Clocked 5965 kms in 4 months on my Kia Carens D AT: 7 pros & 7 cons

After driving a 2016 Skoda Rapid for last 6 years, this car seemed like its in a different league in terms of features although I still miss the DSG.

BHPian Subroto Bhowmik recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

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

Pros:

• Very luxurious interiors.
• Feature rich car.
• Best 3rd row of seats - even 5'11" person can sit comfortably.
• Very refined engine even for a diesel - almost no noise at standstill.
• Front ventilated seats are a boon for Mumbai climate and on highway runs.
• First time using paddle shifters and cruise control - after driving a 2016 Skoda Rapid for last 6 years, this car seemed like its in a different league in terms of features although I still miss the DSG.
• 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:

• 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.
• No wireless AA/Carplay.
• 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.
• Left rear door needs some effort to close, nobody is able to crack the logic behind this.
• Sunroof is so small it could have been avoided by Kia considering the likely problems which may crop up in the future.
• The stock media player is good but very basic as cannot play OTT apps..
• 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:

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