Kia Carens made a great debut in India in February 2022 at a staggering starting price of Rs 8.99 lakh, which really grabbed the headlines everywhere. Prices, however, were introductory at the time of the launch, and Kia silently raised the price of the three-row utility car, citing the huge demand for currencies. The new Kia Carens is now starting at Rs 9.60 lakh for the base-spec premium variant, which is pushing up the price to Rs 60,000.
And that’s not all – the rest of the variants have gone up in price. The Prestige variant is now priced at Rs 70,000, while the Prestige Plus variant is priced at Rs 40,000. The top two variants, Luxury and Luxury Plus, are now priced at Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000 respectively. With this, Kia Carens’ new range is now at the top at Rs 16.54 lakh.
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2022 Kia Currens
The Carens is Kia’s latest offering in India and is a three-row car initially launched for those looking for six- and seven-seater passenger vehicles. Targets on MPVs like the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Maruti Suzuki XL6 and Mahindra Marazzo compete with similarly priced entry-level variants of larger SUVs like the Kia Carens MG Hector Plus, Tata Safari and Hyundai Alcazar.
Based on the modified K2 platform, which is based on other vehicles such as the Hyundai Creta, Hyundai Alcazar and Kia Seltos, the new Kia Carens is available with three engine options – two petrol and one diesel. The premium and Prestige variants feature a 1.5-liter naturally-aspirated petrol engine that produces 115 PS of maximum power and 144 Nm of maximum torque and is offered as standard with a 6-speed manual gearbox.
The 1.4-liter turbocharged petrol engine, available in all variants except the base-spec, claims 140 PS of power and 242 Nm of torque and is offered with a 6-speed manual and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It also has a 1.5-liter diesel engine, available with both a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic transmission, and produces 115 PS of power and 250 Nm of torque.
In its top-spec Luxury Plus incarnation, the Kia Carens has all-LED headlamps, tail lamps and fog lamps, 16-inch machined alloy wheels, single-pen sunroof, ventilated front seat, wireless charger, air-like features. Purifier, 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, full-digital instrument console and premium 8-speaker audio system from BOSE. Curence has set a standard by becoming the first car in its category, delivering six airbags as standard across the range.