Kia Carens Detailed In 15 Images: Looks, Features And More

The Carens was revealed recently is expected to be launched in January

Kia has taken the covers off its upcoming car, the Carens. The Carens is a 6- and 7-seater vehicle that will be underpinned by the same platform as the Hyundai Alcazar, but that is where the similarities end. 

Take a look at all that the Carens has to offer in these detailed images.

The Carens is equipped with sleek and angular LED DRLs, the latest version of Kia’s “Tiger Nose” grille (you can spot it if you look really hard), a massive air dam and a massive helping of chrome. 

The Kia Carens is nothing like the Seltos. We say this because the Alcazar is pretty much an extended Creta. 

 Kia has gone the extra distance to not only distinguish the Carens from the Seltos, but from anything else in its lineup. This is also because the Carens is the first car from Kia in India to feature its latest design language.

The Carens has a pretty unique interior as well. Apart from the steering wheel, you will be hard-pressed to find similarities to other Kia cars. The touchscreen unit is inset into the dashboard, giving it a flush finish. There is 64-colour ambient lighting on offer that is synced to the drive modes of the car. The interior has a nice dual tone shade to it, striking the right balance between an aesthetically pleasing and airy-feeling cabin.

While Kia is not known to skimp on features, there are a few missing bits on the Carens compared to other cars like the Alcazar and XUV700. The digital instrument cluster is simply a small MID in the middle of the screen, flanked by digital graphics and digital readouts like the i20. While it might look cool from a distance, it really doesn’t serve the purpose of a fully digital instrument cluster, which allows you to reconfigure the setup according to your needs like the 10.25-inch screen in Alcazar. 

The sunroof too is just a regular sunroof, not a panoramic unit. The Hyundai Creta and Alcazar both get panoramic units whereas the Seltos and Carens both miss out on it. There might be a pattern emerging here.

The Carens will be able to seat six or seven, depending on the configuration. Pictured here is the 6-seater model and from the pictures at least, it looks spacious. Kia has introduced a first-in-segment electric tumble function for the second row that will make it easier to get into the third row. The Carens also has a dedicated air purifying system that can also be accessed from the second row. Second-row passengers also get their own tray table, just like in an airplane.

Kia did not allow anyone to step inside the Carens at the reveal event, but we did get a glimpse of the third row. While it doesn’t look like it's the ideal place for 6-footers, it looks like children will be comfortable here. The Carens also gets roof-mounted AC vents for the second and third row, and charging ports as well.

We can’t comment on the boot space or the actual space inside the vehicle as we are yet to experience it fully, but this image will give you a better idea of how Kia has laid out the Carens interior. There is enough space in the 6-seater version for a person to walk through the middle of the two captain seats, which will be really handy on long road trips.

In its profile, the Carens feels like an MPV that is trying to be an SUV. It is expected that it will use the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine and the 1.5-litre diesel engine from the Seltos. Both engines will get the option of an automatic.

Kia is offering a five-spoke alloy wheel pattern measuring 16-inches in diameter on the Carens. The tyre width is 205mm, with a 55 percent sidewall.

The Carens features LED tail lamps which are connected by a light bar. The tail gate also has a few character lines which give it quite a busy look. There is a thick line of chrome on the bumper as well, which looks a little out of place.

The Kia Carens is expected to go on sale in the first quarter of 2022, and we believe its starting price will be around Rs 15 lakh (ex-showroom). It will rival the Hyundai Alcazar, MG Hector Plus, Tata Safari and Mahindra XUV700.