Kia Carens Diesel MT replaces my Ertiga: Booking & ownership review

Our requirements were simple, a comfortable 7-seater, preferably diesel within 20 Lakhs.

BHPian kaustavguha recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello everyone, this is my first ever review/ report on Team BHP so kindly bear with me and correct me where I have made mistakes.

I have tried to divide the post into various sections to make It easier to navigate.

The need

• We were proud owners of a 2016 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga ZXI+ which was serving us well, we bought it in February of 2016 just after the facelift for the 1st generation Ertiga was launched, back then our running was quite low because I was still doing my masters and did not need a car to commute to college and my father doesn’t drive and did not want to hire a driver to commute to work hence we picked the petrol version(Maruti still sold diesels back then.)
• Fast Forward to 2020, COVID-19 happened, and both my father and started commuting to work together in the Ertiga after the lockdown was relaxed for obvious fears of travelling by public transport.
• I am a 1st generation driver in my family so using a car for daily commutes was never something we ever thought of until the pandemic.
• Our workplace is roughly 50 kms from home and we were clocking close to 2000 kms a month!
• For the 1st 4 years of the Ertiga, it had run 19 k kms, and the year after it had run close to 25 k kms just in 1 year!
• The need for a diesel/ car with better mileage began in early 2022 when the Ertiga clocked 45 k kms.

The search

• As in most Indian families, no matter how old you are, you need the blessings of your parents before taking any big decision and in June of 2022, we began our search after my parents and better half agreed to a new car.
• Our requirements were simple, a comfortable 7-seater, preferably diesel within 20 Lakhs.

The test drives

Mahindra XUV 700

• The first car that came to my mind was the new XUV 700, in my opinion, it was a really good-looking car with a spacious interior and a premium up-market feel; I went to the Mahindra dealer closest to home and was promptly offered a test drive of the diesel automatic.
• The drive was really good, the AC was really good (quite an important deciding factor as I live in Kolkata), the boot space was really good with the last row folded down and the car had a great road presence. When asked when I get the car, the SA said that there is a minimum of 6 months waiting for the diesel auto but the wait could be more. Quite disheartened by the wait, I decided to explore some other options.

Hyundai Alcazar

• Went to the Hyundai showroom, and asked for the TD of the Alcazar, the SA said that the diesel TD car was unavailable and I did not want to TD the petrol one because I had no intentions of buying a petrol; however I sat in the display vehicle in the showroom and I have to say, the interiors feel like that from a segment above, but the 3rd row is quite cramped, there isn’t much space, although we will rarely need it, I still wanted a spacious 3rd row, after some thought decided to drop the Alcazar.

Kia Carens

• Right next to the Hyundai Showroom is Eastern KIA, this time I took my wife along with me so that I could come to a conclusion.
• Had already talked to an SA over the phone and he said that the TD cars would be available.
• After reaching the showroom, we were shown a Diesel Manual Carens, at that point in time I was not even considering the automatic.
• Drove the car for a good 15 kms and the SA kept explaining the different features to my wife and me throughout the drive and he never asked me to cut the TD short.
• Returned to the showroom and asked about the waiting period for the Luxury Plus 7-Seater Diesel Manual, the SA said on the booking form it would be 24 weeks but we may be able to get one within 8 weeks.

Went home and after a discussion with my parents we decided to book the car, the following Saturday we went to the showroom, showed the car to my parents and the SA offered another TD, we happily went on another TD and now everyone was on board.

Came back to the showroom and booked a Carens Luxury Plus 7-Seater Diesel Manual in Imperial Blue.

The slight hiccup

• We had booked the car in the last week of June and in the 1st week of September our SA called me and asked me to come for PDI, overjoyed I went to the showroom the very next day but I saw that Kia had started providing one smart key along with the cars and the second key would be provided within 6 months, I found this to be unacceptable, in some unfortunate incident if the smart key is lost or damaged, the car can only be unlocked with the second key, but it cannot be started; I told the SA I have no issues in waiting but I want both the keys along with the car; the SA agreed after some back and forth with the GM.

