Shortlsited Kia Carens, upgrading from Maruti SX4: Have some queries

No sunroof: with apologies to all who like this feature, I think its insane in our climactic conditions (lots of heat, dust and rain), not to mention the consequences of failure.

BHPian mrwalker recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Ye olde vehicle, the venerable SX4's (2009) registration is going to expire later this year so am on the look out for a suitable replacement/ improvement. As you read down you will start wondering why I've posted this in the Carens thread, but please be patient.

Have some standard and some quirky (?) requirements

- No sunroof: with apologies to all who like this feature, I think its insane in our climactic conditions (lots of heat, dust and rain), not to mention the consequences of failure

- Automatic: Preferably TC, CVT, but not DSG or AMT.

- Safety: 4-6 airbags, decent crash test rating, prefer headrest and 3 point belt for second row middle seat

- Space/ size: SUV/MUV that can sit 5 comfortably - 3 adults (son is 18 and the tallest at 6'), 1 15 yr old, 1 senior citizen - with a good amount of storage. Not opposed to a 7/8 seater as well, as long as its not too huge (for ref SX4 length x width is 4500mm x 1735mm). One main requirement is that if I'm driving, my son should be able to sit behind me in comfort.

- Ease of ingress, egress and comfortable seating: Me and parents both need this in spades, them due to advancing age and me due to back etc

- Fuel: Prefer petrol with hybrid or diesel, petrol only with auto being a recipe for huge bills

- Running: Mostly Pune city (~90%), with occasional highway runs to Lonavala, Mumbai and once a year further to Alibag, Goa. I think we do less than 10,000 kms per year

- No touchscreen for non-media controls esp. aircon (am assuming media physical buttons on the steering wheel). Don't mind if the switches look plain, they need to be tough and wear resistant

- Budget: I'm loath to paying anything over 20 lakhs on road

- Comfortable and solid suspension, good ground clearance and underbody protection to tackle the things that are called roads in/ around Pune

- Would prefer IR/UV cut glass, ACC, rear vents/cooled seats, rear charging ports, rear parking camera and wired Android CarPlay. IR/UV glass for obvious reasons (albeit the SX4 has a 70% transmission 3M film on sides and back and never been stopped by cops - no film in front). ACC, have got used to it in SX4 but the missing rear vents/seat cooling make life difficult in peak summer. Don't have/use a rear parking camera and can mostly reverse park without it, but wouldn't mind having one. Would like to use Android maps, media, phone controls over the manufacturer provided ones.

- Am perfectly fine not to have a large touchscreen, fully electric MID, 360 camera, ADAS, cruise control, TPMS, puddle lights, electronic seat adjust, auto-folding mirrors, auto wipers/ headlights/ IRVMs, progressive turn indicators, wireless charging/ CarPlay, and the extended laundry list of gizmos that are becoming common in cars (the apt term, I believe, is 'basic b*t*h')

- Quite obviously I don't care about the performance, just that it should be able to handle overtakes and ghat sections on highways with 4 + luggage without too much hassle

- Have used all past vehicles (Wagon R, Activa 0G, SX4) for 14+ yrs so want something long lasting, reliable and fuss-free

Suprisingly, the first few requirements - no sunroof, automatic and 4/6 airbags - eliminate a lot of the competition in the SUV/MUV space. In any case me and the kids (well one is 18 yrs old and 6') set out for a exploration this weekend (no test rides, just checking out)

- VW Taigun: Too cramped and small boot. Touch aircon controls. Didn't like the smaller spare. Otherwise meets my no sunroof, automatic, high safety reqmts. Also checked out Virtus but my son's head touches the roof in the rear seat and its too low slung for easy access.

- Honda Elevate: Better space than Taigun, lower end without sunroof (R variant) has the auto and 6 airbags. Some discounts on offer as well. But couldn't move driver seat as far back as I wanted to get comfortable - salesperson's solution was to bring down the seat height, which moves it back (!). Shortlisted.

- Toyota Hyryder: Somewhere between Elevate and Taigun space wise. Lowest end hybrid has no sunroof, auto, 6 airbags, headrest and 3-point seatbelt in middle seat and plenty of other kit. Small boot space and high cost (20.5 lakhs on road) are a turn off as is the slightly higher step to get in/out. Shortlisted, maybe

- Hyundai Creta: No variant with automatic transmission but no sunroof. Space was on par or a little less than Elevate. Felt a little difficult to get in. Alcazar has the same 'difficulty getting in and no auto variant without sunroof' problem.

