What Makes Kia Carens a Threat for Mid-Size SUVs in India: 5 Reasons - Price, Features & More

The Kia Carens is a three-row offering of the South Korean brand, which has a lot on its sides to rival vehicles not just from its own segment but from others as well.

The affinity for three-row cars in the Indian market is high. The demand pushed Kia to launch the Carens, which is quintessentially a 7-seat version of the Kia Seltos. Nevertheless, Kia ensured that Carens has its own distinctive traits in comparison to the car it is based on. In fact, this month Kia Carens registered its highest-ever monthly sales figure, representing that the Indian audience is loving Kia's affordable 3-row offering. Well, we too had quite some time with the car, and thus, it was awarded the MPV of the year at the Zee Auto Awards 2022. The Carens certainly has the potential to be a threat to the 5-seater SUVs. Now, you would think - How? Well, continue reading to find out the answer.

Kia Carens: Affordable Pricing

With cars getting expensive, the Kia Carens has a starting price of Rs 10.19 lakh, ex-showroom. This price tag is for the petrol trim. The diesel variants, on the other hand, have a starting price of Rs 12.15 lakh, ex-showroom. Thus, making it the most-affordable 3-row diesel MPV in the Indian market.

Kia Carens: Easy on Pocket and Fuel

The Carens offers great mileage in both petrol and diesel avatars. The ARAI-claimed figure for the diesel-manual version is 21.3 kmph, while the diesel-automatic variant returns 18.4 kmpl. The MPV’s petrol-automatic variant with the 1.5L NA petrol engine delivers a claimed mileage of 16.2 kmpl with the manual gearbox. Well, there are a total of three engine options - 1.4L turbo-petrol, 1.5L NA petrol, and 1.5L turbocharged diesel. Also, transmission options include a 6-speed MT, 6-speed AT, and 7-speed DCT.

Kia Carens: Tons of Safety Features as Standard

The Carens feature list includes six airbags, hill hold assist, hill descent control, tyre pressure monitoring system, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, disc brakes on all ends, and six airbags as standard affair across all variants. The MPV’s higher trim further gets the assistance of a rear parking camera and front and rear parking sensors.

Kia Carens: Flexible Seating Layout

The Carens is offered in a total of two seating layouts - 6-seater and 7-seater. The former comes with two captain chairs in the middle row, while the latter gets a bench to seat three abreast. The last row is fairly good in space as well, and it can be accessed by tumbling down the middle-row seat with just the press of a button.

Kia Carens: Stupendous Ride Quality

The primary job of an MPV is to haul people from point A to point B in utmost comfort. Well, the Kia Carens’ ride quality is great with a perfectly-tuned suspension to extend a supple ride. Also, the Carens uses smaller 16-inch rims, thereby increasing the sidewall. Of course, the thicker sidewall acts as an extra cushion for the car. The Carens uses Mcpherson struts with coil springs at the front and a torsion beam with coil springs at the rear.