May 2024 - Kia Carens Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

Update (May 24, 2024): Since this Carens Petrol Variants Explained article was first published, there have been several changes in the features and prices of the car. This update includes the changes and our revised buying recommendations for Carens petrol variants based on the May 2024 prices.

Also Read: Kia Carens Diesel Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

Maruti Nexa XL6 Petrol, CNG Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Kia Carens Petrol?

The pros or advantages of Kia Carens petrol are:

• Option of 3 engine-transmission combinations for Carens petrol buyers
• Gets features like sunroof, optional captain seats, electric tumble in second row, 2nd and 3rd row AC vents, cruise control, reclining 3rd row seats, TPMS, ventilated front seats, LED headlamps and Bose music system
• Option of captain seats with base petrol engine
• Well-priced automatic transmission; only Rs. 90,000 - 1.0 lakh more than manual transmission — Not applicable now as the turbo petrol gets ACMT, which is half the automation expected out of an automatic transmission
• Low starting price; VFM higher variants — Not applicable after several price revisions; Rs. 9.0 lakh starting price was crazy good but Rs. 10.52 lakh is ‘meh’ at best
• The Carens is not only the most affordable D-segment car, it’s also the only one with a starting price of less than Rs. 10.0 lakh — Not applicable after our segment category revision in March 2023 and Carens price hikes
• Good number of standard safety features like 6 airbags, all disc brakes, HSA, TPMS, ESC — Not applicable any more as most of these features are available in cheaper cars and we expect them from a car at this price

The Kia Carens petrol has the following shortcomings or problems:

• LED headlamps are reserved for the Luxury and higher variants only
• Dual-clutch automatic transmission is yet to establish its reputation for long-term reliability; maximum warranty coverage is highly recommended for Carens DCT buyers (Also Read: 10 Discontinued DCT Cars In India)
• No CNG powertrain option for commercial buyers or buyers with high usage
• Turbo petrol variants carry a somewhat steep incremental asking price over normal petrol even after factoring in the value addition from the auto-clutch manual transmission
• 15- and 16-inch wheels may look small on a car this large
• MPV styling may put off some buyers in the age of SUVs and crossovers
• Doesn’t get any of the ADAS features even though Kia have the expertise in this area; the cheaper Sonet gets basic ADAS features while the Seltos gets the full suite
• Captain seats are not available in lower variants and remain exclusive to the top-spec, Luxury Plus variant — Addressed with April 2024 update

What Is The Price Of Kia Carens Petrol Variants?

The Carens petrol is available with 3 powertrain options:

• 1.5L normal petrol-manual (6-speed manual transmission)
• 1.5L turbo petrol-ACMT (6-speed auto-clutch manual transmission)
• 1.5L turbo petrol-automatic (7-speed dual-clutch transmission)

The normal petrol engine is available in the lower 4 variants only with prices ranging from Rs. 10.52 lakh to Rs. 12.12 lakh. The turbo petrol-ACMT powertrain is available in Premium (O) and higher variants up to Luxury Plus. Its prices start from Rs. 12.42 lakh and go up to Rs. 17.82 lakh for the Luxury Plus 7-seater. The turbo petrol costs Rs. 1.50 lakh to Rs. 1.65 lakh more than the comparable normal petrol variant. In addition to better power and torque, the turbo petrol engine also offers the convenience of a clutch pedal-free driving experience.

If you don’t want to row through the gears either, then you have 3 turbo petrol-automatic variants costing between Rs. 16.12 lakh and Rs. 19.22 lakh. The automatic transmission costs Rs. 90,000 more than the comparable turbo-ACMT variants.

Note: Check your Car EMI with our - Car EMI Calculator

Kia Carens Petrol Premium - Base Model Features

The base Premium variant of the Kia Carens petrol is only available with the 1.5L normal petrol and costs Rs. 10.52 lakh (ex-showroom). The most notable features of the Carens Premium are:

This variant doesn’t get a few important features like:

• Power mirrors
• Rear defogger
• Rear washer wiper
• Steering-mounted controls
• Music system

The base model of the Carens doesn’t get a few must-have features. Moreover, the jump to the Premium (O) variant offers better value for money. So, we’ll suggest all budget-conscious buyers to skip the Carens base model.

