February 2021 - Kia Carens Diesel Variants Explained, Expected Prices

Also Read: Hyundai Creta Diesel Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

Kia Carens Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Kia Carens Diesel?

The pros or advantages of Kia Carens diesel are:

• Unbelievably low starting price; overall, value-for-money pricing for higher variants too
• Option of diesel engine itself is becoming a luxury and the Kia Carens offers it with the option of an automatic transmission as well
• Nominal incremental asking price for the automatic transmission
• Attractive starting price for the size of the car and a well-loaded mid-spec Prestige Plus variant
• Higher variants are loaded with 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, Bose music system, etc.
• Good number of standard features like 6 airbags, all disc brakes, HSA, TPMS, ESC, front and middle row armrests, split 2nd and 3rd row seat backs, etc.

The Kia Carens diesel has the following shortcomings or problems:

• LED headlamps not available in the otherwise well-loaded mid-spec Prestige Plus variant
• Torque converter automatic transmission is the least efficient type of automatic and it drastically impacts the fuel efficiency in stop-and-go traffic
• Diesel-automatic is only available in the top variant
• Because of the attractively priced 1.5L normal petrol models, the turbo diesel variants appear to carry a very high incremental asking price of Rs. 2 lakh
• 16-inch wheels may look small on a car this large
• MPV-like styling may put off some buyers
• Captain seats are not available in lower variants and remains exclusive to the top-spec, Luxury Plus variant, just like the automatic transmission

What Is The Price Of Kia Carens Diesel Variants?

The 1.5L turbo diesel engine is available in all 6 variants with a manual transmission, with prices ranging from Rs. 11.0 lakh to Rs. 16.2 lakh. It carries a premium of Rs. 2.0 lakh over the 1.5L normal petrol engine models.

The 1.5L turbo diesel engine is also available with a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission but it’s only in the top-spec Luxury Plus variant. It costs Rs. 17.0 lakh, which is only Rs. 80,000 more than the Luxury Plus diesel-manual trim.

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Kia Carens Diesel Premium - Base Model Features & Review

The base Premium variant of the 2022 Kia Carens diesel costs Rs. 11.0 lakh (ex-showroom). The turbo diesel engine costs Rs. 2.0 lakh more than the base model with the 1.5L normal petrol engine. The most notable features of the Carens Premium are:

• All power windows
• 2nd and 3rd row AC vents
• 15-inch steel wheels with normal diesel
• 16-inch steel wheels with turbo diesel
• Full wheel covers
• Split folding 2nd and 3rd row seat backs
• Height-adjustable driver seat
• All wheel disc brakes
• Front and middle row armrest
• 2nd row slide and recline
• 3rd row recline
• 2nd row electric tumble
• Tyre pressure monitoring system
• 5 USB-C chargers
• Thorax side and curtain airbags
• Hill start
• ESC
• Auto door lock

This variant doesn’t get a few important features like power mirrors, cooled glovebox, remote central locking, rear defogger, washer wiper, steering-mounted controls and any kind of music system. Because of its attractive price tag, this variant with the 1.5L diesel engine seems suitable for fleet or commercial buyers who are okay with installing some aftermarket accessories. However, for most customers, the lack of several key features gives us enough reason to not recommend the Carens Premium.

Kia Carens Diesel Premium vs Prestige Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Prestige variant of the Carens diesel costs Rs. 12.0 lakh, which is Rs. 1.0 lakh more than the base Premium variant. It adds the following features over the base Premium variant:

• Rear camera
• 8-inch touchscreen
• Wireless Android Auto
• Wireless Apple Carplay
• Steering-mounted controls
• Remote central locking
• Power mirrors
• Digital instrument cluster
• Fabric leather upholstery
• Auto headlamps

We wish the Prestige variant also had LED headlamps and the option of captain seats in the second row. The Prestige variant of the Carens doesn’t get auto AC, rear washer, wiper and defogger. From a feature perspective, this variant seems reasonably loaded with almost all must-have features. So budget buyers should consider this variant instead of the base Premium variant. The Prestige variant seems like a suitable fit for fleet buyers because it has some convenience and entertainment features. If you have a higher budget, then you can skip this variant and consider a higher trim.

Kia Carens Diesel Prestige vs Prestige Plus Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Carens Prestige Plus variant gets the 1.5L turbo diesel engine with manual and automatic transmission options. The Prestige Plus turbo diesel manual costs Rs. 13.5 lakh (ex-showroom).

For the Rs. 1.0 lakh incremental price over the lower trim, this variant adds the following notable features:

• Rear defogger
• Rear washer wiper
• Auto AC
• Keyless entry with push-button start/stop
• 16-inch alloy wheels
• Cruise control
• Remote engine start with keyfob
• Power folding mirrors
• Rear door curtains
• LED tail lamps
• LED DRLs
• Cooled cup holders in 1st and 2nd row

The Prestige Plus variant has almost all of the must-have features we expect from a car of its class. For personal use, this variant seems very well loaded as it’ll offer a good ownership experience. The only notable feature missing in this variant is the LED headlamps. While the Carens Prestige Plus isn’t a great value-for-money option, it is our top-recommendation variant for diesel-manual buyers.