The Delivery

• In early November I got a call from the SA and he said that a Carens Luxury Plus 7-Seater Diesel Automatic in Imperial Blue was available and I could have it immediately, I was a bit confused as I had never driven an automatic before, but I also wanted the car and the price difference wasn’t that much of a concern, so I asked for a TD of the automatic.
• After the TD I really wanted the automatic, the convenience it provided in city traffic and it was very smooth in the shifts (it is a torque converter).
• We finalised the car after PDI and the registration-related formalities were done and the 28th of November 2022 was decided as the D-Day.
• We arrived at 3 PM at the showroom, and after a quick second PDI, checked all the documents and the accessories requested; we went for the delivery.

The Likes

• Very spacious for a family of 4, being a large individual, space was a priority.
• The A/C is an absolute chiller; even for the 3rd row occupants thanks to the roof-mounted A/C Vents.
• The 2nd row type C charging ports.
• The ventilated seats.
• The upmarket and premium feel of the interiors, the piano black dash looks like that from a segment above.
• The torque converter AT box is smooth.

The Dislikes

• At 20 Lakhs+ OTR a 360-degree camera would have been nice.
• The headlights are good for the city but on the highways, they feel quite dim.
• A fabulous infotainment system but no wireless Android Auto/ Apple Car Play?
• At that time the UV Cut glasses were not being offered, a necessity in the era sun-film ban.
• The gauge cluster is a bit basic for a car at this price.

Despite the dislikes, the Carens fit our requirements and budget the best, hence no other cars were given a second thought.

The booking and delivery experience was really good at Eastern Kia Newtown, Kolkata; they were courteous and attended to most of my requests.On the day of delivery took a nice pen for the SA and his team leas and a box of sweets for the dealership.

The cost break-up:

• Variant: Kia Carens Luxury Plus Diesel Automatic 7-Seater
• Ex-Showroom Kolkata 17,99,900.00
• Road Tax. 1,79,990.00
• Registration 740.00
• Insurance 62,605.00
• Accessories 7,496.0
• Extended Warranty 26,532.00 (4th and 5th Year, Unlimited km)

• Fastag 500.00

Total 20,77,763.00

No discounts were being offered at all, the showroom provided me with the 3D Mats complementary.

I opted for the lifetime road tax, in West Bengal you can choose to pay the road tax at 5-year intervals or lifetime as it made more sense to me.

I opted for the Extended Warranty for unlimited kms 4th and 5th year as Kia is still new to the Indian market and I just wanted that peace of mind; unlimited kms because my running right now is quite high; 2000-2500 kms per month, mostly on the highway.

The safety

• The car has a lot of safety features as standard like ABS, EBD, Hill Hold, Hill Decent control, and 6 Airbags.
• It did score a 3-star safety rating which is a bit concerning but I always take GNCAP ratings with a pinch of salt.

The Features

This is probably the best part, the feature list goes on and on, I will try to list the most prominent ones:

• Ventilated seats, work really really well.
• Apple Car play is really difficult to imagine the infotainment without it.
• The 10.8-inch infotainment system is really smooth.
• The Bose sound system, for someone like me, who isn't an audiophile is very good.
• The ambient lights look soothing at night and the brightness and colour can be controlled.
• The Keyless entry makes everything a lot more convenient.
• Charging ports in every row.
• The reverse camera is of very high definition and the adaptive guidelines make life a lot easier.
• The front parking sensors are a lifesaver on narrow streets, although a 360-degree camera is missed!
• The front cup holders are cooled and in summer they are quite efficient in keeping a bottle of water cool.
• The driver's seat is adjustable for everything except the lumbar support.
• The Steering wheel is tilt and telescopic adjustable.
• Being an automatic the gear knob is nice and chunky, and the different positions are clearly demarcated and easy to understand.

• The driving modes do make a difference between throttle response and gear shifts quite noticeably between normal sport and eco.
• Kia Connect sends and alarm to your phone if you forget to lock your car or if a door boot or bonnet is open.
• With Kia Connect you can remotely do a lot of functions but most importantly lock, unlock, and start your car along with the A/C.
• The Automatic headlights and wipers work like a charm, and once you get used to it, it is difficult to remember to turn off the lights.

The looks

• I think the car looks very good for an MPV, especially in imperial blue(when clean).
• The DRL is large and very bright and they double up as indicators that in LED looks cool!
• The tail lights have a connected design which makes the car look very premium.
• Overall a very upmarket look for an MPV
• The built quality is good there are no creeks or squeaks anywhere in the car, and nothing shakes or rattles(as of now).
• The panel gaps are very consistent and the paint finish seems to be very good.
• The car comes with 16-inch alloys which IMO looks good in with the car, the MRF Wanderers are pretty good although for the next tire change, I will probably go for the Bridgestone B390s.