- Mahindra XUV700: Just one low end variant (AX3, 5 seater) with automatic transmission but no sunroof and 4 airbags. Decent space - except for last row but that doesn't matter as only 5 seater in scope. Very high step up to get in and quality of the interiors were a little disappointing. Shortlisted - or maybe not

- Nexa XL6: Space management was poor. Couldn't get into a good driver position and not comfortable in front or middle row seats due to lack of underthigh support, limited foot space. All auto variants have no sunroof and 4 airbags. Last row was OK but I don't see how we can fit in 5 people comfortably in this vehicle with the second row only having captain seats. Will check out Ertiga, but can't see any reason to shortlist this other than price (top end 17 lakhs on road). Also stepped into the Invicto (Nexa's Innova Hycross) for a bit - the front seats are fine but the second row is captain seats only and the batteries placed under both driver and front passenger seat make it impossible to seat 5 comfortably. A little mystified as to what's going on.

- Kia Carens: I was surprised that it has variants with no sunroof, automatic and 6 airbags - but only in diesel, not petrol (reading the brochure did not reveal this). A little wary of the GNCAP crash test report ('unstable body shell' and 3 stars). Space was amazing - can easily sit 5 in reasonable comfort without accessing the back row and even that is decent while leaving some space in the boot. Relatively easy to get in/out. Some aircon controls are touch but the main speed and temp controls have good buttons. No IR/UV cut glass but rear passengers get a pull-up screen. Rear vents till3 the last row but speed control in middle row. Well above budget by 1-3 lakhs. Very nice interiors (XUV700 and XL6 felt cheap in comparison) but I'm concerned how well they will last over 10-15 yrs. No headrest for middle seat, 3 point seatbelt for middle seat starts from seat back rather than body, which I find suspect. Size is 4540mm length x 1800mm width compared to SX4's 4500mm x 1735mm, which should be quite manageable. Shortlisted

So, coming to the grab-bag of questions I have - happy to receive any insight/ pointers on any of these:

- There are two variants I could go for per the salesperson - 'Carens D1.5 iMT Luxury 7' and 'Carens D1.5 6AT Luxury Plus 7'. Are these the only two Carens variants with automatic but no sunroof (the brochure makes this difficult to figure out)? Which is a better diesel auto in Kia, iMT or AT, in terms of driveability, mileage, performance or maintainenance? And is the 'Luxury Plus 7' worth 2 lakhs over the 'Luxury 7'? Per the brochure I would gain front seat cooling, auto wipers, paddle shifters, some other bits like a Bose sound system and '3rd row boarding assist handles' and some fluff like ambient lighting, door spot lamps, wireless charging and a 'Walk-In lever'.

- Kia BS6.1 diesels: Prospects for diesel vehicles outside Delhi and major metros, anything to be worried about policy-wise? Reliability and servicing/ spares for Kia diesels? How's the NVH? Any problems with Adblue use especially in city for short runs for several days?

- Any thoughts on the latest GNCAP crash test rating? Am a little confident that the 2024 3 star rating means its better than older 3 star ratings as GNCAP has upped its requirements but the 'unstable body shell' gives me pause.

- Kia sales and service (preferably in Pune): Any trouble getting PDI or outside insurance, high pressure sales tactics, phantom waiting lists or unnecessary hassle over variants/ colours? How's the service experience, cost of regular spares/service and cost/timeliness of getting frequent accidental spares (bumpers, head/tail lights). Any problems with warranty process?

- Facelift: Any idea when it would be and what is likely to change esp. re safety? Am also concerned that the facelift may not meet my 'no sunroof automatic' requirement though!

- Recommendations around outside insurance vs dealer/ Kia insurance, getting Fasttag by oneself, whether Kia extended warranty and RSA are worthwile, recommended Kia/ outside accessories, any coatings/ treatment to be applied, tyre change recommendations. The salesperson says they can get sunfilm fixed and provide a certificate of compliance but I know that's not really legal.

- Thinking of removing the tray table and air purifier behind the front seats in the long term to free up space. Anyone done that?

- Any other SUV/MUV or even maybe a sedan I should consider? Preferably not used.

Thanks!

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