Kia Carens Petrol Premium vs Premium (O) Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

Besides the 1.5L normal petrol, the Carens Premium (O) also gets the turbo petrol engine option with the auto-clutch manual transmission for an additional Rs. 1.50 lakh. This powertrain not only gives better power and torque output but also  the convenience of 2-pedal driving without significant mechanical complexity.

With the normal petrol engine, this variant costs Rs. 10.92 lakh and with the turbo petrol engine, it costs Rs. 12.42 lakh. The Premium (O) variant costs Rs. 40,000 more than the base Premium variant.

The Premium (O) variant gets the following features over the base Premium variant:

The Premium (O) variant of the Carens doesn’t get features like:

• Auto AC
• Rear washer wiper
• Rear defogger
• LED or projector headlamps

For the budget-conscious buyers, the Premium (O) variant is our top recommendation. If you’re interested in the turbo petrol engine, then the Premium (O) is the most affordable option and worth buying.

Kia Carens Petrol Premium (O) vs Prestige, Prestige (O) Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Carens Prestige also gets the same normal petrol and turbo petrol engine options. With the normal petrol engine, this variant costs Rs. 11.97 lakh and with the turbo petrol engine, it costs Rs. 13.62 lakh. The Prestige variant costs Rs. 1.05 - 1.20 lakh more than the lower Premium (O) variant. With the normal petrol engine, you now also have the option of the Prestige (O) variant, which costs Rs. 15,000 more and carries an ex-showroom price tag of Rs. 12.12 lakh. This variant is available with 6-seat as well as 7-seat layouts without any difference in price. For Carens normal petrol buyers, this is the only variant with 2nd row captain seat option.

The Prestige variant gets the following features over the base Premium variant:

The Prestige variant of the Carens doesn’t get features like:

• Rear washer wiper
• Rear defogger
• Cruise control
• LED or projector headlamps

The Prestige variant offers poor value for money and is not recommended for normal petrol as well as turbo petrol buyers. But the Prestige (O) is worth considering, especially for the 2nd row captain chair layout.

Kia Carens Petrol Prestige vs Prestige Plus, Prestige Plus (O) Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Prestige Plus turbo petrol-ACMT costs Rs. 14.92 lakh (ex-showroom). If you want the automatic transmission, then you’ll have to buy the Prestige Plus (O) variant, which costs Rs. 16.12 lakh and is only available with the automatic transmission.

For the Rs. 1.50 lakh incremental price over the lower trim, this variant adds the following notable features:

• Telescopic steering
• LED or projector headlamps

The Prestige Plus gets most of the features we expect from a car at this price point. But we don’t recommend it as it only justifies about 65% of the incremental cost over the base model with the additional features. Prestige Plus buyers can instead consider the Prestige Plus (O) automatic, which offers decent value for money.

Kia Carens Petrol Prestige Plus vs Luxury Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Luxury variant of the Carens comes with only the turbo petrol-ACMT powertrain and costs Rs. 16.72 lakh (ex-showroom), which is 1.80 lakh more than the lower Prestige Plus variant.

The Luxury variant gets the following additional features over the Prestige Plus trim:

• ADAS features

• Ventilated front seats

The Luxury variant of the Carens is worth considering as it’s slightly better than the other turbo petrol-ACMT variants — except for the Premium (O).

Kia Carens Petrol Luxury vs Luxury Plus Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Luxury Plus variant of the Carens is again available with auto-clutch as well as automatic transmission options. Compared to the lower Luxury 7-seat variant, the Luxury Plus 7S is Rs. 1.10 lakh pricier and costs Rs. 17.82 lakh with the ACMT and 18.72 lakh with the automatic transmission. For Rs. 5,000 less, you can also buy it with the captain seats in the 2nd row.

The Luxury variant gets the following additional features over the Prestige Plus trim:

Other than the ADAS features, we don’t think the Luxury Plus variant misses out on any notable features. However, because of poor value for money, this variant is not recommended with the ACMT. it is worth considering with the automatic transmission, though.

