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I agree with you on the nvh front both in petrol and diesel. Also if you drive fast on undulated roads, the ride comfort becomes rude comfort :) . Having said that one who has a family with kids and seniors traveling in the car, driving with some discipline would make sure the entire journey is smooth. The moment one thinks they can drive it like a duster(from ride quality perspective), they will be disappointed.

I booked the same model online and on the confirmation page found that the dealer and variant both were different. After few calls and couple of hours later, I now have the receipt and the booking docket document with me for the correct dealer and variant with waiting period mentioned between 20-22 weeks. I booked at Aman Kia, Nagar Road, Pune. Never book online I would suggest.

Is this the seltos ? where is the front crash-bar ? has it been removed ? can it be removed, even ? I'm surprised that this K2 platform comes without a front crash bar. Can you confirm the same ?

Yes it is the Seltos. The front crash bar can be seen at the bottom, below the radiator (silver bar partially hidden behind a plastic panel). Another bar is a the top, above the radiator. Look for the black bar between the headlights. The last pic shows the bars very clearly.

Now you can compare my images and description with the K2 platform structure which Seltos (SP2i) uses and has been shown in the following thread. The images match.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post4939057


(Note: As the images in the above thread, the new Creta (SU2i) doesn't come with a front crash bar. Would be interesting to see if someone has images of what lies behind the Creta bumper).

Haven’t test driven the Carens yet but I think the ride quality and NVH levels should be a notch or two better in Innova. Since you have the budget, between Innova Crysta and Kia Carens, my suggestion would be the Innova. Also long term reliability and performance is proven with Innova. Of course you’ll be missing some creature comforts and nothing can beat Hyundai/Kia in that aspect.

I was in the same dilemma. I did not feel that diesel is in anyway underpowered. I still plan to TD it with full load on a hilly area near my place. I booked diesel AT today after going through a lot of horror stories with the DCT gearbox. If those horror stories are not to be believed, 1.4 Dct prestige plus is the best variant to book IMHO.

Saw the car on road today and it looked impressive ! Much better than what we see in the pics/videos.
It has good road presence and the cabin looks amazing. If mahindra had not launched the XUV700 this year we would have definitely considered this car before booking the xuv.
Hope they get a good safety rating now.

I found the iMT gearbox in Sonet to be very useful since at a minimal price, the need to press clutch is removed in bumper to bumper traffic (and no stalling). I think every car at least from Kia and Hyundai should come out with iMT. Not everyone wants a DCT gearbox as they are complicated and expensive to replace in the long run. I wish iMT gearbox was there in Carens as well at least for the lower variants which will need a lot of manual gearshift due to the engine with less power.

I was in the market looking for a car for my dad.
Based on the requirements, cars shortlisted were the City 5G, Creta SX, Thar. All had some compromises to make.
Booked the Carens Prestige 1.5 in Gravity Gray as soon as the price was revealed.

Went out to the showroom to checkout the Prestige variant since not much information was available online and no test drive cars are available either.


First impressions on the Prestige variant:

- Looks much better in person than in pictures
- Didn't look under tired even in the 15" rims (prefer the 16" look). Will swap out to alloys from the aftermarket.
- The paint quality could be improved
- The interiors are well laid out and overall quality is good.
- The lower variant interiors are good mix of black and beige. The seat is a mix of fabric (in the center of the seat) and the outer edges are leatherette (didn't feel all that good)
- The seat is comfortable, the fabric and the design, however is not to my taste. Will swap out to better seat covers from the aftermarket
- The Prestige variant is well loaded and has everything we need. I'd prefer the cruise control and auto folding mirrors, but at <10l ex-showroom I'm not complaining.
- The AC vents have a unique design, need to check if they can be shut off completely. The rear ac vents are well placed.
- The one touch electric tumble from base variant is impressive.
- Rear seat comfort and room is more than satisfactory.
- The touch unit (8") didn't look small/awkward and is well integrated into the dash.
- The LED DRLs (missing in this variant) have an empty slot where the DRLs go. (aftermarket possibly?)
- The center seat in the rear bench is not usable. It folds down completely into an armrest that is very comfortable.
- Didn't think i will like the digital drivers display, but looked well integrated

My only concern is with the 1.5 engine. Is it adequate with 5 passengers?
Test drive will be available in a couple of days, will upgrade to either the 1.4 turbo or the diesel if not satisfactory.

Did some googling around CTBA rear suspension and found this: https://www.freepatentsonline.com/8505939.html

Designed and patented by three Koreans but obvious. Hope their research, design and development translates into a better driving experience for us.

I got an email from the dealership that the car has been allocated for my booking and later on received a call from SA stating that they will receive the car early next week. I had booked Prestige Plus 1.4T DCT.
But the dealership has received only two TD cars and both are diesels (Manual & 6AT). Hence, I am a bit skeptical since I have never driven a car with turbo engine + DCT combination. Might look to delay the purchase without a proper test drive of a Dual-Clutch box.

Visited the Kia showroom today and took a test ride in Carens. I was checking back seat comfort and it was very good. Did not face any swaying and the car is very planted on road. However, the back seat width is average only.

Below pic two 5'9", 100 kg persons sitting side by side.




I did not hit the air purifier neither getting in nor getting out. When seated, enough space is there for relaxed travel.




As others mentioned, welding points stick out like a sore thumb.



As per the dealer, most variants booked so far are 1.5 Prestige. I mean 1.5 Prestige is unbelievably loaded for the price. Compared to 1.5 Prestige, 1.4 Prestige plus seems very costly with ~5 Lakh difference.

One thing I noticed in pricing is, the difference between Prestige plus Manual and auto is ~1.3Lakh but the difference between Luxury plus Manual and auto is ~95K.

Is it normal that curtain airbags do not cover third row occupants? Seems to be a cost cutting measure. XUV 700 airbags have full coverage attaching both pictures below for comparison.
With kids generally occupying the third row in most cases, why this half hearted measure?:Frustrati

Yes it is the case when 5 seater cars are extended to become 7 seaters - Safari, Alcazar, Carens. Third-row passengers are short-changed. The company can still claim 6 airbags and most people won't realize this.

Newly launched Kia Carens against its three-row rivals, on paper.



Kia has priced the Carens very aggressively seeing as it manages to undercut all competitors here by a significant margin, except for the Ertiga.



Kia has the longest wheelbase, but is more or less on par in terms of other dimensions.



The Kia is the only one to offer a turbo-petrol option.



Carens and Alcazar has the smallest displacement and the least output.



Source

Hi Neeraj, if you don't mind, could you please let us know when did you do the booking?