Team-BHP - Kia Carens Review

Did some highway driving in my Prestige 1.5 P. Long stretch of 450 km was at night, driven by a driver. Other small drives were during day, by myself.

Observations:

- Front seats are the best place to be. Both the seat ergonomics and suspension setup give you nothing to complain about. Hard to believe this is a 12 lakh car.
- Second row is good for two adults, the middle seat is a torture. Sadly, this is the case with most modern cars, due to firm and raised seat cushion and hard back due to armrest.
- At high speeds, 2nd and 3rd rows tend to bounce without any potholes or speed breakers. This happens when the road has slight variations in slope.
- Long trip gave me FE of 15-16 kmpl. Was driven mostly around 90-100 kmph. The driver used to upshift very late, sometimes keeping the 5th gear at 90 kmph.
- Did one solo trip of 30 odd km on mostly empty state highway. Extracted FE of 20.3 kmpl with AC on. Speed was kept between 60 to 80.
- Had to drive in a village through farms for 4-5 km. Gave me multiple scares. It was total kachcha road, where two tyre tracks are sunken and the middle part is raised (and also has some grass/bushes). The underbody didn't like it at all and made noise. Higher GC was sorely missed.
- Power delivery isn't bad at all till 60 kmph. Especially 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears perform very well, always providing instant power on tap. 6th gear is just for cruising. Don't use it for overtaking. I once tried and had to back off!
- Android auto disconnection issue persists, and was a major annoyance in every trip. It could be an issue with Xiaomi phones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sajjt (Post 5302282)

Because of the long wait period, have made a booking for the new Ertiga which is available with the dealer in Cochin due to non allocation of colour. They are confident of billing the car on the launch day itself if I confirm. I am still on half mind to take the bait as I am going to lose the road presence and many premium features KIA offers compared to Ertiga:confused:

Depends on how quickly you need the car.
For Kia, its worth the wait. If its not urgent, would recommend waiting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sajjt (Post 5302282)

I would recommend compromise on the variant and getting a Carens variant which is readily available. If you ask a few dealerships, I think one or more would be available for spot delivery.

Late update:
Got the first service done on my Carens DCT.
Made the service appointment prior to the day as suggested by the dealership. The service staff at Yashodha Kia, Patiala was professional in every aspect.
The service advisor suggested to get the rodent repellent treatment for the engine bay and I opted for it, as this was something I was looking for already. I have seen marks of rat feet in the engine bay in my other car several times. The treatment costed about 1200 bucks for Carens and I hope it serves it’s purpose.
Did not have to pay for any other service charge since this was 1 month sevice. The car was ready for delivery in about 2 hours. Overall, a hassle free experience so far.

PS: Kia dealerships are facing shortage of accessories for Carens even after more than 2 months of launch. Kia can’t blame the chip shortage here atleast. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptaneja (Post 5302298)

Depends on how quickly you need the car.
For Kia, its worth the wait. If its not urgent, would recommend waiting.

That's what am also thinking, for me getting one was urgent but for the time being I got a standby from one of my cousins for a couple of weeks:Cheering:

Quote:

Originally Posted by pseudo_coder (Post 5302561)

I would recommend compromise on the variant and getting a Carens variant which is readily available. If you ask a few dealerships, I think one or more would be available for spot delivery.

I don't think it's readily available here because of the huge demand, and here in Kerala, one person is running almost all the dealerships, such a monopoly. Anyways, I will check that possibility also on Monday:thumbs up

OT: Just got the new Ertiga brochure, nothing much to excite neither from external looks nor from internal, just my personal opinion.

I would like to get the updates from others who have booked carens and are waiting for the launch of XL6 and the new ertiga. Is there anyone who have opted for XL 6 or new Ertiga instead of Carens.

Although I have already booked the Carens (Luxury plus, Diesel, 6MT), I am still looking out for a car Which would have a road presence like Safari, 3rd row seating like carens, Panoramic sunroof and features like XUV 700 and a boot space of atleast 300 litres at a cost of 25L on road.

