[achintatri]

Uploading the Price List from Aman Kia, Nagar Road Pune for reference. I went for TDs on a weekday around 3 pm where only few people were there to TD including us so the SA attended us very well.

[souvikjana83]

My 67 yrs old father accompanied me today to the Kia Showroom to have a look at the car and its test drive. While my father found the middle seat and back seat on the top variant to be comfortable (acceptable), he found the mid variant (prestige) to be not that comfortable even in the middle row seats. Especially the middle seat on the middle row. Probably due to the fabric being used and the middle seat being a cup holder as well. We checked the same on the Sonet and found the same issue with the middle seat not at all comfortable in Sonet.

Moreover he was sure for such a big car, the mileage of petrol would take a hit in city so the diesel would make sense.

I took the test drive of 1.4 turbo petrol and the first thing that I saw was the average on the screen. It was a paltry 7.5 kmpl in city conditions. But I am sure with sedate driving it would have given 10 kmpl in city. The pickup and drive was good and it never felt underpowered anywhere. The clutch was light and overall road manners were good.

I wanted to have a test drive of 1.5 petrol as well but since there was no test drive vehicle for 1.5 petrol, we came back telling the salesman that we will give a thought and inform later.

[guru_to_be]

I’ve been looking for a SUV to replace my long running Horse Honda Jazz for almost a year now. Have TD almost all the options. Priorities are ride quality, Telescopic steering (as I am 5’11 and always find steering a little far away leading to shoulder stress), Automatic gearbox and steering (on my son’s request). Many SUVs fit the bill but ride comfort was not to my satisfaction. The problem is that I had been comparing the ride quality of every car with Hexa. We had a zoom car hexa with us for about 2500 KMs over a week’s time. Drove it from Mumbai to Udaipur to Kota then Indore and back to Mumbai. The whole family was super impressed with the ride quality of the car so much that I had been waiting to buy one since then. But ultimately when the time came, the car was discontinued.

Coming back to testing all the available cars today, and prioritising ride quality, I believe Kia Carens perfectly fits the bill..

Just loved the ride comfort at all speeds and in all the rows. The interiors are very thoughtfully designed keeping in mind the practicality. I was so impressed that I took another TD of Safari immediately after this one and trust me Safari was unsettling and made me uncomfortable immediately. I double checked the Tyre pressure just to be sure. Safari’s ride quality improves over high speeds but for most of the drive Kia carens felt like a clear winner. Immediately booked the car.

Now comes the best part. I booked on 16th with a waiting period of 10-12 weeks as advised by SA. The booking docket arrived on 17th with a waiting period of 22 weeks. Now the dealership is confused as they committed something which is almost half the waiting that Kia is promising. Now I don’t know when I’ll be able to put my hands on this car. The family is excited and so am I. The dealer has assured to sort out the confusion in a few days. Hopefully it works..

[nvn]

Originally Posted by AshiqueS

I have booked Kia carens Luxury Plus 1.5 Diesal Auto 7 seater version at bangalore whitefield dealer (EPITOME KIA) on 15th Feb . Waiting period mentioned in booking docket is 12-13 weeks.
I am yet to TD the diesal auto version as the EPITOME KIA says that they donot have a diesal auto TD vehicle. Folks who have already Test drove Diesal auto, please let me know the bangalore dealer where diesal auto variant is available for TD.

JSP KIA Showroom Kadubeesanahalli (Marathahalli) has Diesel AT TD available. I drove it yesterday.

[hagarthenormal]

I went to a Kia showroom this evening to look at the Carens. Lots and lots of weekend visitors interested in checking the car out. Sales persons were just unable to keep up with the crowd!

Got to look at both the entry level Prestige and the higher Luxury variants. The exterior looked more pleasing in the brown shade as compared to the silver. In the silver shade, the black treatment around head lamps look like it has a bruise / black eye!. Buyers might want to go with the darker shades in general for this car.

Looking inside, to me, the base Prestige's dark colour fabric seats looked neutral (and I'd say even appealing) as compared to the beige upholstery of the Luxury. 'Would have been nice to have fabric seats as an option in the higher variants (may be folks who prefer fabric seats to leatheertte ones, are an economically nonviable minority for car makers to pursue).

You know what would've been nice? An auto option for the base Premium / next Prestige variants. The gap between 12L for Prestige and 21L for Prestige Plus AT is far too much, if one were looking at Carens for a reasonably sized automatic people mover (minus frills one can probably live without).

And one must commend Kia for pricing the Petrol and Diesel variants almost the same. I have not seen this sort of a pricing strategy from other car makers.

Will I test drive Carens and consider it as a serious buying option? May be not. Not yet.

