[Sebring]

My wife test drove the Diesel Automatic, and managed to scrape Bangalore's infamous speed-breakers. The GC is really 195mm? She checked the TPMS for tyre pressure and the tyres were at 46, 36, 38 and 40. Recommended pressure is 33. So KIA should ideally keep optimum tyre pressure for test drives. She opines that Prestige variant should have had just one additional feature; the push button start. It's a VFM purchase, no doubt. Her colour of choice is this Brown. I liked it too when she shared a pic, as it looks really RICH and this suave edge reminded me of a few German cars. BLACK looks stately too

[ccsekhar2022]

Originally Posted by achintatri

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?
.

Thank you @achintatri for your detailed view. Very helpful and reassuring to know that the feeling of space was not a play of illusion .

Most trims indeed are VFM but At 21 lacs on road for the top trim Diesel AT (which I have booked), VFM advantage i guess drops slightly...Just my view as with a stretch of few more lacs there are more options all around with the more bigger more powerfuls coming into consideration...

[autoweirdo]

As per SA for prestige variant only 3 colours are available silvar, grey and white. So if any other colour choice will have to go for higher variants. Also from upcoming week deliveries are starting in Pune(Delay mainly in rto passing).

[achintatri]

Originally Posted by ccsekhar2022

Thank you @achintatri for your detailed view. Very helpful and reassuring to know that the feeling of space was not a play of illusion .

Most trims indeed are VFM but At 21 lacs on road for the top trim Diesel AT (which I have booked), VFM advantage i guess drops slightly...Just my view as with a stretch of few more lacs there are more options all around with the more bigger more powerfuls coming into consideration...

I agree that Diesel AT on highest trim might not be a VFM preposition. However I think it in this manner:

1. I am only stretching it by few thousands (20.73 - negotiated price for insurance - accessories since not much required for highest trim) so somewhere between 20 and 20.5 OTR Pune)
2. The equivalent higher trim in XUV700 touches 25L with no space management (no offenses to current owners)
3. The equivalent higher Safari trim is 27L

So I am actually getting a VFM product considering I cap my budget at 20L OTR, Pune.

However I would have been happiest if Diesel AT were to be available in the mid variants but in that case the highest variant sale would have been meager from Kia's point of view.

IMHO prestige plus is the most VFM variant but right now whatever it is for diesel AT, it is

Cheap, Good, Fast: You can only choose two out of these at any given point of time. I need a car sooner so can't wait for any more variant launches or new cars altogether. The example of triple constraint that I have given is based on my requirement of a similar vehicle and in no way generalize the choice of my fellow bhpians

[sentra26]

Does anyone know what the kerb weight of the Kia Carens is? I don't see it mentioned anywhere in the specifications. Would be good to see if any corners were cut to get to the competitive pricing. Even the Alcazar's weight is not listed in the specifications. Most other cars list the kerb weight in their specifications. For eg. Toyota lists the kerb weight of Innova ZX at 1920 kg on their website. Tata lists the Safari's kerb weight at 1825 kgs. Don't see it anywhere for the Carens or Alcazar.

[achintatri]

Originally Posted by sentra26

Does anyone know what the Kerb weight of the Kia Carens is? I don't see it mentioned anywhere in the specifications. Would be good to see if any corners were cut to get to the competitive pricing. Even the Alcazar's weight is not listed in the specifications. Most other cars list the kerb weight in their specifications. For eg. Toyota Lists kerb weight of Innova ZX at 1920 kg and gross weight at 2490 kgs on their website.

As per https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.91w...lcazar%3famp=1, the kerb weight for Alcazar is 1825 kg.

[sentra26]

Originally Posted by achintatri

As per the kerb weight for Alcazar is 1825 kg.

But I do not see it in the specifications brochure for the Alcazar that I got from the website. Same with Carens. I checked for Ertiga and they have dropped it from the brochure too (it was around 1255 kgs a couple of years ago).

[furyrider]

Test drove both 1.4 petrol MT and diesel MT today. TD of Diesel was with 6 passengers and 5 for petrol. Here are my initial impressions:

Clutch seems light for the petrol variant. For Diesel, I’ve noticed judder while moving from standstill in the first gear. Turbo lag is felt in both variants. However, this was more pronounced in the Diesel. Having said that, the Diesel gets moving from second gear. Both variants pick speed once the turbo starts spooling. Both engines felt as if they were tuned for relaxed driving/comfort rather than out right power. For some reason, the same diesel motor in the Seltos felt more peppy and eager to get going in comparison.

Someone upgrading from a petrol hatchback (like me) would feel the power on offer adequate 99% of the time. The TD was on mixed road and traffic conditions and if we set our expectations right, Carens will emerge as an all rounder. I was able to get until 5th gear for both the engines. Except for the first gear, in felt no issues whatsoever with the power on offer. Ride quality is also good. Of the two engines, I liked the petrol version the most, however, the fly in the ointment was the mileage. Instantaneous FE never crossed 10 kmpl for petrol and on the same road, under similar conditions, the Diesel displayed around 15 kmpl.

I deliberately stopped the vehicle on an incline and tried to pull from standstill. Petrol pulled without a fuss. Diesel on the other hand was able to move without rolling backwards, but the judder felt pretty annoying. I felt as if I was lugging the engine. SA says that since the car is brand new and not serviced yet (350 on the ODO), this was expected and the issue would resolve once the engine sets in. I guess there was some issue with the clutch on the Diesel TD vehicle. SA promised another test drive once the car gets serviced next week. I will try to check if this issue is an isolated incident. The judder however was not that pronounced on normal roads.

