[swami69]

Originally Posted by ambabu

Hi,

We are planning to buy Kia carens as our family car in Kerala. It's replacing the iconic Renault Duster as it has started showing some niggles. As this being a family car, space and ride comfort are paramount and preferably an automatic over the manual variants. We test drove the diesel automatic and planning to test drive the petrol AT in the coming days. After going through several posts on T-bhp on carens, I have a few queries I need your expert opinion on

Carens ticks all these boxes very well - Space, Ride Comfort and Automatic. It is an excellent car to drive, both in the city and on the highways


1. Which automatic variant to pick, the diesel AT or the petrol AT? Carens being a 7 seater and our use is primarily in our hometown in Kerala (a mix of village roads, highways and hill stations). Are there any reliability concerns over the DCT gearbox?

For my usage and Diesel being a fuel going out of taste, I settled for Petrol DCT Automatic. This engine has good power and runs at reasonably low RPMs at 100-120 speeds, retuning good mileage as well.

2. Has Kia fixed all the earlier issues reported for Carens? I see so many issues discussed in this thread itself, such as the left rear door closing issue, multiple sensor issues (ambient temperature, rain sensing wiper, parking sensor), LED headlight inadequacy, AC condensation, discoloration of plastic claddings etc. While some of these are okay to live with, there are a few that raise serious concerns?

I am only getting to see some of these issues through this thread. I have not faced door closing issue, condensation (i keep the vents open though), LED Headlight, Yes, it could have been a little better, Claddings - so far so good, but I also apply trim polish at regular intervals. May be I need to observe more closely to find out the above problems, else, they seem find to me

4. We want to keep this car for the next 8-10 years or so. So how would the overall fit & finish feature in the long run?

I think Carens is a reasonably well built car, I wouldn't call them Tin cans or the likes of it. They are pretty solid, interiors are quite well put together and the quality of the materials used are as well very good in that price range.

5. Are there any performance concerns on full load? Especially while driving in hill stations.

I am yet it to take it to hills, but i think it will adequately perform. Overall it is a very good car and I would call it VFM with all that space and comfort we get.

[angy]

Got the delivery of Carens X-Line (Petrol) yesterday.

Just wanted to confirm, does Apple CarPlay work with the USB-C ports? Have been trying to connect it since yesterday but it does not detect the phone. Was wondering if it even works with the USB-C port or would I need to get a USB-A to C adapter?

Secondly, has anyone here bought the 7D mats from outside? If yes, can you please suggest if they are worth going for and what brands are considered reliable for the same please.

[kaustavguha]

Originally Posted by angy

Just wanted to confirm, does Apple CarPlay work with the USB-C ports?

Unfortunately Apple Car Play/ Android Auto only works with the USB-A port.

[vikramv4u]

Originally Posted by angy

Got the delivery of Carens X-Line (Petrol) yesterday.

Just wanted to confirm, does Apple CarPlay work with the USB-C ports? Have been trying to connect it since yesterday but it does not detect the phone. Was wondering if it even works with the USB-C port or would I need to get a USB-A to C adapter?

Secondly, has anyone here bought the 7D mats from outside? If yes, can you please suggest if they are worth going for and what brands are considered reliable for the same please.

Congrats on your purchase!!

I am having the same issues using C-type, so adaptor seems to be your best choice

I have got 7D mats from Capedell/Capdell.. they are good!! Direct purchase from them is best!

Thanks

[AreebMKhan]

Originally Posted by angy

Got the delivery of Carens X-Line (Petrol) yesterday.

Just wanted to confirm, does Apple CarPlay work with the USB-C ports? Have been trying to connect it since yesterday but it does not detect the phone. Was wondering if it even works with the USB-C port or would I need to get a USB-A to C adapter?

Secondly, has anyone here bought the 7D mats from outside? If yes, can you please suggest if they are worth going for and what brands are considered reliable for the same please.

If you want to connect your phone for Android auto / Apple Carplay then you HAVE to use the USB-A port on the left of the 12V socket. The USB-C port can only charge your phone, not connect it for Apple Carplay.

[angy]

Originally Posted by kaustavguha

Unfortunately Apple Car Play/ Android Auto only works with the USB-A port.

Originally Posted by vikramv4u

Congrats on your purchase!!

I am having the same issues using C-type, so adaptor seems to be your best choice

I have got 7D mats from Capedell/Capdell.. they are good!! Direct purchase from them is best!

Thanks

Originally Posted by AreebMKhan

If you want to connect your phone for Android auto / Apple Carplay then you HAVE to use the USB-A port on the left of the 12V socket. The USB-C port can only charge your phone, not connect it for Apple Carplay.

Thankyou all for sharing the information. Guess will need to buy yet another accessory for the car (a USB-A to C adapter)

[Mr. Nobody]

Can anyone confirm if carens is based on k1 platform or k2 ?

[utkarshgoel]

I have never been able to get an answer to that question.

[jasonbourne]

Originally Posted by jasonbourne

Good evening my fellow BHPians,

We have booked a Kia Carens Diesel iMT Prestige Plus version today.

Car: Kia Carens
Variant: Prestige Plus
Fuel: Diesel iMT
Colour: Imperial Blue
Expected Delivery: Thank my Stars.... it is available for immediate delivery after completing the formalities. So most probably within a Week.

Dropped by the Capital Kia showroom in Adyar, Chennai today and was pleasantly surprised to find the Imperial Blue in stock. Booked it immediately.