The Interior

• The interior is very well put together the leather-wrapped steering wheel, and the piano black finish on the dash all look really good.
• The front seats provide good adjustment, anyone could be comfortable in this; under-thigh support is also good.
• The 2nd row is also adjustable and has very good knee and headroom; it is wide enough for 3 adults of average built.
• The cream colour seats go very well with the navy dash and door cards.
• The soft-touch part of the doors feels very good.
• The 2nd and 3rd row both have adjustable recline which is a major plus.
• Lots of bottle holders and cubbies for your cell phones etc.
• The 2nd row curtains are a good size and prove a good shield from the sun.

It is very easy to find a comfortable driving position and there are not many blind spots.

The boot is extremely spacious with the 3rd row folded down but with it up, a few mid-sized bags will fit.

The Performance

• With 250 nm of torque and a smooth auto box, it pulls and pulls, you will reach the speed limit before the engine runs out of power.
• The torque converter auto box is really smooth, at 80 kmph the engine is at 1700 rpm which is very fuel efficient.
• If you need to overtake and you floor the accelerator the gearbox shifts down pretty quickly.
• If you put it in sport mode the car will hold gears longer and also the throttle feels more responsive.
• The brakes have a good bite to the pedal and the braking performance is also good.
• The engine is super silent for a diesel, most petrol bunk attendants mistake it for petrol.
• I have driven the car for 30 k kms at the time of writing this and most of that has been on the highway.
• The car is reasonably easy to manoeuver in city traffic but on narrow streets, it gets a bit tricky.
• The NVH levels are good, you hardly hear any road noises or wind noises.

The all important kitna deti hain?

• The mileage in city traffic is 12 kmpl and on the highways, if driven conservatively it will return 16 kmpl.
• This is with my driving style.
• The ride quality is very good, feels a lot better than the Ertiga.
• It absorbs small bumps on the road very well, you will only feel the sharper ones.

The service

• For all the service and body work I went to Eastern Kia.
• At the 1k kms service it is just a basic checkup and wash, which took around 2 hours, the SA asked me if I had any issues with the vehicle, but I did not.
• The bill came out to zero and the car was washed very well.
• At the 10k kms service the usual work like engine oil, oil filter, air filter, ac filter was changed, I asked the SA to get the wheel alignment and balancing done as well. The labour was free on this service.
• The service took around 4 hours and pick up and drop was available but I decided to go in myself.
• The bill was Rs. 4,514.
• At the 20k kms service the same things were done and the SA recommended AC evaporator cleaning, I was skeptical at first but decided to get it done, and it did improve cooling, the route that I travel on has a lot of dust so I thought of getting it done. The labour was free on this service as well.
• I also got the wiper blades changed.
• The bill was Rs. 6,814
• At around 28 k kms there was a whistling noise coming from one of the front wheels, took it to the service centre and the front brake pads had nothing left in them and a small rock had got stuck between the brake pad and disc causing lines on the disc, the SA recommended to change the discs and the brake pads and I agreed.
• The bill came out to Rs. 16,789.
• At the 30 k kms I got all the wiper blades changed, the wheel alignment, wheel balancing, and the AC evaporator cleaned as mentioned earlier; this was in addition to the usual service jobs.
• The bill was Rs. 15,253
• Overall I am happy with the service experience.

The Body Shop Experience

• Unfortunately, in November of 2023, I had a slight graze with another car near home, and the rear right door was dented, sent the car for bodywork and there was a bit of delay due to the Diwali holidays but the work was done flawlessly and the insurance company paid for everything, I only paid the mandatory deductible.
• A few days after I got the car back, at a signal a Tata ace smashed against the left-side ORVM and broke it completely, thankfully no one was injured. This time as it was just the mirror, I did not want to go through insurance for this because it meant leaving the car with the service center again for 3-5 days, I asked the SA to paint the ORVM cover and let me know when it is ready to be fitted, and 2 days later I went in for around 10 mins and the job was done.
• Overall I am very happy with the car and would recommended it to anyone looking for a 7-seater in this price range.

Thank you so much for reading, if you have any questions please do ask!

A few pictures of the delivery and the blessings of the almighty at Adyapeath.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.