[delusional_fool]

Looks wise this one is really uninspiring which is surprising because it looked much better in the renders and also Kia so far had nailed the design aspect with Seltos and Sonet. The interiors looks good though.

If priced competitively i.e. in the XL6 territory or little above it, then Kia has a winner but if it priced similar to Alcazar, then I don't think so.

[anup_av]

At least the car looks better in real life images compared to the photos on official website.

Totally agree upon two points mentioned earlier - Wheels are disproportionately small and ruining the looks to a large extent. The front end looks inspired from Kia Soul.

2. We as car enthusiasts know that, in terms of safety, (or safeness of a car) structural rigidity and build quality are what matter more than all these lengthy feature lists. These features are more like add-ons only.

It is more like these two go hand in hand, the features like ESC, Vehicle stability management, Hill-start assist, Downhill brake control, TPMS and all wheel disc brakes etc will help in prevention of a crash to a larger extent whereas the structural rigidity and crashworthiness would be significant only upon an actual crash.

[anb]

Originally Posted by Livnletcarsliv

This is where we car enthusiasts differ from the general public out there.
I am talking ONLY to the Indian standards here (not comparing to any other market at all).

While I totally second your point of Kia, striding ahead with a long list of safety features, I beg to differ in two areas here
1. I don't think that there is any "benchmark" set here by the Korean twins in terms of safety. (Tata, M&M, Ford, VAG twins can be said so).
2. We as car enthusiasts know that, in terms of safety, (or safeness of a car) structural rigidity and build quality are what matter more than all these lengthy feature lists. These features are more like add-ons only.

When the Seltos (I don't think Sonet is any different and no comments on Carnival), has a very poor structural strength, Carens I doubt will be any different.

None of the competition( 7 seaters) have good safety rating except for XUV7OO which has delivery dates in 2023. Tata is afraid to test to Safari/ Harrier as it will end up in scoring similar to Seltos as foot well area is unstable during an impact due to placement of oil filter of 2.0 MJD engine near the pedals. I pity those people who bought Harrier/ Safari for 20+ lakhs after seeing the 5 star rating of Nexon and Punch. People are left with no choice in the 7 seater category.

[arijitkanrar]

Is it just me or do the seats look very small?
Either that or the window line is very high!

I didnt mean to nitpick but this was something that stood out when I saw the interior pics.

Here is the Carens 2nd row vs the XL6 2nd row. I know they have different types of headrests, but if you look how high the seatback is compared to the window-line, you might also see what I see...


Wouldn't the seats dig in to your back if you were to be slightly tall?
Not only the 2nd row, but even the front seats seem to be smaller than average?

[Bluengel180]

Originally Posted by anb

None of the competition( 7 seaters) have good safety rating except for XUV7OO which has delivery dates in 2023. Tata is afraid to test to Safari/ Harrier as it will end up in scoring similar to Seltos as foot well area is unstable during an impact due to placement of oil filter of 2.0 MJD engine near the pedals. I pity those people who bought Harrier/ Safari for 20+ lakhs after seeing the 5 star rating of Nexon and Punch. People are left with no choice in the 7 seater category.

So you also pity everyone who bought any seven seater except XUV700. Correct?

The point that was trying to be relayed is that there is no company that values safety other than the Indian duo. Even though the Harrier has not been tested people have faith because because tata has tested every other model they have and maintained a 4+ star rating. So there is no reason to believe that they went completely maruti with the harrier when the knew they could not achieve 5stars.

When recommending any vehicle we should always mention the safety rating. If it's untested it always has a question mark. But ask me to pick an untested car with regards to safety I will always pick the Indians over maruti/Hyundai/Kia which sell lower quality versions in our market.

I just Tata would get this over with irrespective of what rating it gets.

[anb]

Originally Posted by Bluengel180

So you also pity everyone who bought any seven seater except XUV700. Correct?

If Harrier owners can put comments like " Pity our Indian customers who are blindfolded by the smart Korean minds." in the same thread, why should I be silent? Tata sent every models except flagship model for crash test, so there is something wrong with flagship. Harrier's issue with oil filter placement of 2.0 MJD engine is a well known fact. It's mentioned in many threads in the forum.

[MaanSingh]

Originally Posted by arijitkanrar

Is it just me or do the seats look very small?

Yeah, that seems to be the case.

[lionell]

Might as well have named it Kia Compromise. Absolutely uninspiring interiors compensated by them digital gimmicks.

Should have launched an actual MPV and not a namesake RV of sorts.

