[samaspire]

Originally Posted by Vikash Kumawat

You should mention the power train of your vehicle, after seeing the mileage it seems The Diesel AT or MT ?
Btw amazing travelogue, carrying a group of kids for 6000 kms road trip is itself an achievement. If you want to see Camels or Ships in RJ, try to visit Rural Rajasthan, I go through a group of Camels or Ships almost everyday on the road

Kia Carens Prestige Plus Diesel Manual, March 2023 model
I have asked the mods to add it in the 1st post of the thread.

Rajasthan definitely deserves a dedicated visit. We loved the people and the food there.

[Guru_Shikhar]

What a wonderfully documented travelogue!!!

This is sure a guide for many here to plan for the sections u visited.

I envy your work since u managed the time so well and enjoyed the trip leisurely ( saying this as you have not mentioned work pain / office issues anywhere in the write up ).

Suddenly I am finding interest in Kia Carens as a good seven sitter.

Can you please elaborate the last row experience of the vehicle? How good it would be for 6 adults averaging between 5.4 to 5.10 feet?

Loved this write up. Please keep updating about your wonderful car.

Cheers

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by Guru_Shikhar

Suddenly I am finding interest in Kia Carens as a good seven sitter.

Can you please elaborate the last row experience of the vehicle? How good it would be for 6 adults averaging between 5.4 to 5.10 feet?

Carens was the most VFM 7-seater out there when I bought it. Probably still is. For 6 passengers it will be very comfortable. Last row is not cramped if its going to only 2 people back there. But its not as wide as the Innova, so for 3 people it will be tight. Legroom in the middle row is massive and the seats slide, so more room can be made for the last row if taller people sit there.

But for long distances, the last row might get uncomfortable for people over 5'6" since the floor is a bit higher than the 1st two rows.

But don't go by my opinion. Take multiple test drives with the people who will actually be using the car. Especially ladies.

Originally Posted by Guru_Shikhar

Loved this write up. Please keep updating about your wonderful car.

My ownership report is also in the works. Hope to get it out soon.

[Born2Win]

Originally Posted by samaspire

1. No issue at all. The journey was very comfortable for all passengers. Other than refueling and washing the car, I did not even have to put air in the tyres.

2. Mine is also a Prestige Plus and the halogen setup was inadequate to say the least. I saw the ones Kia was selling and they were not that powerful. Then I got aftermarket LEDs after a year and they are great. I use the high beam only for flashing and on empty stretches because they will hit the eye.

Regarding warranty, yes there is a small risk if the bulbs lead to any electrical issues, but there should be none because these are plug and play. Also, they can only deny electrical warranty, nothing else.

Thats great to hear.

Can you please provide the details of the LEDs i.e. price and company and also the power output as well? Also, if you can share screenshot of the fitment area, it would be great.
Currently KIA is selling it as an accessory for around 9k so need to explore other options which don't void warranty before going for it.

[SuperGirl_Dad]

Originally Posted by samaspire

The Departure

With all this done, we were out of the gate by 7:35 am.

Attachment 2641422

Excellent travel log, enjoyed reading it. Hope the little angel did not travel in the front seat. Please get a child seat.

[m2badri]

Awesome write up. I am sure this must have taken quite a lot of your time to write this up - but certainly would have been fun remembering / recollecting the trip while penning it down.
I too have a Carens Luxury Plus Diesel AT and would love to go on a long trip like this with family. I have done a solo trip for 5 days from Hyderabad to Goa and then with my sisters family from Hyd to Chennai to Rameswaram (including Dhanushkodi) and back home to Hyderabad via Bangalore route (the return stretch was a solo though).
How did you manage to remember so much of your travel - jus out of curiosity - were you taking some brief notes during the stop overs.
It was fabulous reading through your entire travelogue and it felt as though I was travelling and experiencing it while going through the travelogue. Thanks so much - keep driving and keep posting.

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by SuperGirl_Dad

Excellent travel log, enjoyed reading it. Hope the little angel did not travel in the front seat. Please get a child seat.

Thank you for your concern. My daughter has been using the child seat since she was 5-6 months old, but now she prefers to use the regular seatbelt (mostly for short distances). She was 2.5 years old when we travelled, and she was almost always belted up. Sometimes on my wife's lap in the 2nd row when sleeping. But ya, there were times when she was shuttling between rows and just jumping around.

Originally Posted by m2badri

How did you manage to remember so much of your travel - jus out of curiosity - were you taking some brief notes during the stop overs.

I am not known for my good memory, but the photos did help in recollecting a lot of things. Then I had inputs from my wife and the kids. The kids remember everything!! Like I have mentioned in the Jaipur post, my daughter even remembers the 2 elephants' names.