Took Delivery of my Car last Friday. The dealer "Capital KIA" was extremely professional. Special mention about the salesperson Mr. Sai Subramanian. The whole process went butter smooth. The sales team toiled hard to get my car registered the day before the New Road Tax in TN came into effect.

Everything went like a clockwork on the day of my Delivery. The dealer organised it very well. The only downside was there was no parking for visitor vehicles who had come for the delivery ceremony since they had scheduled 5 deliveries in the evening that day. But still organised it neatly.

I have driven only around 300+ Kms for now. Here are my Initial observations.

Likes:

1. The car has acres of space inside
2. The AC is outstanding till the Third row (the real test would be during the summer since it is raining now)
3. Road View is excellent (coming from a low-slung sedan)
4. Ingress and Egress is a breeze
5. Handling is exceptional. Feels like a big car to drive than an MPV.
6. Excellently tuned suspensions. Ride quality is good over damaged roads
7. When I drove for 60 Odd Kms in the ECR stretch from Kovalam to Mahabs, I got 23 KMPL as mileage which is phenomenal.

Dislikes:

1. The engine pull feels inadequate sometimes for the size and weight of the car (which was already known)

Have not taken snaps of my car yet except the ones taken during the delivery. Will share a lot of them in my ownership review. Some from the Ceremony and pooja.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=tfH3Xt8piAw

Cost Breakup:


As mentioned above I went with the My Convenience Plus package from KIA which also has Extended Warranty. Went only for some selective accessories.

Got some cash discount from the dealer. While taking delivery installed the scratch proof sticker from Armour guard for ICE. Got Dr. Charcoal Activated Charcoal bag to remove odors (I do not use car perfumes due to health issues of family members) along with it got two 0.25 M USB-C to USB-C charging cables for the middle and last rows.

[ImranHyd]

I am running into a strange problem with my Carens Diesel Automatic. I gave it for 20K service at regular SC a week back. I drove the car around for 300 km until I started getting the Engine Check light. I immediately took it to the SC the next day and they extracted the error code which seemed to be coming from Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) sensor.

They checked the EGT, cleaned it and applied back and started the car. The warning didn't go away. They collected the error code and told me that they would be emailing the details to Kia technical support and would likely receive an update in couple of working days.
They cleared the error code and asked me to take the car back. I drove the car for another two days to office without any issues. The warning light came back while I was driving back from office today. I immediately called the SC and they requested me to wait till tomorrow.

I have not observed any abnormality with the car post-service.

Did anyone face this problem earlier?

[Fizleo]

This is Today while travelling from Mumbai to Pune. This is with 4 people on board. If driven light foot the Carens give amazing FE.

[TusharK]

Kia Carens Moss Brown exterior colour discontinued

The Kia Carens is no longer available in the Moss Brown shade. Customers now get only six colour options: Intense Red, Imperial Blue, Aurora Black Pearl, Sparkling Silver, Gravity Grey and Glacier White Pearl.



The Kia Carens is available in seven variants – Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury, Luxury (O), Luxury Plus and X-Line. Prices start at Rs 10.45 lakh (ex-showroom).

Kia offers the 2023 Carens with two petrol and one diesel engine option. The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol makes 113 BHP and 144 Nm and is paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox, while the 1.5-litre diesel puts out 113 BHP and 250 Nm. It is paired with a 6-speed iMT and 6-speed automatic.

This year, Kia introduced the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine on the Carens. This engine makes 158 BHP and 253 Nm and is offered with either a 6-speed iMT or a 7-speed DCT.

Link to Team-BHP News

[soulscout22]

My Kia Carens model is Luxury Plus AT Diesel 6-seater, made in November 2022.
Earlier, the DPF part was replaced under warranty after 8 months of use in the city and occasional highway/ORR driving.

The second problem encountered is loss of audio sound, even though it appears as if the song is playing.

I was not sure what was wrong as the sound suddenly stopped in the middle of a trip. After two days of self-exploration, I encountered this video on YouTube and exactly repeated the steps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROE9uzLd0PU

I could hear the audio back when I restarted the engine after the fix.

No particular reason is given for why it happens and gets fixed by doing so, but valuable 'jugad'.

Regards
soulscount22

[sidharthg]

Originally Posted by Fizleo

This is Today while travelling from Mumbai to Pune. This is with 4 people on board. If driven light foot the Carens give amazing FE.

Bro this FE shown on the trip is fake news! It'd be around 19-20 real time. Even mine shows 28-30KMPL but in actual it is much less.

[sidharthg]

Originally Posted by ImranHyd

I am running into a strange problem with my Carens Diesel Automatic. I gave it for 20K service at regular SC a week back. I drove the car around for 300 km until I started getting the Engine Check light. I immediately took it to the SC the next day and they extracted the error code which seemed to be coming from Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) sensor.

They checked the EGT, cleaned it and applied back and started the car. The warning didn't go away. They collected the error code and told me that they would be emailing the details to Kia technical support and would likely receive an update in couple of working days.
They cleared the error code and asked me to take the car back. I drove the car for another two days to office without any issues. The warning light came back while I was driving back from office today. I immediately called the SC and they requested me to wait till tomorrow.

I have not observed any abnormality with the car post-service.

Did anyone face this problem earlier?

These guys have this really bad habit of clearing the error code and sending the customer back. Have had multiple DPF cleaning warning, they clear it everytime. And it is so random that, it is virtually impossible to replicate it. These guys never get to the bottom of it.