[ptaneja]

Originally Posted by samaspire

- Is anyone having issues with the driver seat height adjustment lever? In the TD car I drove, the lever was tight and squeaking loudly.
- Does Kia offer the fog lamps as an accessory? If not, what are the alternatives?
- How good/bad are the headlights in Prestige Plus? Is a bulb upgrade recommended?
- The armrest felt more like an elbow rest - has anybody thought of extending it?

- No noise from the levers for me. Luckily !
- Fog lamps can be installed after market. But not worth the price they are sold at, more so when they have a ridiculous throw. Both will cost somewhere around 20k with couplors.
- headlights are a let down. Swap them with better halogens or LEDs. Kia has started offering LEDs in house too.
- Armrest is a joke. But have not purchased any accessory for extending it yet.

[Subroto Bhowmik]

Here are my observations after driving my Imperial Suite (Carens Diesel AT for exact 4 months - 5965kms), bought the car on 10th November 2022:

Pros
1. Very luxurious interiors
2. Feature rich car
3. Best 3rd row of seats - even 5'11" person can sit comfortably
4. Very refined engine even for a diesel - almost no noise at standstill
5. Front ventilated seats are a boon for Mumbai climate and on highway runs
6. First time using paddle shifters and cruise control - after skoda rapid 2016 model for last 6 years this car seemed like its in a different league in terms of features although I still miss the DSG!
7. TC is decent enough for city driving but on highways need to plan overtakes else I may be in a soup on tricky overtakes as the TC is not as boomy as DSG!

Cons
1. Candle lit lights is a big drawback - the LEDS are just pathetic and as per after market guys, I will need to change the entire headlight unit to install Osram CBI Pro which will burn a huge hole in my pocket.
2. No wireless AA/Carplay
3. Poor mileage in Mumbai city roads- My overall mileage is just about 11 kpl considering the fact that 95% of the kms piled up so far are on office commutes. Highways I got 17-18 kpl. MID is +/-1.5 off from T2T numbers!
4. Left rear door needs some effort to close, nobody is able to crack the logic behind this.
5. Sunroof is so small it could have been avoided by Kia considering the likely problems which may crop up in the future
6. The stock media player is good but very basic as cannot play OTT apps.
7. Build quality not that good as its more of a tin can like marutis - no wonder 3* rating and hence I am all the more cautious while driving this car.

Here are some of the pics of my beauty. Overall satisfied customer and no wonder carens is selling so high leading to huge waiting periods.

[mkbksc]

Received my Kia Petrol Luxury 7 Turbo 1.4 MT ten days ago. has been driven just 300 kms so far, so it is very early days to comment objectively. Still, sharing some initial impressions.

Pros:

# driver seat is comfortable
# Spacious cabin
# feature rich( yet to use 50% of those as still understanding the car)
# Sitting in third row is comfortable in terms of leg space and there is a sense of involvement with other passengers in 1st and 2nd row because of its increased height.
# Kia connect is useful


Perceived areas of improvement:

# on changing to 2nd gear, vehicle gear transmission system does not roll over smoothly, one has to press the accelerator slightly more while gently releasing the clutch
# front passenger seat feels low, could have been provided with adjustable height setting similar to driver's seat
( above two observations could also stem from my experience of driving XUV 500 W8 diesel for past 10 years that I sold off recently)
* 17 inch wheels could have made the vehicle look sturdier
* front grille could have been modelled on Seltos( very personal choice) to make the car look infinitely better /head and shoulder above the competition
* media sound output could have been better ( not sure which make of speakers Kia has used here)
* rear doors are heavy and right side makes a slight clattering noise while closing.

Drove with six adults and the car felt slightly overworked. Will have to test this on highways and hills on full load. With 138 PS, should not be an issue ideally.

Bought this car after weighing 7-seater petrol mid range car options available in market on factors of price/ maintenance/ build quality/running cost. Hope my decision turns out right.

Will post more reviews in due course.

[Knightrider]

Originally Posted by mkbksc

Received my Kia Petrol Luxury 7 Turbo 1.4 MT ten days ago.

Congratulations on your purchase and wish you many happy miles!

Originally Posted by mkbksc

* media sound output could have been better ( not sure which make of speakers Kia has used here)

For the top 2 Luxury variants, Kia has put Bose speakers I believe. The audio volume is felt low in 2nd and 3rd row seats which can be adjusted by positioning the source a little below the center in the audio settings.

[anijonnybravo]

Originally Posted by Subroto Bhowmik

6. The stock media player is good but very basic as cannot play OTT apps.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think this is a safety feature. OTT can be viewed only when the car is at a standstill to avoid driver distraction.

