Much acclaimed Kia Carens is stepping into new innings in India. This will mark the South Korean brand’s acceptance of mandatory compliance with Phase II of BS6 transition and E20 (20% Ethanol) compatibility. Now the company intends to offer more choices for its customers to widen its horizon and drive more sales.
New additions come in terms of new base models with 5-seater models as seen on NCT type approval documents. A similar strategy has been applied by Mahindra with XUV700. Also, there are new base trims that are likely to sit below Premium trim. That’s not all, Carens diesel engine will get iMT transmission option as well. Let’s break it down.
As of now, Kia and Hyundai are on the verge of an extensive powertrain rejig. The 1.4L turbo is being replaced with a newer 1.5L turbo, Creta Electric is being tested and there is a rumour in place suggesting that Hyundai and Kia will only offer iMT gearbox options with diesel trims. Now, we have Kia Carens which has been homologated with an iMT gearbox with diesel powertrains.
The 1493cc 4-cylinder turbo-diesel with VGT (Variable Geometry Turbo) is carried over as is. It still makes 114 bhp of power (85 kW). Now, it is coupled with a 6-speed iMT unit. As of now, Carens Diesel only has a 6-speed MT and a 6-speed torque converter. New iMT option will sit between these two in terms of pricing.
Kia India seems to have homologated new base variants. These are likely to be called M-Drive and P-Drive. The former is its base variant for diesel options. In a separate type approval, Kia has homologated M-Drive as its base variant for the 1.5L NA petrol engines as well.
In another type approval document, Kia India has homologated P-Drive with a 5-seater layout as the base variant coupled with the 1.5L NA Smartstream petrol engine. 5-seater option is not made available with M-Drive trim offered with 1.5L diesel and 1.5L NA petrol engine options.
As of now, Premium trim is the base variant for Kia Carens. As denoted by type approval documents, P-Drive trim sits below Premium trim. New P-Drive trim will be offered with both 5-seater and 7-seater options as well. On top of P-Drive 7-seater are Premium and Prestige trims with a 7-seater layout only.
The leaked type approval documents don’t mention iMT gearbox option with a 1.5L NA Smartstream engine. Also, Prestige Plus, Luxury and Luxury Plus trims are not homologated with the 1.5L NA Smartstream petrol engine or the diesel. This could mean that the above-mentioned trim is likely to only get the new 1.5L GDi turbo-petrol engine making 160 PS of power.
There is a possibility that the rest of diesel, Smartstream and GDi engine variants will be homologated at a later date. New 5-seater P-Drive trim might be priced at around Rs. 9.5 lakh. For reference, the current Carens base trim is Premium 1.5 NA petrol with 6-speed MT and it is priced at Rs. 10.20 lakh (both prices ex-sh). The only rival that Kia Carens currently faces is Maruti Suzuki XL6.
This post was last modified on March 6, 2023 1:39 pm