Korean car maker Kia has many good news for the Indian automobile market. First of all, Kia Carens 2022 is going to be launched in the February month itself. The company is manufacturing the Kia Carens in the Anantapur factory situated in Andhra Pradesh.
If you are not aware, the company had already started taking bookings for the upcoming Kia Carens 2022, from January 14th. At the same time, the models have reached the dealerships on February 1st. Test drive for the new Kia Carens have also started from yesterday. If you have not yet booked your test drive, rush to the nearest Kia showroom and get a test drive of the upcoming wagon.
Kia Carens competes with the Maruti Suzuki XL6. Incidentally, XL6 didn’t have many competitors due to the unique positioning of the model. A 6 or 7 seater that is both powerful and affordable had been missing in the market. While there are even sub 4 metre 7 seaters like the Datsun Go+ or the Renault Triber, these cars don’t have the powerful engine that is required to pull the load of 7 people in the cars. At the same time, other models like Toyota Innova or the Tata Safari are not within the affordable price range of the most Indian families. So, Maruti XL6 was conveniently positioned as the perfect family wagon for the Indians.
Now, with the launch of the Kia Carens, the company has brought a key competitor to the market.
Kia Carens 2022 – Dimension & Engine Options
Kia Carens with a length of 4540 mm is longer than the compact SUV Seltos and seats 7 people. Competitor Maruti Suzuki XL6 has not yet launched the 7 seater variant XL7 in India and hence, it is the only other model in the market now.
The other competitor in the market is the recently launched Hyundai Alcazar. Alcazar is a 7 seater with a length of 4500 mm. Kia Carens is also slightly wider and higher than the Alcazar and Maruti XL6. In all essence, the new Kia Carens 2022 is a much better wagon than other.
Kia Carens comes with 3 engine options. Firstly a 1.5 naturally aspirated petrol engine and a 1.4 Litre turbo petrol engine that is much powerful. Similarly, the car also gets a 1.5 Litre diesel engine. It gets both manual and automatic gearboxes.
Kia Carens Safety Features, Interior & Exterior
Kia Carens has one of the best safety ratings in the Kia models in India. The car is yet to be tested by the NCAP and hence the Kia Carens NCAP rating is yet to be known. Kia wagon comes with 6 airbags to protect the passengers and a plethora of features like the ABS, EBD, Hill Hold Control, automatic door locking, rear parking sensors, HAC & DBC that provides braking control during the uphill and downhill journey. Apart from these, the model also comes with ISOFIX child anchor. All these features provide pretty good safety rating for the Kia Carens 2022.
On the inside, the car has a beige upholstery that looks premium. The neon ambient lighting provides a good visibility of the control and the contours of the dashboard. The central 10.5” infotainment screen has both Android Auto and Apple Car Play compatibility. It also has Bose Sound system that augments the entertainment experience inside the car.
Kia Carens is available in 5 trims and 8 colour combinations. Interestingly, you can choose for 6 or 7 seater configurations according to your preference. In the 6 seater configuration, you get captain seats in the second row too. However, in case of the 7 seater, you only get a 40:60 split bench seats. Interestingly, the car doesn’t get a sunroof / moon roof. The vents for the second and third rows are at the top and hence the decision.
On the outside, it has an appealing look. The Kia signature grille on the front with a sloping down B & C column makes the car look almost similar to the XL6. However, the rear is different from the competitors. Also, the boot space will be comparable to other sub 5 metre wagons and SUVs with a capacity of almost 200 litres.
Kia Carens 2022 – On Road Price in India
Kia Carens 2022 already has many bookings from the eager market and the company will position the product around the same price as the Maruti Suzuki XL6. So, you can expect a price of 13 to 18 Lakhs. The on road price of Kia Carens in Kerala & Andhra Pradesh could be around 14 – 20 Lakhs.
On Road Price of Kia Carnival Limousine & Kia Seltos Mid-Life Facelift
Kia Carnival is a 5+ metre vehicle that is targeted at the higher end of the market. With a 2.2 Litre diesel engine, Kia Carnival limousine is a long car with 5115 mm length. The 7 seater is almost 2 metre wide and 6 feet tall. The spacious limousine model starts at a price of 32.5 Lakhs in India. The Kia Carnival Limousine plus price in Chennai is around 36 Lakhs.
The Limousine variant is a luxury model of the car that has spacious interiors. The direction of the seats are also adjustable and hence the Kia Carnival provides the best option for luxury passenger carriers. The product is mainly targeted at fleet operators. Kia Carnival on road price in India stands at 36-38 Lakhs according to the state taxes.
Kia Seltos will most likely get a mid-0life facelift in the year 2022 itself. As of now, Seltos along with Hyundai Creta is a leading the compact SUV segment in the country. Kia is also ambitious to launch many more models in the next 2 years.
What do you think about the launch of Kia Carens in India and do you think the mid-life facelift will give a new lease of life for the market leader?