[Subroto Bhowmik]

Originally Posted by anijonnybravo

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think this is a safety feature. OTT can be viewed only when the car is at a standstill to avoid driver distraction.

Yes you are correct but I would be happier if this functionality was available to keep my family happier during the long drives while I concentrated on the roads.

[richie4u]

Exclusive News:



As per a confirmed update from my source the Kia Carens will have a new Taxi variant called the M Drive . This will be the same variant as the Premium model, available in petrol/diesel IMT model. The car will be preloaded with a speed limiter and panic button.

With all the safety features provided by Kia Carens by default, this should be a game changer in the taxi industry.

[Knightrider]

Originally Posted by richie4u

As per a confirmed update from my source the Kia Carens will have a new Taxi variant called the M Drive . This will be the same variant as the Premium model, available in petrol/diesel IMT model.

Will this be the one getting CNG option which was spotted under testing few days back?

[richie4u]

Originally Posted by Knightrider

Will this be the one getting CNG option which was spotted under testing few days back?

As per the source it will be the 1.5L Petrol Manual and 1.5L Diesel IMT only as of now.

[ZenMaster]

Originally Posted by ron178

I am sorry about the incident. For future reference, an NCAP rating will not reduce damage in a low-speed shunt like this. In NCAP frontal offset crash testing most of the energy dissipation takes place through the front longitudinals and members running around the passenger compartment, which play no role in low-speed crashes. Moreover, door opening forces, although recorded and sometimes published, are not used to calculate the test score. Low-speed consumer crash tests for strength of bumpers, fenders, headlights, and other cosmetic parts, and corresponding repair cost, are undertaken by insurance-industry funded programmes globally like Thatcham Research, CESVI, C-IASI and formerly the IIHS. Currently there is no such programme in India and consequently no way to compare low-speed damage/repair costs for different cars.

.

There is a EU or UN regulation called the R-42 "Slow Speed Impact Test" that auto companies need to adhere to.

I think the Equivalent Indian regulation is AIS-120.

The gist of the regulation is that, if the vehicle is involved in a slow speed impact with a similar vehicle in slow speed traffic conditions , it shouldn't affect the drivability of the vehicles. i.e., There should be no damage to the Powertrain componenta (Radiator in this case) and any function parts like Headlights, Indicators, Horn etc.

This test is conducted using a Standardised Pendulum Impactor (whose mass will be comparable to the vehicle) and it's tested in head on impact as well as Angular impacts from some specified angles at a Slow Speed.

Since the impactor is of a very specific shape, I guess it's cannot replicate all kinds of vehicles. Ideally your Headlights shouldn't be damaged and must be functioning even after the crash. I guess that is probably not a realistic target though.

Also modern bumpers are easily damageed mainly due to pedestrian safety requirements (as well as cost cutting in case of extremely flimsy bumper designs)

The real concern is the door not opening.

[Knightrider]

Looks like Kia has silently introduced new variant - Luxury Optional between the Luxury & Luxury Plus variants in Carens.
This new variant gets sunroof and ambient lights.

[achilles101]

Originally Posted by Knightrider

Looks like Kia has silently introduced new variant - Luxury Optional between the Luxury & Luxury Plus variants in Carens.
This new variant gets sunroof and ambient lights.

Attachment 2436742

There seems to be no news on this variant along with details of all the features available for Luxury Optional even on Kia website and Carens brochure as of now.

[Knightrider]

Originally Posted by achilles101

There seems to be no news on this variant along with details of all the features available for Luxury Optional even on Kia website and Carens brochure as of now.

The above screenshot is from the Kia website. I guess sunroof & ambient lights are the only additional features over the Luxury variant.

[AshiqueS]

Hi Folks,

Yesterday evening ,i stepped out in my kia carens diesal auto and observed some warning message when the vehicle crossed speed breaker.
When the vehicle crossed speed breaker, the interior lights along with a warning sound was activated for 2 secs. It was occurring repeatedly after any jerk.
I was suspecting some sensor issue . I stopped the car and opened the boot and closed it again . I again drove and the warning was gone . Not sure what caused this issue.

Has anyone experienced the same?

[praveenkkr]

Originally Posted by AshiqueS

Hi Folks,

Yesterday evening ,i stepped out in my kia carens diesal auto and observed some warning message when the vehicle crossed speed breaker.
When the vehicle crossed speed breaker, the interior lights along with a warning sound was activated for 2 secs. It was occurring repeatedly after any jerk.
I was suspecting some sensor issue . I stopped the car and opened the boot and closed it again . I again drove and the warning was gone . Not sure what caused this issue.

Has anyone experienced the same?

It is common issue faced by all of us.
Boot doesn't close properly and on passing speed breaker or rough patch, boot moves and activates the sensor.