Kia Carens is based on an extended version of the same platform underpinning Seltos
Bookings for the Carens MPV, or as Kia calls it an RV (recreational vehicle), have been underway at all authorised dealerships as well as on its website. Interested buyers can book Carens for themselves by paying a token amount of Rs 25,000. Production for Carens began early last month at the company’s Anantapur-based manufacturing facility.
Kia Carens has been launched in India. Prices start from just Rs 8.99 lakh and go all the way to Rs 16.99 lakh. All prices are ex-sh. Even before the prices were announced, bookings for Carens had crossed the 19k mark.
Kia Carens Waiting Period
Ahead of price announcement, most were expecting Carens prices to be in a similar range as that of Hyundai Alcazar. But Kia India pulled a rabbit out of their hat, and pleasantly surprised everyone with aggressive prices. Alcazar prices start from Rs 16.34 lakh and go all the way to Rs 20.15 lakh . All prices are ex-sh.
Thanks to such aggressive pricing, demand for Carens MPV has increased even further. As per latest details, waiting period of Carens has touched 49 weeks, which is just short of 1 year. The highest waiting period is for Prestige 6MT petrol 1.5 variant, which is priced from Rs 9.99 lakh. Below is the waiting period of all variants of Kia Carens.
Kia Carens: Trims, Powertrains Available
Carens will be available in five trims namely Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury, and Luxury Plus. Kia will be offering Carens with six- and seven-seat layouts, the former will come with two captain seats in the middle row. The 6-seater variant will be limited to the top-spec Luxury Plus trim only.
Under the hood, Carens will get options of three engines- two petrol and a diesel, all borrowed from its 5-seater sibling Seltos. These include a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol unit (114 bhp / 144 Nm), a 1.4-litre turbo petrol mill (138 bhp / 242 Nm), and a 1.5-litre CRDi diesel (114 bhp / 250 Nm). A six-speed manual gearbox will be offered as standard in all three powertrains.
The turbo petrol motor is also available with an option of a 7-speed DCT automatic gearbox whereas the oil burner is offered with a 6-speed torque converter automatic unit as an option. Like Seltos, Carens will be a front-wheel driven car.
Features on offer
Equipment of Carens is loaded with creature comfort. Some of the biggest highlights are a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system enabled with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a single-pane sunroof, auto climate control, a fully-digital instrument cluster, LED headlamps and more. Other novelties offered in the package include ventilated front seats, 64-colour ambient lighting, an air purifier and connected car tech to name a few.
The MPV also gets a long list of safety features including six airbags, hill start assist, all-wheel disc brakes, electronic stability control, a tyre pressure monitor as standard fitments across the range. Other safety features include downhill brake control, vehicle stability management and more.