Kia Carens is the latest MPV in the Indian market and gets many segment-first features with multiple engine and transmission options
Kia Carens is an affordable six/seven-seater car for family car buyers but how will it perform with all the seats occupied? Here is a Kia Carens tested by 91Wheels that tests the new MPV with all the seats occupied.
The Kia Carens has shocked everyone with its introductory pricing, which undercuts even the Seltos. The pricing is not the only aspect that has drawn people’s attention towards the Carens. The three-row Carens has impressed people with its extensive list of features, comfortable cabin and refined and wide range of engines and transmission options.
The variant of Kia Carens tested
How is it to drive in the real world? A video by 91 Wheels explains all the parameters faced in day-to-day driving. Throughout the video, the Kia Carens was driven with passengers in all three rows. The variant on test here is the 6-seater version of the diesel-automatic Luxury Plus. It is the top-spec variant of the Kia Carens, which comes with the exclusivity of the combination of a 1.5-litre diesel engine and a 6-speed torque converter.
Uphill driving test
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With passengers in all three rows, the driver drives the Carens on a steeply inclined road with part throttle response. Despite a full load, the Carens manages to climb the uphill easily without any aggressive throttling. The Carens is then stopped in the midway and is accelerated again. Even after that, it steadily drives on the inclined road very easily.
Front-seat comfort test
There are other interesting tests done on the car too
In this part, the Kia Carens goes in its natural habitat – the urban roads filled with traffic. This part of the test showed how the Carens fares in its daily driving duties in the stop-go traffic. In the video, the co-passenger on the front seat explains how comfortable the seats of the Carens are. However, he was not much impressed with the upright position of the dashboard, which was obstructing his field of vision a bit.
The fuel-efficiency test
Want to know the real-world fuel efficiency of the Carens?
The Kia Carens heads to a petrol pump, where it is refuelled up to the brim till the auto-cut happens. After filling the fuel tank, all the details in the instrument console, including the trip meter and fuel efficiency calculator, are reset to zero. The Carens are then driven prominently on the express highway roads. In the end, the Carens drives for 180.2 km, for which it consumed 8.68-litres of diesel, thus returning a fuel economy of 20.76 kmpl.
Second-row comfort test
Including tank full to tank full fuel efficiency
During this highway run, the middle-row passenger explains the comfort he experiences. The passenger praises the airy feel provided by the large side windows and the appreciable legroom, knee room and storage compartments in the second row. The passenger also appreciates the cooling effect from the roof-mounted AC blowers and the phone pocket behind the co-driver seat. Another rear passenger behind the driver also praised the space available. Though, he pointed out that the air purifier panel placed behind the driver’s seat eats up a bit of knee room.
Third-row comfort test
In this drive, even the third row of the Kia Carens had two full-sized adults seated on them. Both of them praised the ingress and egress using an electronic one-touch folding second-row seat and the presence of a decent amount of legroom and knee room. They also gave a thumbs-up to the roof-mounted AC blowers, Type-C charging ports and bottle holders. However, one of the occupants pointed out that the small rear quarter glass panels might make one feel claustrophobic in long-distance journeys. He also complained about the lack of under-thigh support for taller people.
Driving comfort
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After driving the Kia Carens for around 100 km on highways, the driver was left impressed with the refinement levels, comfortable seats and field of vision in the Kia Carens. He also voted up for the feature of ventilated front seats, which are a boon in the hot summer conditions of India. However, he also mentioned that with six people on board, the driving experience is a bit diluted on the body roll is slightly felt on the move, especially on inclined roads. Overall, they rate the Carens 8.5 out of 10 and is impressed with the overall packaging of the vehicle.
What powers the Kia Carens?
The Kia Carens diesel-automatic shares the 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine and the 6-speed torque converter with the Kia Seltos. The engine produces a maximum power output of 115 PS, while the peak torque output tops out at 250 Nm.
Conclusion
And other interesting tests
This video covered all the aspects such as seating comfort in all three rows, driving comfort from the driver’s perspective, ease of driving in multiple conditions and fuel efficiency. In all these parameters, the Kia Carens comes out with flying colours, leaving everyone impressed.
What do you think about the Kia Carens? Drop your feedback and thoughts below in the comments.
Keyword: Kia Carens Diesel Real-World Fuel-Efficiency, Space, Comfort Tested