Kia Carens

Features: The Kia Carens is stacked with features like a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, a 10.1-inch rear seat entertainment system, ventilated front seats, 64-colour ambient lighting, an 8-speaker Bose sound system, wireless phone charger, single-pane sunroof, automatic climate control, keyless entry with push button start and paddle shifters (automatic only). Safety is taken care of by six airbags, a dashcam with dual camera, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, hill hold assist and tyre pressure monitoring system.

Engine: The Kia Carens has three engine options. If you are opting for the petrol model, you can choose either a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that generates an output of 115 PS and 144 Nm or a more powerful 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine that generates 160 PS and 253 Nm. The Carens can also be had with a 1.5-litre diesel engine that generates 116 PS and 250 Nm. The turbo-petrol engine gets coupled to either a 6-speed iMT (clutchless manual) or a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission while the petrol engine gets a 6-speed manual only. The diesel engine can be with either a 6-speed manual, 6-speed iMT, or a 6-speed torque converter automatic. The Kia Carens measures 4540 mm in length, 1800 mm in width and 1708 mm in height. It sits on a wheelbase of 2780 mm.

Rivals: The Kia Carens rivals the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Maruti Suzuki XL6, Toyota Innova Crysta and is an affordable alternative to the Toyota Innova Hycross.

Variants: The Kia Carens is offered in ten broad trims: Premium, Premium (O), Gravity, Prestige, Prestige (O), Prestige+, Prestige+ (O), Luxury, Luxury+ and X-line. It gets seven different exterior colour options that include: Imperial Blue, Sparkling Silver, Intense Red, Glacier White, Gravity Grey, Aurora Black and Pewter Olive.

Safety Rating: The Carens has scored a 3 star safety rating in NCAP crash tests.

Kia has introduced a new Gravity edition for the Carens at Rs 12.1 lakh (ex-showroom). This new edition has been introduced to mark the Korean carmaker’s fifth anniversary on our shores. It sits above the one-above-base Premium (O) variant of the Carens and offers some upgrades like black leatherette seats and a flat-bottom steering wheel. The Gravity edition also commands a price hike of up to Rs 1.25 lakh over the Premium(O) variant it’s based on.