Kia Carens to get three engine options; five variants

Kia is gearing up to introduce its first product for 2022, the Carens MPV, sometime next month. The Korean brand has announced engine, gearbox and variant details for the MPV and customers can book it at Kia outlets from January 14.

• Kia Carens will get three engine options
• Will be available in five variants
• Market launch, price announcement by February

Kia Carens: engine and powertrain options

Kia has confirmed that the Carens MPV will be available with a choice of diesel and petrol engines.  The entry-level powerplant will be a 115hp, 1.5-litre petrol engine, with a 140hp, 1.4-litre, turbo-petrol engine available in higher variants. The Carens will also come with a 115hp, 1.5-litre diesel engine.

Gearbox choices will include a six-speed manual transmission that will be standard on the 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines, with the latter also getting a six-speed torque convertor automatic gearbox. A seven-speed DCT gearbox will be available only with the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol. 

Kia Carens: five variants confirmed, feature list revealed

Kia has also announced that the Carens will be sold in five variants – Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury and Luxury Plus – and also get six- and seven-seat layouts, depending on the variant.

Here is a brief break-up of what features will be available on each variant:

Premium

The base Carens trim will come kitted with 16-inch steel wheels with covers, two-tone black and beige interiors with indigo accents, semi-leatherette seats, second row seat one-touch electric tumble, a 7.5-inch digital instrument cluster, six airbags, ABS, ESC, all-wheel disc brakes, rear parking sensors and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

Prestige

In addition to all the features from the Premium trim, the Prestige adds an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, a 12.5-inch LCD instrument cluster, a 6-speaker sound system, rear view camera, Outside Rear View Mirrors with integrated turn signals and front parking sensors.

Prestige Plus

This trim further adds 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic climate control, keyless entry and go, multiple drive modes – Normal, Eco and Sport – with the latter only available on the DCT variants, rear washer and wiper and a rear defogger.

Luxury

The Luxury trim gets LED headlights, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Kia Connect UI that will feature OTA updates, 64-colour ambient cabin lighting, an air purifier, telescopic steering wheel adjustment, full leatherette seats and seatback tables for the second row.

Luxury Plus

The top-spec Luxury Plus trim features an 8-speaker BOSE sound system, a cooled wireless charger, ventilated seats, rain sensing wipers and a standard sized sunroof.

Kia Carens: booking info, expected price and launch timeline

Bookings for the Carens start on January 14 and we expect Kia to price it around Rs 12 lakh for the entry-level variant, going upto Rs 20 lakh for the top-spec diesel automatic trim. Price announcement for Carens will take place sometime next month.