Kia Carens 6/7-seater family car was recently launched in India within the price range of Rs 8.99 – Rs 16.99 lakh (all, ex-showroom). With such an aggressive pricing, the model takes on cars right from Maruti Ertiga, Maruti XL6 and Mahindra Marazzo to Hyundai Alcazar. Touted as a ‘Recreational Vehicle’, the model has gathered over 19,000 bookings and over 50 percent of total bookings came for its diesel variants. The range-topping variants and automatic versions (over 50 percent) are also in great demand.
Dealers reveal that new Kia MPV has been witnessing waiting period between 14 to 49 weeks in select region. One must note that the waiting period vary engine-gearbox combination and variant-wise. In order to reduce waiting period of its locally manufactured models (including Seltos, Sonet and Carens), the company plans to increase production at its plant in March. The company believes that the semiconductor supplies might get better from the second quarter of 2022.
The all-new Kia Carens is being offered in five trims (Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury and Luxury Plus) and with three engine options – a 115hp 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol, a 140hp 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol and a 115hp 1.5-litre diesel. All three motors can be had with a 6-speed manual gearbox. While the turbo petrol models come with an optional 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the diesel variants get a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox.
The turbo-petrol and diesel engines are offered across all variants and the 1.5 petrol unit is available only on the Premium and Prestige trims. Buyers can have diesel automatic combination only on the top-end Luxury Plus trim, while the turbo petrol-DCT is available on the mid-spec Prestige Plus and range-topping variants. The automaker claims that the Kia Carens petrol delivers a fuel economy of 16.5kpl and its diesel version promises 21.5kpl.
Kia Carens Review
