Kia Carens is available in five trims namely Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury and Luxury Plus
Kia has officially launched and revealed prices of its new crossover MPV called Carens in India. Offered at a starting price of Rs 8.99 lakh (ex-showroom), it has been aimed at a wide range of seven-seat vehicles including SUVs like Mahindra XUV700, MG Hector Plus, Tata Safari and its own cousin Hyundai Alcazar.
However, it will be directly pitted against other rivals in the MPV space like Maruti Ertiga, XL6, Mahindra Marazzo and Toyota Innova Crysta. Among the names mentioned above, Innova Crysta is the only one that is clearly a segment above the rest of the models.
Kia Carens compared with Maruti Ertiga, XL6
However, considering the package offered by the Korean carmaker, Carens does give Toyota’s old workhorse a run for its money. Carens is made available in five trims namely Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury and Luxury Plus. Prices of the MPV range between Rs 8.99 lakh and Rs 16.99 lakh (both prices ex-showroom). The entry-level variants of Premium and Prestige of Carens compete against Ertiga and XL6.
The Kia Carens Prestige variant, which is priced from Rs 9.99 lakh, and sits just above the base variant, has now been detailed in first look walkaround video by youtube channel sansCARi sumit. It misses out on features like alloys, LED headlights, etc, but is still loaded with quite a bit, to take on rivals like Ertiga and XL6.
In comparison to the twin Maruti MPVs, Carens offers much more in terms of features and engine options even in their entry-level trims. Both Premium and Premium Plus trims are offered with all three engine options including a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol unit, a 1.4-litre turbo petrol unit and a 1.5-litre diesel unit. However, all power mills are available in their respective manual guise.
Comparison with Marazzo, Innova Crysta
Prestige Plus onwards, Carens directly takes on Marazzo. However, the latter is definitely short in the number of options offered in terms of variants and engine. Like Eritga and XL6, Marazzo is only available with a solitary engine option- a 1.5-litre mHawk diesel engine which is paired with a manual transmission as standard. Hence, Carens clearly trumps Marazzo.
When it comes to Innova Crysta, the old Toyota is definitely a more premium offering and its base variant is priced at Rs 17.30 lakh (ex-showroom) which is Rs 30,000 more expensive than the top-spec model of Carens. Therefore, there is no direct comparison between the two.
However, even a fully-loaded variant of Innova misses out on some features like an electric sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, connected car tech and more which are offered in the Korean MPV. Innova Crysta also offers more powerful engine options and is definitely a more spacious MPV than Carens.
Comparison with Alcazar
When compared to its platform sibling- Hyundai Alcazar, the seven-seat SUV turns out to be a more premium offering than Carens. Prices for Alcazar start at Rs 1.64 lakh and go up to Rs 19.84 lakh (both prices ex-showroom). Both models are equally tech loaded but Carens would be more affordable than its SUV cousin. In short, Carens will be a consideration for almost everyone planning to buy a seven-seat vehicle henceforth.
