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I might have missed the news of Kia reshuffling Carens variants at the start of this or in last quarter of 2024. I went to Kia showroom to test drive Syros after hearing all the hype and in doing so I got opportunity to see Carens Gravity variant in real life.

Carens Gravity variant
Pros:
- Costs about ₹13.6 lakh.
- Spacious 7 seater with slidable second row.
- Ample space to put water bottles, phone and other knick knacks.
- Rear door sunshades which will be very useful during summers to block sun and heat.
- Small opening in the roof (single pane sunroof) which should not heat up the cabin a lot during summers.
- Single drive mode which is okay for MPV. Turbo petrol and iMT would be good combination to get the car in lower gears for quick overtakes on highways.
Cons:
- No rear wiper or defogger which will cause issues in rear visibility in rainy season.
- Manual AC can be lived with and will require intervention at times to turn on or off and control cabin temperature.


Syros HTK+ DCT
Pros:
- Costs ₹12.79 lakh which seems VFM. Prices of all variants above HTK+ loose VFM quotient and at that price point looks start to matter more to me.
- All hard plastics except driver center arm rest. Kia provides so much plastics all around normal touchpoints where I start loosing premium feel inside the car cabin. I don't understand why Kia and Hyundai skip adding soft touch leatherette or cloth on door pads.
- EPB with auto hold is good in bumper to bumper traffic.
- 3 selectable drive modes. There was lot of noise in Sport mode as compared to normal mode and it felt like the engine was straining. I would not miss driving modes in Syros if it was not provided.

My conclusion after experiencing Syros and Carens in the same showroom:
Carens Gravity seems better than Syros HTK+ for ₹80k more as Carens gets
- Factory fitted leatherette black seats
- More soft touch material on arm rest and door arm rests as compared to all hard plastics on Syros HTK+ DCT
- More interior space and boot space after you fold the third row flat.
- Rear shades which are usable in day to day life.


iMT Gearbox
- Premium (O)
- Gravity
- Prestige+
I was under impression that iMT gearbox was good. With Kia discontinuing iMT gear box in more and more of their cars, does this indicate some issue with the gearbox itself? Gearbox is a critical part of the car and as a buyer I don't want to buy a car with gearbox which will be discontinued in near future and get stuck due to any part issues and service mechanics not knowing maintenance procedure of iMT gearbox.


Diesel TC AT
- Prestige+ (O)
Diesel automatic is available only in 1 mid variant now. Does this indicate less sales of TC Diesel AT and Kia stopping diesel automatics in the near future?


6 seater
- Prestige (O)
This indicates that people are not buying 6 seater Carens a lot. No other car manufacturer other than Maruti XL6, Tata Safari, Toyota Innova and now Toyota Hycross has been able to sell 6 seaters successfully in Indian market.

Since when this stupid ISG started being added as a suffix to the variant name and why so?

Just checked Carens prices on carwale.com and see that X-Line 1.5 DCT 6 seater is cheaper than Luxury Plus 1.5 DCT 7 seater. I remember X-Line used to have more price than Luxury Plus variants of Carens about an year back.

X-Line 1.5 DCT 6 seater - ₹19.5 lakh
Luxury Plus 1.5 DCT 7 seater - ₹19.6 lakh
X-Line 1.5 DCT 7 seater - ₹19.7 lakh

My Carens has completed 40K Km and I am planning to change tyres. I am considering Continentals and went to a dealer closest to me to enquire availability and cost. I specifically asked for UC6 in the same stock size, which the dealer had in stock. While we were discussing, I casually mentioned that my current MRFs have started chipping off late.

While my car is predominantly used on the highway, I sometimes have to take routes which are still under construction or have pretty deep potholes and sharp rocks (this explains chipping of rubber). When I mentioned this, the dealer suggested AX6 instead. They are available in the stock size, and he had availability of both UC6 and AX6. The AX6 he says is resistant to cuts or damage due to rocks and has a more reinforced side wall. Continental website lists this tyre as a road tyre which can perform some off roading. While the dealer is not pushing me for either of the tyres, I am more inclined to go with the AX6. Did anyone try installing Continental AX6 tyres on their Carens? If so, how was your experience?

What is the price being quoted for AX6 and UC6?

I've also completed 43K KMS and tyre is begging to be replaced.
I've decided to go with Yokohama Earth Max, Rs.7500/tyre in Bengaluru.

I was quoted 8200 per tyre for UC6 (in Hyderabad). The dealer mentioned that AX6 should cost the same as well. Since I did not finalize anything yet, I did not negotiate the price, but he hinted that he was willing to come down to 8000 per tyre including wheel alignment and balancing (complimentary) if I took all 4 tyres from him.

I bought an Android Auto wireless stick for my Carens Luxury+ as this Carens model doesn't have wireless Android Auto. It is connected to the USB A port for Android Auto and works seamlessly.

But I noticed that the stick is switched on even after turning the car off.

Is the USB port meant for Android Auto on Carens always powered?

What will happen if I keep the stick in the USB port all the time?

I've a similar device and using it from couple of years in my Carens, I had got it sourced from US. It gets switched off as soon as the car is switched off.
USB port is not powered when car is switched off. You can connect a USB cable to your phone and check it as well.

Can you provide a link for the one you purchased. Wasnt aware such a thing existed

I turned off the car and checked the Wired Android Auto USB port while still inside:

• The phone continued charging.
• I unplugged the phone and connected the wireless stick — it started blinking
• The cigarette lighter port powers off as soon as the engine is turned off. My dashcams connected via USB to that port also turn off.

.

Is your device always connected to the Wired Android Auto port?
What’s the longest you've left the car off? Have you faced any battery drain issues?



I got this one https://amzn.in/d/i9ODo5p

There are many other similar items also such as:
https://amzn.in/d/59JInxr

I think most them should work fine and you can get one based on your budget.

A sudden decision in less than 10 days, have booked a Kia Carens Premium (O) Diesel Black color. Felt, off all the variants available, that was the most VFM and affordable for me in diesel! The upgrade is from an S-Cross 1.3 diesel. Keeping my fingers crossed on DPF related concerns as my S-Cross was as reliable as anything one could drive!

So, have taken delivery of the vehicle, Carens Premium (O) DSL Aurora Black yesterday from Capital Kia showroom, Perungudi, Chennai. Had a very pleasant and smooth buying experience from them. While I do miss my S-Cross, Carens does seem to be a capable family mover. Hoping to have wonderful ownership!

many congratulations vshankarhere on taking the delivery of your Carens Premium (O) DSL Aurora Blackclap:. Please share the pics. Also, would you mind sharing the price break-up?