Clavis is the best option, offering you a spacious and flexible interior, with good quality, comfort and decent features. However, in your budget, you'll only be able to get a low-spec variant. If you want more features, a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is a much better value and a capable 7-seat MPV too. Sadly, plans for the 7-seat Grand Vitara have been shelved for now.

Kia Carens Clavis

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

Senthil Kumar J

•4d

Hi, I am stuck between two cars with specific models: Tata Safari Adventure+ (Petrol, Automatic TC) at ₹22.62 lakh and Kia Carens Clavis 2025 model HTX(O), DVT petrol at ₹22.06 lakh (I am getting ₹2.5 lakh discount for the 2025 model in Gravity Grey). I plan to keep the car for the next 15 years. I live in a nearby town of Bangalore and don’t drive inside the city much. It's mostly towns and highways, with occasional city visits to malls. Average driving is less than 1000 km monthly. The 7-seater requirement is just a few times a year (when I club my sister's family).

Autocar India

•2d

Between the two, the Kia Carens Clavis HTX(O) petrol automatic is the better choice. It will feel easier to drive on highways and around town, and since you only need the third row a few times a year, its seating layout will work perfectly well without carrying the size and weight of a larger SUV every day.The Tata Safari does offer stronger road presence and a higher seating position, but it is a bigger and heavier vehicle to live with on a daily basis. Given your limited running and the strong Rs 2.5 lakh discount you are getting on the Carens Clavis, it also represents better overall value.

Kia Carens Clavis

Tata Safari

Ashish

•1w

Hi Autocar Expert, I currently own a Tata Nexon XZA diesel and am planning to upgrade. However, I have a major parking constraint at my home. I am interested in the Toyota Innova Hycross, but if it is parked in my parking space, the doors cannot be opened properly due to limited space. Because of this, I am considering buying a car that offers an automatic or self-parking feature. Could you please guide me on which cars offer this feature and would suit my situation?

Autocar India

•15h

Auto parking might not solve your problem if your parking space is too narrow to open the doors. The summon feature that the Tata Harrier EV gets could be of some use, but it won’t fit your requirements if you need a three-row vehicle like the Toyota Innova Hycross.Instead, we suggest you take a look at the Kia Carens Clavis. It is narrower than the Hycross by about 45-50mm and is roughly the same width as your Nexon, so it should fit in your parking space. In terms of interior volume, while it is not as spacious as the Hycross, it offers plenty of room in the second row and a genuinely usable third row.

Tata Harrier EV

Toyota Innova HyCross

Kia Carens Clavis

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