Kia Carens Clavis vs Carens: differences explained

Kia has just debuted the new Carens Clavis in India as a more premium alternative to the regular Carens. It is essentially a facelift of the Carens, which means it gets an updated design, a new interior with more features, and a slight variation in the powertrain line-up. The new Clavis doesn’t replace the older Carens, and both models will be sold alongside each other. So, let’s take a closer look at what sets the new Kia Carens Clavis apart from the regular Carens.

Kia Carens Clavis vs Carens exterior design

Sharper, more EV-like design

As is typical of most facelifts, the updates to Carens Clavis are just for the soft parts – it gets new headlamps and tail-lamps, new bumpers and alloy wheels.

Kia Carens Clavis vs Carens front quarter

The fascia adopts Kia’s latest design language seen on its EVs – the EV5 in particular – with a new triangular headlamp design and a 3-pod lighting element. There’s also a new inverted L-shaped connected LED daytime running lamp signature that spans the width of the MPV and drops down into the headlamps. The bumper on the Clavis has a far cleaner look, the chrome on the chin area has been substituted with a silver satin finish, and there’s more generous use of black plastic cladding. The Carens, meanwhile, distinguishes itself with a contrasting black trim surrounding the headlamps and the grille area.

In profile, the only notable change is a new design for the dual-tone alloy wheels, which are now a size larger at 17 inches (top-spec Carens only gets 16-inch wheels), and the side door cladding has a more prominent brushed silver trim. At the rear, the tail-lamps are sharper and have new LED detailing. The band connecting the two units is illuminated, and lower down, the bumper garnish is more prominent, with a satin silver finish instead of a chrome one.   

Kia Carens Clavis vs Carens side profile

Kia Carens Clavis vs Carens interior

More upmarket interior, larger screens

The updates to the interior are more notable as the Clavis adopts a new floating, connected screen setup, which has necessitated a complete redesign of the dashboard. The Carens, meanwhile, has a dashboard-integrated touchscreen and a separate digital instrument cluster. The screens have also grown considerably in size – 12.3 inches on the Clavis as opposed to 10.25 inches on the Carens. Another distinction is that the Carens has a gloss finish for the dashboard, while the Clavis gets a matte texture.

There’s also a new HVAC control panel, which has switchable AC and infotainment functions, as seen on the Hyundai Verna, and a new 2-spoke steering wheel from the Syros. In the Clavis, Kia has also used ambient lighting to a different effect, and the MUV gets new seat upholstery and slightly different use of colours and textures. The centre console, however, is largely similar on both models, and they are offered in 6-seat and 7-seat configurations.  

Kia Carens Clavis vs Carens interior

Kia Carens Clavis vs Carens features

Clavis additionally gets panoramic sunroof and ADAS suite

On the equipment front, the Clavis adds quite a few features over the Carens. Apart from the aforementioned new screens, the most notable update is a panoramic sunroof as opposed to a single-pane unit in the Carens. The Clavis also gets a 4-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat and an ADAS suite that brings adaptive cruise control, front collision assist, lane keep assist, and more. 

Equipment common to both MPVs’ top-spec trims comprises front ventilated seats, an electric tumble function for the second row, dual dashcams, a wireless charger, a second-row fold-out tray table, a 360-degree camera, a Bose sound system, connected tech, OTA updates, drive modes, 6 airbags and ESC.   

Kia Carens Clavis vs Carens powertrain options

An additional gearbox option with turbo-petrol engine on Clavis

Both the Clavis and the Carens come with three engine options: a 115hp 1.5-litre petrol, a 116hp 1.5-litre diesel engine and a 160hp 1.5-litre turbo-petrol. However, the Clavis offers three gearbox options with the turbo-petrol engine – a 6-speed MT, a 6-speed iMT and a 7-speed DCT – while the Carens only offers the last two. A 6-speed manual for the naturally aspirated petrol and a 6-speed manual and automatics for the diesel are common to both. Kia has also confirmed that it will offer an all-electric powertrain option with the Carens Clavis in the near future, although the same is not likely on the regular Carens.     

Kia Carens Clavis vs Carens rear quarter

Overall, the Carens Clavis has a more modern design and premium interior with some new features, besides an additional powertrain option. However, given the similarities between both models, there’s likely to be a large price overlap between them. Kia is expected to announce prices for the new Carens Clavis towards the end of this month, and it will likely come at a slight premium over an equivalent variant of the regular Carens. These models go up against the likes of the Toyota Rumion and Maruti’s Ertiga and XL6 in the midsize MPV category.