Kia Carens price and variants explained

South Korean car manufacturer Kia recently launched the Carens MUV and listed all the details about the different variants that will be available. With prices starting at Rs 8.99 lakh, the Kia Carens promises fairly decent value at least when considering the wide range of options you receive when choosing your car.

The Carens is available in five variants, three engine options and three transmission options. But then again, not every variant is available with every engine option and not every transmission option is available with every engine. In this article, we are going to explain all of this so that you can decide if you want petrol or diesel engine, or the manual or automatic transmission and, finally, which variant you would want to choose. Of course, we’ll add the prices in there, too.

We’ll start with the engine and transmission options seeing as how this will be the first decision a person would like to make. The entry-level option on the Kia Carens is a1.5-litre petrol engine. This produces 115PS of maximum power and 144Nm of peak torque. The 1.5-litre petrol comes with only a manual transmission and will be available only on the two entry-level trims, Premium and Prestige.

Next is the 1.5-litre diesel engine that produces 115PS of maximum power and 250Nm of peak torque. This engine gets a choice between a six-speed manual transmission and a six-speed automatic. The automatic option, however, is available only on the top-spec Luxury Plus variant.

And finally, the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol that churns out 140PS of maximum power and 242Nm of peak torque. This is mated to either a six-speed manual transmission gearbox or a seven-speed DCT automatic transmission. While the manual transmission is available across the trims, the DCT version is reserved for the Prestige Plus and Luxury Plus variants.

The Premium starts the Caren’s line-up as the entry-level trim. Starting at Rs 8.99 lakh, this variant is available with the 1.5-litre petrol MT, 1.4-litre turbo-petrol MT and the 1.5-litre diesel MT powertrain options. The top features on this trim include 16-inch wheels with covers, semi-leatherette seats, roof-mounted AC vents for both the second and the third row, one-touch electric tumble for the second-row seats, folding armrest for the second row, a 7.5-inch digital instrument cluster and five USB Type-C ports.

There are differences in the upholstery as well in the trim levels. The Premium gets a black and beige interior scheme with indigo inserts.

The Carens Prestige starts at Rs 9.99 lakh, ex-showroom, going up to Rs 11.99 lakh. Powertrain options available here are the same as in the Premium variant, so you have the 1.5-litre petrol MT, 1.5-litre diesel MT and the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol MT. Features include everything the Premium has as well as other standards such as an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 12.5-inch LCD instrument cluster, a six-speaker sound system, steering-mounted audio controls and a rear-view camera with dynamic guide.

The interior is again a black and beige theme but misses out on the indigo trim. The Prestige gets premium fabric and leatherette seats. Roof rails come standard as well along with keyless entry and a Type-A USB port for media.

The Prestige Plus variant is the first in the range to offer an automatic transmission in the form of the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol mated with the DCT transmission. Other powertrain options include the turbo-petrol with manual transmission and the diesel mated to a manual. Prices for the Prestige Plus start at Rs 13.49 lakh and go up to Rs 14.59 lakh.

Adding to the list above, the Prestige Plus gets LED DRLs, LED tail lamps, auto climate control, electrically folding outside rear-view mirrors, push-button start, remote engine start, rear sunshades and 16-inch alloys. It also gets keyless entry, multiple drive modes on the automatic transmission variant, cruise control, and cooled cup holders for both the front and second row.

The Luxury variant is available in only the turbo-petrol MT engine option and the diesel MT option, both of which are priced at Rs 14.99 lakh. In terms of features, the Luxury trim adds full LED lighting, leatherette seats, a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system and the Kia Connect connected car tech with over-the-air updates. It also gets a leather-wrapped steering wheel with telescopic adjustability, an air purifier strapped to the back of the driver’s seat, 64-colour ambient lighting and seatback trays for the second row. The Luxury trim changes up the interior theme as well with a Triton Navy and Beige two-tone scheme. The dashboard, too, gets a distinct high-gloss treatment with a techno print.

At the top end is the Luxury Plus, which starts at Rs 16.19 lakh. This variant is offered with both the turbo-petrol and diesel engines paired with the manual gearbox. Additionally, the turbo-petrol also gets the DCT option while the diesel is available with a six-speed automatic option. The features added to this trim include a sunroof, a premium eight-speaker Bose sound system, ventilated seats, rain-sensing wipers as well as wireless charging. The automatic option also gets paddle shifters for when automatic isn’t fun enough.

It has to be said that the Luxury Plus is also the only variant that allows you to swap out the bench seat in the middle for captain seats, turning the seven-seater into a six-seater MUV.

The Kia Carens goes big on the safety front with a lot of tech included as standard. Six airbags, ABS, EBD and ESC obviously come as standard, but so do things like all-wheel disc brakes, hill-start assist, hill descent control, vehicle stability management and rear parking sensors. With starting prices set at this level, the Kia Carens essentially fills a void between the Maruti Suzuki XL6 and the Toyota Innova Crysta. Of course, it does see competition from the Mahindra Marazzo but its SUV styling could also see competition from other rivals such as the Hyundai Alcazar and the MG Hector Plus.