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by nvn

JSP KIA Showroom Kadubeesanahalli (Marathahalli) has Diesel AT TD available. I drove it yesterday.

Yes! I had the chance to get a nice TD of the Diesel AT today at JSP Autocore Kia showroom, at the location NVN has mentioned above. After the TD, happy to retain my booking for the 1.5 D AT.

If anyone visits this showroom, do ask for Manish Reddy. I don't know how technically sound he is on the product (do we TBHPians even need it, we often know more), but he is a very nice guy who always aim to keep Customer comfortable and tries to satisfy most reasonable requests. Very happy to have him as my sales associate.

Per him, most booked color is Red, followed by White and Silver. So he anticipates, the Imperial Blue (I've booked), may actually not take 20-21 weeks as per the official communication (this is not his official communication, he was just trying to share what he knows and assumes).

[pseudo_coder]

Pune showrooms have a few manual variants availabile in stock for purchase. This shows that either the demand for manual variants is much lower, or that the car isn't in that much demand as hyped.

I took a test drive of DCT and diesel manual. In DCT, felt some lag before in throttle response at low speeds. This was similar to petrol Ecosport AT. I had expected more from a DCT.

Diesel manual, on the other hand, had a jerky behaviour at low speed. Don't know if it was due to too much torque, or the clutch.

I think the top variants of Carens are not value for money. Each heigher variant above prestige charges high premium for a few features. I already have a booking for XUV700 L AWD at 28 lakh on road. I think that provides more value than carens top end at 21 lakh. Prestige 1.5 at 12 lakh on road is a different story. Might just be the most VFM car available in India now.

[Venkatesh]

Kia Carens waiting period ranges from 13 To 49 weeks, Prestige 6MT petrol 1.5 variant has the highest waiting period.



Source

[dextor]

Did the test drive of Carens Diesel automatic yesterday with 7 people seated. All were in the range for 70-80+ kgs weight. The ride was perfect without any lag of power and the car was able to pull very nicely.
I have to admit that the engine sound on higher speed was higher in the cabin.

Multiple people tried to drive the car with different riding styles and the results were same. Overall ride was comfortable and space was good enough for all 7. I (5.7") was seated in the last row along with a friend (5.10") and we both were having good enough leg space with back fully reclined. Please note with back fully reclined the luggage space in boot is further reduced.

So who ever is having doubt about car (D AT) able to pull with full load can breathe easy.

[ccsekhar2022]

Hello All,

This is my first post in a Team BHP forum and the coincidence at the start is, I got to be part of this 7 people test ride of Kia Carens Diesel AT and can vouch for everything that is said. I got to drive the car too as well as sit in the middle row when it was taken for a spin around a stretch of empty road in Bangalore as well as thru it's famed pot holed fly overs. It pulled along nicely with all 7 reasonably well built adults in. I was seated in the middle row at almost 6ft height and the seats adjusted to my position and still the feedback from the 2 in 3rd row was they were game for a reasonably long ride in it. Amazed at the space created inside the car as well as the fit and finish...Quality of plastics are good but then let's be mindful of relating the quality to the price. AC was good too all thru the cabin and we were out in the afternoon sun. Yes the Diesel machine gets noisy especially with sudden revving but NVH inside the cabin is well done.

Thank you @dextor and gang for letting me in as the 7th tester just when you guys where about to zoom vroom 😀.Special mention to the team at JSP Kia, Bellandur, Bangalore. Terrific customer focus even if it's from sale PoV, with heavy footfalls they were patient and attended the test drives with energy and details especially with this multiple group 7 adult drive. I had exact opposite experience at a Tata Dealership the same day morning where I did manage to get my hands on the wheels 9f a Safari for TD...But just that and no other interactions before or later with the SA whom I was in touch with.

Before this drive, we took the same diesel AT for the test drive twice and my wife is clearly choosing Carens for the comfort it is giving inside the cabin. The other 7 seater cars in our radar are Tata Safari and XUV 700. Drove Safari too a few times and the influential decision maker in-house clearly picks Carens as the car for the family Vs the adrenalin that is on offer with the other two Vocal for Local Duo.

Question - about this feeling of space and comfort, is this something that is felt as a common experience or is that an illusion to which some gets trapped in ?😀 Opinions from people who have test driven the car especially with family would be very very helpful. It's in no way to compare Safari/XUV with Carens as it's just common sense to know that these cars are at two different segments but to get a sense around what makes more sense and comfort for people inside the car. Especially to use it as a practical family car for a family of four with a senior citizen (parent/in law) accompanying in about 30-40% of all rides. Also from the same context any expert opinion on the ride comfort comoarison for family in Safari including for a 65+ senior citizen would be very helpful too.

