Kia has rolled out the first customer unit of the made-in-India Carens from its manufacturing facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. Confirming its launch sometime in February, Kia will begin test drives for the Carens at some outlets from February 1, according to dealer sources. The company opened bookings for the Carens on January 14, with deliveries expected to start by early March.
- Five variants, two seating layouts for Carens
- Engine options include 1.4-litre, 1.5-litre petrols and a 1.5-litre diesel
- India to be the mother plant for the Kia Carens
Kia Carens: what do we know so far
One of the biggest highlights of the Carens will be its wheelbase of 2,780mm, which is the longest in its class. Notably, its 40mm longer than the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and XL6 and 20mm longer the Hyundai Alcazar. In fact, the Carens’ wheelbase is even 30mm longer than the Toyota Innova Crysta. That essentially translates to generous amounts of space on the inside and, in our first drive impression of the Carens, we were really impressed by the space and comfort in the third row. You can read more about it here.
In typical Kia fashion, it is also very generously equipped with features such as a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment, digital instrument cluster, ventilated front seats, Bose sound system, 64-colour ambient lighting, seat-back tray tables, wireless phone charger and more. In terms of safety equipment, the Carens gets standard-fit ESC, six airbags, front and rear disc brakes, ISOFIX child-seat mounts and a tyre pressure monitoring system. It also gets a rear-view camera and front and rear parking sensors on higher variants.
The Carens will be available in five trims in India – Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury and Luxury Plus. You can read more about what features each variant offers here. The Carens will be available in both 6- and 7-seater configurations, depending on the variant.
Kia Carens: engine and gearbox details
Under the hood, the Carens gets the option of two petrol and one diesel engine. The first is a 115hp, 144Nm, 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, which will solely be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox. Then there’s the 140hp, 242Nm, 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine that comes mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DCT gearbox.
The diesel engine is a 115hp, 250Nm, 1.5-litre unit, which Kia offers with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. These engine-gearbox combinations are the same as the ones offered on the Seltos.
Kia Carens: rivals and expected price
The Carens will essentially fill the void in the market that exists between the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and XL6 on one end, and the Toyota Innova Crysta on the other end. It will competition from theMahindra Marazzoand other three-row SUVs in this segment. The Kia Carens is expected to be priced between Rs 12 lakh-19 lakh (ex-showroom), in India.
Are you excited for the launch of the all-new Kia Carens? Let us know in the comments below.
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