After the TD, I thought of changing my booking to petrol. However, looking at the FE and intended use, decided to retain my booking of the Diesel as is. I will definitely follow up with the SA or will try to get another Diesel for TD. I really hope this is an isolated case.

[swami]

Originally Posted by achintatri

As per https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.91w...lcazar%3famp=1, the kerb weight for Alcazar is 1825 kg.

This is not the Kerb Weight. Alcazar petrol top end Gross Weight is 1990 kg. Kerb weight will be about 550 - 600 kg lower than this - but that is an estimate, not an exact number.

You can also my post#215 on this thread for Gross Weight for Carens (1950 kg) - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ht#post5258756

[crimemastergogo]

I test drove the carens today. And the car struggled to go up the slope right outside the showroom. There were 4 people in the car. I thought maybe the slope was too steep but later I was able to cleanly pull away in my scross 1.5 petrol. Further the power was also underwhelming I thought it would be the 1.5 nay asp petrol which can potentially struggle given the size of the car. But to my surprise it was the 1.4 turbo. I simply couldn't feel the turbo kick in or any sense of agility. I am really confused and thinking it might be a defective unit. The sales rep told the car had arrived yesterday and was brand new. To be fair the only other turbo car I've driven is skoda rapid and I found it to be quite powerful and felt that turbo surge. I was expecting something similar here as well. I am still willing to let it all slide but the struggle on the slope has left me really confused.

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by crimemastergogo

I test drove the carens today. And the car struggled to go up the slope right outside the showroom. There were 4 people in the car. I thought maybe the slope was too steep but later I was able to cleanly pull away in my scross 1.5 petrol. Further the power was also underwhelming I thought it would be the 1.5 nay asp petrol which can potentially struggle given the size of the car. But to my surprise it was the 1.4 turbo. I simply couldn't feel the turbo kick in or any sense of agility. I am really confused and thinking it might be a defective unit. The sales rep told the car had arrived yesterday and was brand new. To be fair the only other turbo car I've driven is skoda rapid and I found it to be quite powerful and felt that turbo surge. I was expecting something similar here as well. I am still willing to let it all slide but the struggle on the slope has left me really confused.

End of the day, this is a 1.4L block bolted to (what I believe) is a fairly large turbo looking at the power figures. You will have turbo lag no matter what the on paper figures say. Turbos run off exhaust gases from the same engine they are powering. If the turbo is larger, you need more exhaust gases to spool it up and have it produce acceptable levels of boost. The more exhaust gases you need, the higher you need to go up in the revv band and that leaves a dead zone which is called lag.

This is where large displacement motors trump these GDI turbo petrols. Outright power figures might not be very high, but they make all that power in a very tractable manner. There's a reason why the 2.5 DIs by Mahindra are workhorses in hills, though they fail to even breach the 90hp mark in some cases on paper.

Gearing also matters a lot, as was proven by the old Innova. She might have only been a 102bhp car at best, but the short gearing and the larger displacement of the 2.5 diesel gave it enviable low end torque (though the short gearing did show when cruising at triple digit speeds).

I think Hyundai would have been better off sticking to the 2.0L NA petrol in the Carens than the 1.4 GDI turbo. It might not promise excellent fuel economy, but looking at how hard the 1.4 TGDI needs to be worked to extract performance, I don't think the difference in FE would be day and night.

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by sentra26

Does anyone know what the kerb weight of the Kia Carens is? I don't see it mentioned anywhere in the specifications. Would be good to see if any corners were cut to get to the competitive pricing. Even the Alcazar's weight is not listed in the specifications. Most other cars list the kerb weight in their specifications. For eg. Toyota lists the kerb weight of Innova ZX at 1920 kg on their website. Tata lists the Safari's kerb weight at 1825 kgs. Don't see it anywhere for the Carens or Alcazar.

Hyundai and Kia never disclose the kerb weights in their brochures. My guess is, this is because most models are manufactured for different countries and exported from Chennai. Hyundai and Kia alter the gauge of steel used, the extent of ultra-high strength versus high strength steel used etc. according to regulations, standards and customer expectations of each market, to achieve the given target margin. This startegy will unravel if the kerb weights are openly published, as they would be different in different markets for the same car and variant. An average consumer would then be able to simply download and compare the brochures across markets and question the difference in kerb weights and whether it implies differences in build quality and strength.

[CARDEEP]

I test drove the Hyundai Alcazar 1.5 Diesel Automatic yesterday, & it didn't feel an upgrade over my Ford Aspire 1.5 Diesel Manual. I feel the Carens may be similar, despite being a slightly better package that Hyundai's one on the inside. Hyundai scores better on external looks IMO.

Didn't go for test drive as it was irrelevant after the Hyundai's.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

Hyundai and Kia never disclose the kerb weights in their brochures.

Hyundai and Kia may be able to hide the kerb weight from their brochures and websites, but the Kerb weight is a mandatory figure which has to be mentioned on the registration form and also is reflected on the RC card. So owners will be able to find the actual weight of their car on the RC. It is also the exact figure which has to be give as per the variant and engine type too. But I agree it is misleading for Kia and Hyundai to not mention it in their pre sales communication.

[venkyhere]

In reference to the discussion/opinion shared here about how the engines in the Carens feel "less sprightly" compared to the same engines, in say, Seltos or Sonet or Creta etc...

More than engine ECU tuning, I have a feeling that the gear ratios are slightly longer in the Carens (MT and AT, same gearbox can be assembled with differently chosen cogs) , compared to others with same engine ("MPV" v/s "SUV") - this might be related to FE concerns and NVH concerns from the design team, since this is meant to be a sedate people mover or family mover , and not aimed anyway for 'fun driving'. Because, to beat the likes of Ertiga/XL6, the FE game is as pivotal as the gizmos game.