[achintatri]

Originally Posted by ccsekhar2022

Hello All,

This is my first post in a Team BHP forum and the coincidence at the start is, I got to be part of this 7 people test ride of Kia Carens Diesel AT and can vouch for everything that is said...

My Dad who is 70+ had accompanied me for the TD. We test drove both DCT Petrol and Diesel AT on 2 consecutive days. While I got a chance to TD dct petrol with full load on inclines, uphill and downhill, I did not get a chance to TD diesel AT in the similar fashion. But an input from your full load TD of diesel AT provides some reassurance and thanks for the same. One question: Did you guys happen to TD the diesel AT uphill and downhill?

Regarding comfort level for senior citizens, My Dad was comfortable in ALL the seats and he praised the NVH and drivability of the car as well.

One important thing I would like to mention is that the experience of any new car would be relative in most of the cases than absolute. In my case, I currently drive swift dezire zdi amt and if I compare carens Diesel AT with the same, the car seems to be from a different planet (nothing related to the TVC though )

However, I am pretty sure that even if it is going to be the first car for anyone, the experience as a family car would be more than satisfactory satisfying the VFM sector.

I had also TD Safari as well as XUV700 ATs ( We drive ATs only), Space is one of the primary requirement when it comes to family sharing the same on any family car. Second comes the ride comfort, performance on bad roads etc.

Carens is not supposed to be driven fast on undulated roads, it's not a duster however if driven in a disciplined manner it will not disturb the family sitting in the car whether on good roads and highways or on undulated surfaces. On bumps, better reduce the speed to the minimum most and negotiate the same and things would be fine. So all in all, a perfect family car suitable for all age groups if one drives the same like one.

Also, Space cannot be illusion, XUV700 definitely has the best middle row space. Fortunately, Carens has that space availability in all the three rows something that people who have TD Safari and XUV700 have also mentioned during the TDs.

Kia knew the avg height and weight of the targeted audience (no offense to anyone) and so the design.

My family has few people who are o erweight by 10-15%. They were most comfortable in Carens as compared to XUV700 and Safari. The only vehicle that comes closer to Carens in Space Management is Innova but then Carens has a bigger VFM ratio IMHO.

[jetsetgo08]

Saw a decorated Kia Carens (looked like Prestige variant). Did the deliveries begin? The on road presence is comparable to BR-V and not Creta/Seltos/Alcazar which clearly appear a size bigger.

Post pandemic, the demand has gone up for 7-seaters, unfortunate for Honda they discontiuned BR-V just a little ahead of time. But, I guess the 7 seater saga will reduce once the pandemic ebbs and public transportation is functional in full swing.

[porsche_guy]

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

Saw a decorated Kia Carens (looked like Prestige variant). Did the deliveries begin? The on road presence is comparable to BR-V and not Creta/Seltos/Alcazar which clearly appear a size bigger.

It does seems like deliveries have begun. Saw a Luxury Plus Diesel AT yesterday. Road presence was actually quite underwhelming. I can't help but think of it as a stretched WagonR when I look at the side profile.

[84.monsoon]

Had a quick look at the Carens while I was passing the Kia showroom on OMR. There was a massive crowd of people checking out the car and waiting for test drives. There were three vehicles on display - one of the top trim, 1 middle trim and one just above the base i.e. the prestige. The prestige was clearly the star of the show, with lots of families checking out this perfect package of price, practicality, and prestige! Not very surprisingly, while there were multiple Seltos and Sonets on display, there were hardly any customers looking at them.

Overall the car felt long and narrow, as one would expect in an MPV. The front looked somewhat narrow and low and not aggressive unlike the Seltos are even the Sonet. The car overall has a soft family car look and definitely built for a low target cost and practicality versus any kind of macho SUV looks.

The doors felt light and somewhat tinny. They definitely felt lighter then what I remember of the Creta. They did not shut with a reassuring sound or feel. Exterior paint felt par for the course - it was quite shiny and well finished. Ingress into the driver seat is a little tight for very tall people, especially if the steering is tilted to the lower positions. The front seat does not slide back as much as I would like. However this should be okay for 95% of the people. Being 6‘2“ tall and someone who likes to slide my seat back to a relaxed driving position, I could have used just a little bit more seat travel. However, once settled in the seat, it felt comfortable especially after I pushed the steering wheel up a few notches on the tilt mechanism.

