Kia Carens 3rd row: First impressions after a showroom visit

I felt Carens 3rd row has better seating than the Mahindra XUV700, even for a 5'11" person like me.

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Saw the Carens in person during the unveiling today at PPS Mysore road. Enough has already been said about the looks so won't comment on it. I was more interested in checking out the 7-seat configuration and they had 3 Luxury Plus model cars on display: two 7-seaters (Silver and Maroon) and a 6-seater (Blue).

The Blue and Maroon certainly looked great on Carens. The driver and co-passenger seats were great. They have good cushioning and provide nice support to the back and thigh. The co-passenger foot-well wasn't deep though. The view from the driver seat isn't commanding like in SUVs.

2nd-row seating doesn't have thick cushions like the front seats but were comfortable, provided you adjust the headrest else it would poke in your back. These seats can be adjusted to find good knee room and recline for comfort.

As there were many people trying the seats, we were able to check out the knee room by adjusting the seats for different-sized people. The pull-down tray on the back of the co-passenger side wasn't much of a hindrance like the one behind the driver seat with an air purifier. I am 5'11" and my knees were almost touching that protrusion when the driver seat was set for the maximum position. Forgot to try the middle seat in the middle row which doesn't have a headrest and not sure if it has a seat belt (there might a lap belt though)

Getting into the 3rd row was easy and those seats have the same thickness and cushion as the middle row seats. The seating is comfortable unlike in safari / Hector plus where you sit in a knee up position and 3rd row is suitable for only kids. I felt Carens 3rd row has better seating than XUV700 as well. With the middle row seats adjusted for a 5'11" person, I was able to sit comfortably in the 3rd row without any issue though the thigh support was less. 2 people of my height can sit comfortably but can they sit through a long drive will only be known with user reviews in the coming months

None of the people checking out the Carens had any complaint about the seating and all seemed to be impressed with the space on offer.

Now coming to the trims available, Prestige Plus seems to be the value for money variant. Luxury and Luxury Plus are packed with features that are good to have but everyone might not need them. The Diesel AT being made available only in Luxury Plus is a bummer! 7DCT is available in Prestige Plus which might find many takers considering the reviews about diesel not having enough power with a full load of 7 people.

The test drives would start this coming weekend and the price is also expected to be announced around that time. The price range is supposed to be from Rs 12 - 18 lakh, ex-showroom. PPS has had some 110 bookings for the Carnes so far and with test drives and price announcements I expect the numbers to grow and a long waiting period. I will not be surprised if a lot of prospective Ertiga/XL6/Safari/Hector Plus/Alcazar/Crysta customers opt for Carens as I feel they get a good VFM car

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