[Bluengel180]

Originally Posted by anb

If Harrier owners can put comments like " Pity our Indian customers who are blindfolded by the smart Korean minds." in the same thread, why should I be silent? Tata sent every models except flagship model for crash test, so there is something wrong with flagship. Harrier's issue with oil filter placement of 2.0 MJD engine is a well known fact. It's mentioned in many threads in the forum.

The same filter place as every vehicle that uses the FCA engine correct? So the earlier comment stands. No clue why you singled one out.

Anyway this is derailing from the thread topic. You can post in the Harrier thread.


I actually like the looks but the lack of panoramic sunroof seems to be a miss. I guess management has decided that Hyundai will be the premium offering as Seltos vs Creta seem to have the same mismatch I'm Features.

[TaurusSHO]

It looks like a stretched and bloated Kia Soul with terribly small wheels and tyres.

[RoverX]

I was kinda hoping for the Kia Carens to be a more neutrally styled version of the polarizing Hyundai Alcazar, but boy, was I wrong. They set the bar so high with classy designs like the Seltos, Sonet, Carnival (both third and fourth gen), and even the Sportage and Telluride (abroad), and it seems like they didn't have any creativity left when it came to this!

As many BHPians have rightly pointed out here, it looks like an awkward amalgamation of the Kia Soul, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga / XL6, Honda BR-V, and the MG cousins (Hector and Gloster). The end-result is terribly disproportionate and unappealing, what with the undersized tyres, the Mahindra KUV100-esque slashes on the front and rear fenders, and the tall body. The Soul can get away with being an incredibly quirky design (it's part of the charm), but I suspect it won't go well with the mainstream consumer. The low seating also doesn't seem to remedy the fact that the Alcazar is a compromise as a 7-seater, and I expect the comfort levels to be more or less at par. Even the engine choices are really mediocre!

Kia will expectedly overcompensate in terms of features, but I don't think the Carens will do much to dent the current positions of the existing 7-seat players in the INR 15 - 25 lakh range.

[BoneCollector]

The Carens brochure shows only the US one. The new one is not yet available I guess. Anyone has it?

[RoadTiger]

The car looks stylish and contemporary. It doesnt have the mindblowing looks of a Seltos or the new Carnival for sure but looks decent, proportionate (smaller tyres not withstanding) and non-too polarizing for the mass market - no crazy/ ugly creases and cuts.

The front fascia is sleek - not bold (wish it was more Seltos-ish) - they seem to have gone for the central grill/ slab more like the electric cars of late.

The rear is clean, nice lamps - don't like the garish chrome at the bottom of the rear though.

My sense is Kia has focused on practicality :
1. The space between the last row and the rear glass indicates reasonable boot space - would expect it to be better than all its rivals except perhaps the 300 lts of the Innova
2. The sun-shades, air purifier, seat back table, digital cluster etc are all nice small touches
3. Have tried to address the safety issues - by focusing on a wide range of safety kit including 6 airbags, ESC, TPMS etc as standard across variants - which no one else has. May be wishful thinking to believe Kia has managed to address the structural issues though - the 3 star NCAP may continue
4. With 1.5 P, 1.4 Turbo petrol and 1.5 D - plus automatics ranging from TC, DCT and iMT plus manuals - they are doing a Seltos again in terms of variety of variants. Those engines may not win enthusiast votes - but seem practical-as-hell given spiralling fuel prices
5. Space looks decent - even though 2nd and 3rd row space seems adequate but not generous. Seems to me they have 'optimized' leg space for additional boot space. Plus the seatbacks seem slightly thinner vs rivals

Overall, my bet is this one is emerging as tough competition for the 3 big boys of the segment
1. Ertiga (more modern, feature rich alternative while staying with a strong brand),
2. Crysta (more frugal, more refined, equally practical as an urban/ smooth highway ride while comprising on off-roadability, robustness & resale value) and
3. XUV700 (more city friendly and possibly more reliable ?)
in that order

[padmrajravi]

If priced close to Alcazar, Carens will be a better buy in my opinion. Standard six airbag configuration alone should tilt the scale towards Kia. The only other difference is panoramic sunroof vs roof mounted AC blowers. I prefer the roof mounted AC over sunroof. They are extremely useful compared to B pillar mounted or driver armrest mounted ones. Try spending some time in the second row on hot day in an Innova and the current gen Safari/XUV700. The cold blast towards the face is a lot more comfortable that the ones towards your knees. For our conditions, roof mounted AC vents are a bigger advantage than panoramic sunroof. It makes a big difference to second row comfort.

[twin-turbo]

That little concave bit in the back panel makes it look a bit disproportionate, and what's up with Kia and the ridiculous red line that stretches in the rear and doesn't serve any purpose. Also, it looks the same recipe as the XL6 with the smaller wheels. But I think it is otherwise a pretty fresh car with a funky design.