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

The Luxury variant of the Carens diesel only gets a manual transmission and costs Rs. 15.0 lakh (ex-showroom), which is 1.5 lakh more than the lower Prestige Plus variant. The Luxury variant gets the following additional features over the Prestige Plus trim:

• LED headlamps
• LED fog lamps
• Larger 10.25-inch touchscreen
• Telematics
• Dual-function LED DRLs
• Telescopic steering
• Multi-colour ambient lighting
• Folding tables for 2nd row
• Auto-dimming inside mirror
• Air purifier
• Under seat tray
• Leather upholstery

The Luxury variant seems properly loaded for personal use. It doesn’t offer a good value-for-money and is worth skipping. So, we’ll suggest you stretch your budget a little more and buy the higher Luxury Plus variant with all the available features.

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

The top-spec Luxury Plus variant of the 2022 Carens diesel costs Rs. 16.2 lakh with the manual and Rs. 17.0 lakh with the automatic transmission. It carries an incremental price of Rs. 1.2 lakh over the lower Luxury variant. The automatic transmission itself only adds about Rs. 80,000 over the Luxury Plus manual.

This is the only variant with a 6-seat configuration, as it is available with optional captain seats in the second row. The prices are the same for 6-seat and 7-seat configurations. Following are the additional features of the Luxury Plus variant:

• Optional captain seats
• Puddle lamps
• Sunroof
• LED cabin lights
• 2 extra speakers
• Bose sound system
• Ventilated front seats
• Paddle shifters with automatic transmission
• Auto wipers
• Wireless phone charger

The top variant offers a few good-to-have features including the option of captain seats in the second row. This is suitable for buyers who want all the features in the car. Moreover, in this variant, the automatic transmission carries a nominal premium over the manual. So we recommend buying this variant with the automatic transmission.

Which Variant Of The 2022 Kia Carens Diesel Should You Buy?

With the 1.5L turbo diesel engine, the Premium is worth skipping. Prestige is only suitable for you only if you don’t want to stretch your budget any further. Otherwise, the Prestige Plus for another Rs. 1.5 lakh is a better package with a balanced feature set. However, it doesn’t justify the incremental price bump in terms of value for money. The Prestige Plus variant still earns our top recommendation for Carens diesel buyers.

The Luxury variant doesn’t add enough value and offers mostly good-to-have features. So, you’re better off stretching your budget just a little bit more for the top-spec Luxury Plus variant, which gets all the features or settle for the lower Prestige Plus variant.

If you are buying the Luxury Plus variant with the manual transmission, then we highly recommend the upgrade to the automatic transmission. It carries a nominal asking price of only Rs. 80,000 over the manual model.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Kia Carens Diesel?

The 1.5L turbo diesel engine of the Kia Carens sits towards the bottom of the list in comparison to its rivals with 3-row seating configurations. The Mahindra Marazzo, MG Hector Plus and Toyota Innova Crysta’s respective diesel engines make more power than the Caren’s diesel. The Hyundai Alcazar shares the engine with the Carens and has identical spes. We expect this engine to have adequate but not explosive performance for ferrying 6-7 adults.

There’s one area though, where this engine shines and that is fuel efficiency. With an official ARAI-tested figure of 21.3kmpl, this engine has a better mileage figure than even the Alcazar, which is the only other car in this comparison with a 20kmpl+ figure. The other noteworthy specification of the Kia Carens diesel is the inclusion of automatic transmission. The Alcazar and Innova Crysta are the only other cars in this comparison with a diesel-automatic combination. The sad part about this combination is that it’s only available in the top variant and will remain out of reach for many buyers.

On the positive side, it carries a nominal incremental asking price of Rs. 80,000 with the Luxury Plus variant. Please note that it suffers a bit with a lower mileage figure than the Carens diesel-manual because of the torque converter automatic transmission. It’s a tried-and-trusted piece of hardware but quite inefficient, especially in slow-moving or stop-and-go traffic.

Compared to the 1.5L normal petrol model of the Carens, the diesel-manual variants carry an incremental price of Rs. 2.0 lakh. With the higher mileage figures, you'll need to drive the Carens diesel for about 1.0 lakh kilometres to recover the higher upfront cost. So, we will recommend the jump from Carens 1.5L petrol to turbo diesel variants only if you will drive the Carens for more than 1.0 lakh kilometres during the ownership. The higher torque output and longer tank range are the other advantages of the Carens diesel over the 1.5L normal petrol models.

*Estimated

You can use our Fuel Cost Calculator to see how 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 2022 Kia Carens?

The Kia Carens is longer than the Alcazar but shorter than all other diesel-powered 3-row cars. It’s also wider than only the Alcazar but it has the segment-best wheelbase of 2780mm, which is slightly longer than even the Innova Crysta and Mahindra Marazzo.

*Estimated

What Are The Colour Options Of The 2021 Kia Carens?

The 2022 Carens is available in the following 8 colour options:

• Metallic white
• Flat white
• Red
• Grey
• Silver
• Blue
• Brown
• Black

The base variant only gets flat white and silver colour options. The Prestige gets flat white, silver and grey colour options. Prestige Plus onwards, all variants get all colour options except for flat white. Instead, they get metallic white colour.

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