The Korean carmaker, Kia India, today announced the launch of its 3-row recreational vehicle, the Carens. The vehicle is available in 19 variants across five trim levels with three powertrain options and starts at INR 8.99 lakh ex-showroom for the 1.5L petrol Prestige trim. The 1.4 T-GDi petrol and 1.5 CRDi VGT diesel are priced identically, starting at INR 10.99 ex-showroom.
Opened for booking from January 14, 2022, the company claims an order book of about 19,000 bookings for the vehicle. To minimise the delivery time to the customers, it further has started with the third shift at its Anantapur facility.
The 3-row vehicle is powered by three powertrain options - Smartstream 1.5 petrol, Smartstream 1.4 T-GDi petrol and 1.5 CRDi VGT diesel. Further, customers also get an option to choose from three transmission options – 6MT, which is standard across the range with options for 7DCT for the turbo petrol unit and 6AT for the diesel variant.
The Smartstream 1.5 petrol produces 115 hp and 144 Nm of torque, while the 1.4 T-GDi petrol units provide 140 hp and 242 Nm of torque, and the 1.5 CRDi VGT diesel produces 115 hp and 250 Nm of torque. The company claims the petrol Carens gives up to 16.5 kmpl while the diesel offers a claimed 21.5 kmpl and a maintenance cost of 37 paise per kilometre.
On the features side, the vehicle boasts of features such as 26.03 Cm (10.25”) HD touchscreen navigation with nextgen Kia Connect, Bose premium sound system with eight speakers, smart pure air purifier with virus and bacteria protection, ventilated front seats, second-row seat one-touch easy electric tumble and skyLight sunroof among others.
It also comes equipped with safety features like six airbags, ABS, ESC, hill start and descent control and a tyre pressure monitoring system as standard.
Tae-Jin Park, Managing Director and CEO, Kia India, said that since its inception, the company remained focused on adding value to Indian customers’ driving experiences through its vehicles and services. The Carens is a true Kia, offering several features, design and practicality, a wide range of variant choices at a compelling price point. “The pricing offers us an opportunity to cater to an even more diverse set of our customer. We will enhance our production to meet this increased demand,” he added.
Based on the same platform as the Seltos, the Carens measures 4,540 mm in length, has a width of 1,800 mm, is 1,708 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,780 mm. Offered in a six or seven-seater configuration, it will rival the likes of Hyundai Alcazar and Tata Safari, Maruti Suzuki XL6, MG Hector Plus and Mahindra XUV700.