A new people mover
Kia is all set to launch the Carens in India which the company is hailing as a recreational vehicle. So how is it to drive and to be driven in? We find out
Kia has hit the bull’s eye in India by launching products like the Seltos and the Sonet. Now though the company is all set to launch the Carens. So what is the Carens? Is it an SUV or an MPV? As far as the company is concerned, they refer to it as a recreational vehicle. So let’s find out what the Carens is all about.
The Carens at first look does not look as muscular or aggressive as an SUV. The front end design is very different from the Seltos and the Sonet and comes with a sleek set of lights. There are LED DRLs and then there is a set of full LED headlight and an LED fog light set as well. The Tiger Nose treatment has been kept low key although there are traits visible. Overall the front end design looks smooth rather than sporty. In profile one can see the traits of an MPV. The Carens is 4,540mm long, 1,800mm wide and 1,708mm tall. The wheelbase stands at 2,780mm. Now if we compare it to its cousin the Hyundai Alcazar, the Carens is longer, wider and taller as well. It also sports a longer wheelbase. Another trait of it being an MPV shows itself in form of the rather long rear door which should make ingress easy. The Carens also rides on smaller 16in wheels as compared and this again is a trait of it being more of an MPV. At the back, the Carens looks smart with its LED wraparound tail light panel. The two tail lights are joined by a reflector panel. We would have loved if this panel lit up like the Volkswagen Taigun.
The Carens comes with a smart dash and a multicolour interior design. There’s a
rich blue shade which is coupled to beige inside the cabin and we love the treatment. Quality of plastics is rather good and the Carens does feel premium inside. The dash houses a 10.25in infotainment system which offers 66 connected car features apart from being paired to a good set of Bose speakers. The instrument panel is also an LCD cluster which offers a plethora of information. The Carens also comes with a multitude of mood lighting options which work wonders to spruce up the cabin. The centre console houses controls for the ventilated seats and drive modes for the automatic versions which also get paddle shifters. The cupholders up front are ventilated as well. Kia is offering the Carens with an air purifier which is mounted on the back of the driver’s seat. The unit is well integrated and can also be cleaned at home. The passenger on the other side gets a tray table. There are a multitude of Type C charging ports for both the second and third row passengers. Another smart design feature comes in form of the roof mounted AC vents which fit flush and look good. Considering this the Carens offers a standard sunroof instead of a panoramic unit. It will also be apt to mention here that Kia is offering a plethora of safety features in the Carens which include six airbags as standard across the range.
The Carens is a three-row vehicle. While the first row obviously comprises of two bucket seats, the second row is being offered as a two or a three seater. Two seater versions will come with twin captain seats while the three seats will be a bench seat with a foldable centre console. Access to the third row is rather easy thanks to the electric folding feature. Just press a button and one seat tumbles forward to allow access to the third row. We were rather surprised to see that the third row of the Carens is a rather spacious place. Further space can be liberated with the second row pushed forward a bit. The seats are comfortable too. With all three rows in use, the Carens still offers a de
JUST PRESS A BUTTON AND ONE SEAT TUMBLES FORWARD TO ALLOW ACCESS TO THE THIRD ROW. THE THIRD ROW OF THE CARENS IS A RATHER SPACIOUS PLACE
cent 216 litres of boot space. One can liberate more space by folding the third row flat.
Kia is offering the Carens with a choice of three engines. We drove the 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol which offers 140bhp and 242Nm of torque. Kia says that this variant can make the Carens sprint to 100kmph in 10 seconds and offer a fuel economy of 16.2kmpl in the manual transmission guise. The second engine option we drove was the 1.5-litre diesel which is tuned to offer 115bhp and 250Nm of torque. We had the automatic transmission variant with us and this means we got paddle shifters and drive modes too. With a claimed fuel economy of 18.4kmpl, the Kia Carens diesel is surely going to up the ante.
The 1.4-litre turbo petrol comes in with a high level of smoothness. The motor does not send in
THE SUSPENSION IS TUNED RATHER WELL AND AS A RESULT, THE KIA OFFERS A RATHER GOOD RIDE QUALITY. THE CAR TAKES ON ROUGH STUFF WITH EASE
vibes within the cabin and at the same time, the excellent NVH packaging of the Carens ensures that the cabin remains quite. On the go, we did feel a lack of power under the 1,500rpm mark. Things like a speed breaker where one would expect the car to go in second cog will require a shift to first in most cases. But what is astonishing is the way the motor transforms beyond the 1,500rpm mark. There is a dollop of power which comes in and that too in a very linear way which allows for steady acceleration. It is not like a bout of power but a steady supply. This means cruising in the Carens is going to be rather easy. With the turbo spooled, even overtaking is no big deal and can be done without having to downshift. Excellent we must say. The clutch on the manual version felt light although not as progressive as we would have liked. But the 6-speed
manual is smooth shifter.
Moving from the petrol to the 1.5 diesel surely meant that we could hear the motor a little within the cabin. But within a few minutes we started ignoring it as it was not very high. Having being paired to the 6-speed automatic, the diesel variant offered the luxury of paddle shifters and drive modes. The diesel motor offers an abundance of torque and that means it can zip fast. Kia claims a 0-100 time of 13.4 seconds and that is rather respectable for a car of this class. The shifts from the gearbox are smooth and the driver can play around with the paddle shifters to make the car shift at will. However in sport mode, things get to enjoyable levels as the motor holds on to the revs and thus providing more go! With a high fuel economy claim, the Carens diesel then makes a lot of sense even now.
Where the Kia really stands out is in the ride and handling department. The suspension is tuned rather well and as a result, the Kia offers a rather good ride quality. The car takes on rough stuff with ease and very little is sent into the cabin. Even the big speed humps could not throw the Carens off-kilter. The steering too is well tuned and light. With a turning radius of just 5.32m, the Carens can surely deal with tight city spaces with ease.