How I bought a Kia Carens petrol iMT after booking a Maruti Ertiga AT

We were contemplating a bigger car since our 2019 Santro AMT was getting smaller for our family of 5 and a cat.

BHPian btdhar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi all,

A quick prelude to the drama of getting a Petrol 1.5 Turbo iMT Kia Carens - we were contemplating a bigger car since our AMT Santro 2019 model was getting smaller for our family of 5 and a cat. The travels from Bangalore to Hyderabad, Kanyakumari, Mumbai with all of us and the cat were getting tougher and the family demands for more space were getting noisier.

Tried the Scorpio-N (ruled out for waiting periods and price), almost wanted to get the Safari but the service issues and facelift being around did not help, Kia Carens DCT was a strong contender along with the diesel AT but did not proceed due to DCT and diesel long term prospects. Finally booked the Ertiga Zxi+ AT (the family wanted the Carens, so it was not a happy decision for them) in Sep 2022 and the waiting game started. In March 2023 after no response from Maruti despite multiple follow-ups and news from Kia about iMT Carens came in. Did a TD of the iMT Seltos since Carens was going to available for TD only in April and felt good with setup. Took a leap of faith and booked one with a promise that delivery will happen in April, which Kia stuck to its promise

Around 7th April, I get confirmation about vehicle and quickly clear the payment to take delivery of an Imperial Blue Prestige Plus Kia Carens iMT 1.5 Petrol Turbo.

With an upcoming trip to Hyderabad, I decided to do as much driving in Bangalore City to run-in the engine properly and get 1st service done. Covered 700 km in the city in a week, hated the traffic but had a good running in and getting used to the size. Hyderabad drive was great too with 5 adults, a cat and a ton of luggage

Pros so far:

• Space, AC, mileage of 11-12 in the city and 18-19 when driven at 85-90 kmph on highways.
• Driving dynamics feel very sorted.
• iMT keeps driver engaged which I enjoyed after a 50K km with the Santro AMT.

Cons/compromised:

• A lot of hard plastic outside and inside feels a bit cheap.
• Speakers and headlights felt better in my Santro.

1st service experience:

• Timely response and quick service done.
• Headlights were adjusted and felt better but still need a lot of attention from Kia. Like a lot of owners have already said, this is not fit for a big car like Carens.

Thanks for reading.

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