Kia Carens Petrol Luxury Plus vs X Line Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

Finally, the top-spec X Line variant of the Carens petrol only gets the automatic transmission and costs Rs. 19.22 lakh. It’s also available with 6-seat and 7-seat layouts and they both cost the same. The Carens X-Line is Rs. 50,000 - 55,000 more expensive than the comparable Luxury variant.

Following are the additional features of the Luxury Plus variant:

The X-Line variant also gets most of the features we expect from a car at this price point except for ADAS. For Carens petrol-automatic buyers, this variant is also worth considering but it doesn’t offer exceptional value to warrant an upgrade.

Which Variant Of The Kia Carens Petrol Should You Buy?

Let’s start the Carens petrol buying recommendations with the 1.5L normal petrol-manual powertrain. The base Premium variant of the Carens is not recommended as the Premium (O) offers considerably better value for money. The Premium (O) is also our top recommendation with this powertrain. From there, the Prestige is again a relatively poor choice but the Prestige (O) is worth considering as it’s one of the most affordable cars with captain chairs in the 2nd row.

With the turbo petrol-ACMT powertrain, the Carens Premium (O) is a good choice for budget buyers, while the Prestige and Prestige Plus are not recommended due to their poor value score. Next, the Luxury is the only variant worth considering even though it’s not an easy recommendation. If you’re planning to buy the Luxury Plus variant, then we’d suggest you rather spend a little more and buy it with the automatic transmission.

For the Carens petrol-automatic buyers, the Prestige Plus (O) is our top recommendation. From there, all other variants are worth considering, although they don’t offer a stellar value for money or set of features.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Kia Carens Petrol?

The Kia Carens is available with 2 petrol engines — a normal petrol and a turbo petrol. The turbo petrol engine gets the option of a 6-speed ACMT and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission while the normal petrol engine only gets a 6-speed manual transmission.

In terms of competition, the Carens normal petrol variants have to compete with the XL6 and Ertiga from Maruti Suzuki and Rumion from Toyota. The Ertiga, XL6 and Rumion are all pretty efficient and also offer CNG powertrains for those who have high running and further want to lower their fuel costs. However, the Carens has a better power and torque output and a 6-speed manual transmission.

The Carens turbo petrol has some competition as the Alcazar, Hector Plus and Innova Hycross. Still, the 253Nm torque output of the Carens turbo petrol is comparable with the Hector Plus turbo and better than the Innova Hycross’ 2.0L normal petrol engine. Only the Alcazar with the same engine beats the Carens turbo in fuel efficiency.

Find out how you can get the best mileage or fuel efficiency from your car:

10 Tips To Get Better Mileage From Your Petrol, Diesel Or CNG Car

*Estimated

You can use our Fuel Cost Calculator to see how much any petrol, diesel or CNG car will cost to run based on the latest fuel price in your city.

Fuel Cost Calculator India

What Are The Dimensions Of The Kia Carens?

In terms of dimensions, the Carens petrol is longer than the Maruti Nexa XL6, Ertiga and Hyundai Alcazar but the MG Hector Plus and Toyota Innova Hycross are a fair bit longer. The Carens is also slightly wider than the XL6 and Alcazar but a bit narrower than the Hector Plus and Crysta.

One aspect of the Carens which sets it apart is its wheelbase, which is longer than even the Innova Crysta. Moreover, with all seats upright, the Carens also has a respectable boot space of 216 litres with all seatbacks upright. The 16-inch wheels may look small for the Carens large body size but we understand that Kia chose to offer it with slightly taller sidewall tyres for better comfort.

*Estimated

What Are The Colour Options Of The Kia Carens?

The Kia Carens is available in the following 9 colour options:

• White
• Blue
• Silver
• Grey
• Black
• Red
• Metallic White
• Green
• Matte Grey

To find out the variant-wise colour option availability of the Carens, you can visit the following link:

Kia Carens – All Exterior Colour Options (Variant-wise)

Note: Here is a quick look at our length-based segmentation of cars to give you an idea of how we are classifying cars based on their size.

You can read more about vehicle segmentation at the following link:

Car Segments Explained - With Body Styles And Examples