New Kia Carens had made its global debut on 16th December 2021 – It is due for launch in Jan 2022
The SUV styled MPV does look premium in appearance, it is the pricing that will decide its actual segment. On paper, its current competition includes models like Toyota Innova Crysta, Mahindra Marazzo, Maruti XL6 and the Hyundai Alcazar. Let’s have a look at the spec-wise comparison of all the models.
Kia Carens Vs Maruti XL6 Vs Hyundai Alcazar Vs Toyota Innova Vs Mahindra Marazzo – Dimensions
It is to be noted that Kia hasn’t officially revealed the dimensions of the Kia Carens. However, reports have leaked the numbers, though these aren’t ARAI certified. In terms of dimensions, the Kia Carens measures 4540 mm, which makes it longer than the Alcazar and XL6. It lands up being comparable to the Marazzo and around 200 mm shorter than the Innova Crysta.
In terms of width, the story is similar. Carens is wider than the Alcazar and XL6, comparable to the Innova Crysta and around 65mm shorter than the Marazzo. In the segment, Crysta is the tallest vehicle with an overall height of 1795 mm.
Carens happens to be 1,700 mm tall, making it taller than the Alcazar, comparable to XL 6 and shorter than Marazzo and Innova. Surprisingly, it is the Alcazar which has the longest wheelbase of 2780 mm, which is class leading in its segment. Its ground clearance of 195 mm is also almost the highest in the segment.
Powertrain
In terms of powertrain, the Carens comes along with multiple options, in fact the maximum number of options. In the petrol segment, Carens’ competition includes Alcazar, XL6 and Innova Crysta. Marazzo doesn’t get a petrol engine option. On the other hand, in the diesel space, XL6 gets dropped from the list due to the lack of diesel powertrain option.
Talking about petrol engines, the Carens is the only car which gets 2 petrol engine options. These include a 4 cylinder naturally aspirated 1.5L petrol which can churn out 115hp and 144 Nm of peak torque. The other option is the turbo charged 4 cylinder 1.35L motor which can dish out 140 hp and 242 Nm of max torque. The naturally aspirated engine comes mated to a 6-speed MT while the turbo motor gets a 7-speed DCT option.
When comparing with its counterparts, the Crysta gets the largest engine with maximum power output while on the other hand the naturally aspirated motor of the XL6 comes out to be the least powerful of the lot.
On the diesel front, the Carens gets a 1.5L turbo diesel motor which can churn out 115 hp and 250 Nm of peak torque. Transmission options include 6-speed MT and 6-speed AT. It shares these powertrain options with the Alcazar. When compared with the Marazzo, its power output happens to be slightly lower while the Innova with its 2.4L cylinder happens to be the most powerful of the lot.
While the camparo captures data points on paper, the real test between these will happen on the road and in the sales charts. It would be interesting to see if Carens can become Kia’s fourth consecutive successful launch in the country.