The interior trims looked well finished all though they were all hard plastic. Kia has perfected the art of using economical materials that still look reasonable. The gear throws on the manual were neither too short not too long. They slot in quite nicely. The clutch action was quite light on the petrol showroom car. The 8 inch touchscreen on the lower variant is integrated really well into the dashboard. The seats felt quite comfortable and built for medium size folks. The seat material was neither too soft not too hard. There is sufficient headroom for a tall driver and the ergonomics felt quite well sorted. The non-leather wrapped steering felt scratchy and rough. My 2020 Thar does not have a leather wrapped steering either, but it somehow feels of much higher quality and easier on the skin. With the front seats pushed back to my driving position, which is pretty much all the way back, the room in the middle row wasn’t all that great for another 6 footer to sit behind. However for most people it should be quite comfortable . The third row bus remarkably comfortable considering this is only a 4.5 m long car.

Due to the steadily increasing crowds as the evening wore on, I did not want too much exposure and left after a quick 5 minutes. Will do a detailed look and a test drive at some point soon.

[procrj]

Walked into a very crowded Kia showroom today for a quick check and drive of the Carens. I was interested in understanding the difference between the Carens and the XL6, which is what I currently own. I was able to squeeze in back to back test drives of the Diesel AT and Turbo Petrol AT.

Power delivery: The diesel definitely suffers from turbo lag and the AT seemed hesitant at city speeds/stop and go traffic. Quick press of the A pedal and there is a disconnect between the engine whine, audible in the cabin as revs increase, and power delivery. You need to cross 2K RPM mark before the D-AT becomes more pliable. This could mean a lot of revving if you have to climb up inclines from a dead stop with a full load. Turbo Petrol AT is such a joy drive to drive on the other hand, very linear power delivery that makes it a lot more easy to drive vs. the D-AT, but the downside would be lower F.E. Plan to go back on a weekday to test drive the MT petrol and diesel variants.

Ride: Small bumps, undulations, patches and even small speed breakers are easily handled by the suspension and 16 inch MRF rubbers. There is no suspension crashing and very minimal side to side movement in the Carens. As compared to the XL6, you feel a lot more cushioned and isolated from road surface variations. Not sure how this would change in the lower variants which come with steel wheels riding on 15 inch MRF rubber. Would also be interesting to check how Carens performs on our patchwork highway network at cruising speeds as I feel that the suspension is tuned to low speed comfort.

Lower variants get 15 inch Steel Wheels



Handling: Very car like handling in the city, will be very easy for folks who are shifting from a hatch to the Carens. More interested in evaluating highway manners and rough road handling.

Cabin noise: While diesel engine whine does creep into the cabin, compared to the XL6, in cabin noise insulation is miles ahead. Noise from seepage outside the car is minimal, even when the music is off and it only gets better if you switch on music. A quick check of the door beading and the difference in quality is discernable, Carens gets a thicker but soft door beading, which in combination with thicker door sheet metal (assuming this, given the heft of the door) helps isolate noise very effectively. Not sure how this would change on highways, but I would assume road noise would be minimal while there could be wind noise filtering through.

Premium feeling: The Carens definetly delivers across a wide range of parameters.

• Door panel heft - Doors feel a lot heavier than the XL6 and shut with a quiet thud.
• Seating comfort Front row - Seats in the Carens are on the firmer side, which is to my liking as I believe it provides better support to your legs and back, which is important if you plan on doing long drives. While the white art leather seats in the Luxury spec Carens look + feel luxurious, black seats in the Prestige variant are equally comfortable, even if they do look a little drab. Compared to the XL6, under thigh support in the front seats are better while back support is probably on par since there doesn’t seem to be dedicated lumbar adjustment in either cars.
  
  Black seats in the Prestige variant
  
  
  
• Seating comfort 2nd row - Maybe the captain seats in the Carens are more comfortable, but the bench seat is a compromise IMO. I did not get a chance to experience the comfort in the captain seats but I did evaluate bench seat in the prestige variant and I wasn’t too happy with seating position and comfort. With the driver/passenger seat pushed back all the way, there is barely enough room for a 6 foot adult to sit in the 2nd row and the seating position ensures that your under thigh is raised, which might not be very comfortable during long drives. Carens is being considered by folks who travel with parents (based on the sample of people who were at the showroom today) and the seating position in the bench seat might not work for all. Further more, when you recline the seat, you body gets into a very weird angle (checked it myself and obsereved others reclining in the middle row) where it becomes a challenge to support your lower back. Hence anyone considering the 7 seater Carens, please do take extensive test drives with folks who would occupy the middle row before you decide to book the car.
• Seating comfort 3nd row - based on inputs from my son + my own experience, 3rd row comfort seems at par with the XL6 - both from a space and seating position point of view.
• Driver Seating position - You definitely sit higher than the XL6 and its easy to find a good driving position thanks to ample seat height adjustment and steering rake/reach adjustment. All round viewability is good and the slightly bigger(vs. XL6) OVRMs and IVRMs make it easier to evaluate surroundings.
• Tinted Windows - Both the Prestige and Luxury variants seem to have tinted windows, which should help control in cabin temperature. Also observed that the window glass is marginally thicker than the XL6, which again should help with noise insulation.
• Spacious - Front seats are positioned further apart, which results in more space between drive and passenger seat occupant. Especially important for big/tall folks with long hands.

