[arnprasad]

Hi,

I am not a car enthusiast and need a vehicle to go from A to B. I have two kids 14 and 15, wife, mother and occasionally my in laws or relatives come with us as well and hence I need a third row

So few things I dont need or dont understand or care:

(a) time taken to 0-100
(b) Sun roof
(c) telescopic steering
(d) Hill assist...etc

All I do is sit in the drivers seat and drive. I have been driving since 2000. First car was second hand Zen, second car was second hand Versa and current car is 2014 Dec Ertiga ZXI - bought new.

I dont really need a new car since my 7 year old Ertiga has been driven only 22K KM of which 80+ has been high way driving since I use public transport to travel within Bangalore.

I have been seeing reviews of new cars like XUV 700, Tata Safari and am very tempted to switch but dont want to spend 20 lacs given the fact I rarely drive. But after seeing the 10 lakhs Prestige variant price of Carens I am very tempted.

I am hoping I will get 5 lacs for my Ertiga as it has some dents and scratches. Assuming the on road price of Prestige in Bangalore is 12 lacs, I dont mind the additional 7 lacs.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't switch? Electric cars are the only reason I can think of, but I guess an affordable Ertiga type EV around 10-12 lacs is at least five years away

Given this is a forum for car enthusiasts, my post may seem trivial - but then I represent that part of the population who are not crazy about cars

[for_cars1]

One glaring omission which is unfortunately becoming the norm in our market is the missing headrest for the second row middle passenger in the 7 seater variant.

A headrest is a basic safety requirement to reduce whiplash injury risk and its appaling how a manufacturer can pack in all the gizmos and features and omit the middle seat headrest especially for the Indian market in the name of cost-cutting.

[#drivingFreak]

Originally Posted by prajwalmr62

I'm not sure if the 1.5L diesel and 1.4L petrol engines can be accommodated in K1 platform in the first place. AFAIK max wheelbase for K1 was 2500. Whereas K2 is designed for up-to 3 row seating.

I would take this dialog with a bag load of salt.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_Carens

I feel it kind of makes sense. You see, Carens is a bigger car than Seltos and the base variant is loaded with safety features like 6 airbags and a host of other electronic safety aids and yet is cheaper than the base variant of Seltos. The host does mention that he has it on record from KIA and that Carens uses a heavily updated version of the K1 platform.

I feel the use of a cheaper platform is a good business strategy and the competition have used a similar strategy and it won't matter as long as Kia has worked on making the car structurally safe. At the end of the day, it's the consumers who would benefit from the VFM package that is being offered by KIA.

[CEF_Beasts]

Kia Carens Prestige variant

https://youtu.be/ktvW1ScLYHc

https://youtu.be/nD0oJJZab3o

Toyota Innova Crysta vs Kia Carens

https://youtu.be/slcwT_Pqz1g

[TorqueIndia]

Shocking pricing from Kia ! Even cheaper than SELTOS right ? The dual positioning strategy of Kia- Hyundai is very much interesting, they are experimenting a lot right now. Never expected a direct competition this soon for those high volume Ertiga twins especially with Alcazar pricing, hats off to Kia for pulling it off.

5-7K will be easy for this car, still cant beat Ertiga in volume as its fueled a lot by CNG cab sales.

Finally Kia takes safety seriously, thanks.

[One]

Originally Posted by arnprasad

I am hoping I will get 5 lacs for my Ertiga... I dont mind the additional 7 lacs.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't switch?

Best time to switch considering you get the best possible price for a used car these days plus get the best possible price of a newly launched car which you mention meets your requirements. This price differential will probably never be lower than in your current case.

[arvishnu]

I am still wondering how they were able to price this car completely. Its almost 80k cheaper than Creta (ex-showroom) PS. talking about top end diesel AT. May be panoramic sun roof and 17in wheels. Hope they dont get greedy and increase the price once they have enough bookings and no price protection like Hyundai who is increasing the price of Creta every other month.

[Stranger17]

Now I really wish 1.5 NA was available with prestige plus. I am not so sure about a turbo petrol with its complexities involved and higher cost of maintainence as compared to NA plus better low end drivability.

[Arjun Bharadwaj]

Kia is the new king of "value for money"! I really hope they maintain those base variant prices for as long as they can and not bump it up in a month or 2. They need to deliver sustained value in order to dethrone the existing value king, Ertiga/XL6. Especially the base variants with the 1.5NA have mouth watering prices for the middle class! Suddenly the common man can dream of overlanding in style

[buzzy_boy]

Originally Posted by arnprasad

Hi,

Is there any reason why I shouldn't switch?

I can give you two good ones:

1. you don't drive much
2. New cars are complex, and due emission norms, they could be much less reliable in the long run.

Your Ertiga will probably outlast any new car that you buy now. So keep it.

[Sebring]

Thanks for sharing. So this is PRESTIGE. And what extra does Prestige Plus offer, for the extra cash?

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

Kia Carens Prestige variant

[TorqueyTechie]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Thanks for sharing. So this is PRESTIGE. And what extra does Prestige Plus offer, for the extra cash?

An earlier post (here (Kia Carens Review)) should give an idea about the feature spread.

[Contrapunto]

The pricing is good...classic "penetrative pricing" to get the early adopters in, build a loyal following and then they can "creep up" the price, discontinue lowest variants etc.

I have a more basic question though....what are the "under the skin" compromises Kia made to hit this price point. As everyone in this forum knows, every design choice comes at a price/ cost.

Wonder what those are?

[navrddy]

Guys,
Be-careful about purchasing Petrol Engines, They are only E10 Compatible.
Considering E20 Fuel would be replacing E10 Fuel in 2025, Manufacturer warranty is void if using fuel E10 or above. So be extra cautious when purchasing petrol engine now, since we are 3 yrs away from E20 fuel replacing current E8.5/E10 fuel in bunks.
Also not clear, whether government will make available both E10 and E20 fuel post 2025 is not clear. 80-90% of bunks don't have capacity for additional tank for E20 fuel. Lot of uncertainty.
Effects of E20 fuel in E10 vehicle: Apart from warranty void, expected to have enhanced corrosion of components and performance drop (mileage drop). Unless manufacturers explicitly mention E20 fuel compatible, don't buy..

[msk_kapoor]

Originally Posted by navrddy

Guys,
Be-careful about purchasing Petrol Engines, They are only E10 Compatible.
Considering E20 Fuel would be replacing E10 Fuel in 2025, Manufacturer warranty is void if using fuel E10 or above. So be extra cautious when purchasing petrol engine now, since we are 3 yrs away from E20 fuel replacing current E8.5/E10 fuel in bunks.
Also not clear, whether government will make available both E10 and E20 fuel post 2025 is not clear. 80-90% of bunks don't have capacity for additional tank for E20 fuel. Lot of uncertainty.
Effects of E20 fuel in E10 vehicle: Apart from warranty void, expected to have enhanced corrosion of components and performance drop (mileage drop). Unless manufacturers explicitly mention E20 fuel compatible, don't buy..

That is a pretty useful information. Hope you did some research here. Any other petrol engines in other cars are compliant with E20 fuel?