Bookings for the Kia Carens in India will open from January 14, while the price announcement is expected to take place around February-March. The Carens will be Kia’s fourth product in India, one that will be exclusively manufactured here, for both domestic and export purposes. Kia has bucked the SUV trend, adopting a unique approach with the Carens by calling it a ‘recreational vehicle’.
- Carens wheelbase is 20mm longer than Alcazar
- Carens will come in both six- and seven-seater configurations
- Will be offered with two petrol and one diesel engine option
Kia Carens: exterior design
The Kia Carens has the proportions of an MPV, but gets several SUV-like styling cues and looks quite striking, to say the least. The face is characterised by a split-LED headlamp assembly and a sealed off grille that’s housed within a contrasting gloss back trim. Down below, the front bumper is more sedately styled, although the gaping central air intake does add some character.
Being based on the Seltos, the Carens has some resemblance to the former up until the front doors, but gets a much larger rear door and rear quarter glass area. It also gets a chrome garnish along the window line and pronounced creases on the front and rear fenders. At the rear, the Carens gets a pair of wraparound LED tail-lamps that are connected via a slim LED strip. The rear windshield is slightly raked and features an integrated spoiler, while the bumper is aggressively styled, featuring chrome inserts for some added bling.
Kia Carens: interior and features
In typical Kia fashion, the Carens boasts of a premium and feature-equipped cabin. The interior has a clean, layered effect with the infotainment system neatly integrated into the dash. There’s even some fine detailing on the dashboard trim and the door panels, adding some jazz to the interior.
Below the top half, the AC vents come neatly integrated along the width of the interior. It also gets a new touch-based panel with toggle switches for the HVAC controls and ambient lights underlining all this. The centre console is short and stubby and features additional controls for seat ventilation, drive modes and so on. The Carens will be available in both 6- and 7-seat configurations, with the former getting captains seats for the second row.
In terms of features, the Carens comes equipped with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Kia’s UVO connect, a fully digital instrument cluster, an eight-speaker Bose sound system, 64-colour ambient lighting, ventilated front seats, seat-back tables with cup holders, electrically powered one-touch tumble down feature for the second row, single-pane sunroof and more. Safety onboard includes six airbags as standard, and a host of other features like ABS and ESC, hill-start assist, disc brakes on all four wheels, TPMS and rear parking sensors.
Kia Carens: engine and gearbox details
Under the hood, the Kia Carens will get the option of two petrol and a diesel unit. The first is a 115hp, 144Nm, 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that will solely be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox. Then there’s the 140hp, 242Nm, 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine that will come with either a 6-speed manual or 7-speed DCT gearbox. Lastly, the diesel unit is a 115hp, 250Nm, 1.5-litre mill and will be offered with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. These engine-gearbox combinations are the same as the ones offered in the Kia Seltos.
Kia Carens: expected price and rivals
In terms of price, the Carens will be positioned above the Maruti Suzuki XL6, although it is expected to undercut the price of its sibling, the Hyundai Alcazar. The Alcazar will also be the most direct rival of the Carens, although it will rival other similarly priced SUVs as well.
Are you excited for the launch of the Kia Carens in India? Let us know in the comments below.
Rivan RS 
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