Quality of Plastics: Overall, plastic quality in the Carens is a lot better than the XL6

• Dashboard - Few notches above the quality in the XL6, both in the Luxury and Prestige variants. While Luxury variants have a blue grey textured finish with cream plastics providing a contrast, Prestige/Premium variants come with a black textured finish with cream plastics providing a contrast. Blue OR Black, it feel a lot more thicker and sturdier than the plastics used in the XL6.
• Door Panels - Well contoured, sturdier and more ergonomic vs the XL6. Grab handle like cavity + storage space for a phone, both of which are missing in the XL6. Even the lever for opening the door feels a lot more sturdier and easier to use vs the XL6.
  
  Door Panel - Prestige variant
  
  
  
• Window control panel - again a couple of notches above XL6 as the window switches feel a lot more premium to use and don’t have this plasticky flex. Not sure if they are illuminate though.
• Steering Wheel - Controls on the steering of the Carens vs XL6 was a mixed bag for me. While the push buttons felt much better on the Carens, I find the rectangular adjustment buttons provided in XL6 easier to use for setting volume/Cruise Control vs. those provided on the Carens. Overall plastic quality of the steering wheel on the Carens is better than that of the XL6.
• Third row plastics - on par with Maruti as the panels are thinner, flex under pressure and have this very plasticky looking finish.
  
  

Other small things:

• Cramped engine bay - There is hardly any space in there vs the XL6 engine bay, which has ample space. Going to be hard to clean and access various components.
  
  
  
• Halogen Headlamps - A big plus for anyone purchasing the Premium/Prestige variants. Replace the halogen with a 90/100 Phillips + relay combination and you are all set for night/rain/fog. The 3 chamber LED headlamp + Fog lamp combination is definitely going to be a big letdown for all those who plan to invest in the higher end Carens.
  
  
  
• Footwell Space - Dead pedal positioning is very good and footwell space is comparable to the XL6. I do feel that it will get crowded in the footwell for people with large feet (I wear size 11 footwear), will need to drive a MT and check.
• Glossy black surfaces - Big turn off as these were layered with fingerprints and dust. I am definitely not a fan of the pattern on these surfaces and it might have been cheaper and more elegant, if Kia could replace these panels with textured grey panels.
• Seat height and recline adjustment levers - looks to be a direct lift from Maruti stable and are flimsy when compared to other plastics in the Carens.
  
  
  
• Seatbelt adjustment - Absence of height adjustment in Premium and Prestige variants is a letdown.
• Rear wiper and defogger - Absence of rear wiper and defogger adjustment in Premium and Prestige variants is another letdown, but they do get rear camera and front + rear parking sensors.
  
  
  
• Aircon controls - Very basic looking aricon controls in Premium and Prestige variants is another letdown.
  
  
  
• No Rattles - Absolutely no rattles in the test drive cars and given the solid feel of panels, I am not sure if they will develop rattles.
• Boot struts - Seem to be quiet sturdy and open the rear hatch in a very easy motion. Additionally, the weld joints around the boot door have a cleaner finish vs. XL6.
• Boot floor cover - seems a tad thinner than the XL6 covers and its not split, which would mean that you have to unload all items from the boot to lift the cover.
• Wheel cap - decent looking wheel cap on the 15 inch steel wheels. If you buy a Red Carens, you could paint the wheels red, should be a good contrast against silver caps.
• Smart key - thin elegant looking smart key provided in the higher variants while premium and prestige variants will not get keyless entry.
• Additional padding - boot door area gets additional padding, which I am assuming is in place to reduce noise and vibrations from the boot door.
  

So the big question is, If you are in the market for a Petrol 6/7 seater under 15L, should you seriously consider the Carens? My answer would be a very strong yes. The 7 seater Prestige 1.5 MT variant is 12.4L OTR Bangalore vs. XL6 Zeta variant which is about the same price. The Carens seems to outshine the XL6 on many parameters and what needs to be evaluated is highway manners and braking, both of which I was unable to check since Kia showrooms are not providing long test drives of the Carens.