Does anyone have an idea about Hexa relaunch. I will wait even for one year, if it is going to be launched in 2023.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anbaras (Post 5303582)

If you are comparing the new XL6 and Ertiga after driving Carens am sure you will be disappointed in every aspects except the fuel efficiency and the resale value. Even I too booked for an Ertiga as a standby option but will wait few more months for the Carens.

I managed a short test drive of the top end diesel automatic during my short trip to India last week. Observations below:

1. I found the build quality to be pretty decent. No vibrations of the windows were observed when wound down half way and doors then closed.

2. Interior plastics and fit and quality were also good but mind you this was the top end model, so not sure how the lower Prestige and Prestige Plus would feel.

3. Front seats were super comfortable with good seating position offering excellent view of the front and road ahead

4. The 3rd row was quite spacious like many have already commented, big thumps up to Kia on this and ingress/egress was very easy indeed. Adults should have no problems sitting there for 1.5- 2hrs. I am 5.9 for reference.

5. The biggest disappointment though was the middle seat in the 2nd row. Although others had metioned this before, I was shocked when I actually sat there. The extra hard and firm back rest would make this a 6 seater in my view. My advice to all looking at this as a 7 seater for frequent long trips is to try out the middle seat first. I certainly wouldnt want to be seated there. Best reserved for children who may not need to the full extent of the back support while adults move to the 3rd row.

6. The diesel was super silent, couldnt believe I was actually driving one. The auto box worked well and I only had a brief chance to floor it and even then the engine noise was much better than I had expected.

Overall, a great car with the exception of the middle seat in the 2nd row.

I had previoulsy booked the 1.5 Prestige and intend to stick with that booking given its VFM, despite the the long waiting period. I am in no hurry for a new car. Was tempted to move to 1.4T Prestige as the SA promised delivery in Aug, but cant digest the 2Lac premium for a shorter waiting period.

FYI, I also have a XL6 Alpha Auto booking which I am almost convinced of cancelling. The 6 seater option in my view is neither here nor there especially when chauffeur driven with a family of 6. I was secretly hoping MS would surprise me with a 7 seater option!!

As for 5 seater options (considering 95% usage will be for parents), I am eagerly awaiting the updated Brezza due to be launched in June. Will try this and compare with the SCROSS and also TD a Carens 1.5P before making the final call.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickygupta2 (Post 5305787)

Have been reading the thread extensively since yesterday evening and got impressed by the reviews. Called the company today for Luxury Plus 7 Seater Diesel AT test drive in Ludhiana. The SA came and gave him a Rs. 25k booking cheque. He said the expected wait time is 5-7 months.

The drive experience was good, almost everything has been covered quite extensively in the thread. Any idea if 5-7 months is actual wait time or can I expect it earlier.

After the Prestige 1.5 NA, Automatics are having the highest wait time. If you want early delivery, be flexible and say you are ok with MT. Top end MT vehicles are getting delivered a bit early(2-3 months time, within in a month if you are lucky). Another trick is to have multiple bookings in multiple showrooms in your area which increases your chances of getting early delivery.

Quote:

Originally Posted by furyrider (Post 5300199)

- Overall FE stands at 19.1 Kmpl tracked using fuelio.
- As a family tourer, the Carens fits perfectly. My elderly parents who were never keen on taking road trips are now looking forward for the next one. Family is extremely happy with the vehicle. I always thought that they were not interested in road trips. I now understood that the choice of vehicle makes a lot of difference.

Great FE for a big hauler.

And great point about the family. Just 2-3 years ago I would have not looked at MPVs like this as a purchase option but now I firmly believe these are better than SUVs or CSUVs for carrying parents. This or XL6 would be top two cars on my list if I'm out looking for new car. When XUV700 launched it swayed me a little but I'm back to MPV camp again.