Kia Carens Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Kia Carens range
Prices: £12,760 – 18,380– on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 10
Emissions: 165-201g/km
Performance: [2.0petrol] 0-60mph 11s / Max Speed 118mph
Fuel Consumption: [2.0petrol] (urban) 25.4mpg / (extra urban) 40.9mpg / (combined) 33.6mpg
Safety: Twin front & side airbags, ABS WILL IT FIT IN MY GARAGE?: length/width/heightmm 4545/1820/1720mm WHO TO SEE:

Carens: A Real Mini-MPV

Our Rating: No Rating Available

The board room of the Kia must be made up of executives who either have taken or should teach a class on building brand loyalty. Ever since the Kia Brand first hit the market they have been renowned for delivering vehicles in all classes that are inexpensive to buy while still being built with quality materials and delivering excellent features. One of their vehicles that fit this mold perfectly is the Kia Carens mini-MPV.

Kia has actually released a mini-MPV that actually is able to live up the class name of Multi Passenger Vehicle and truly carry a decent amount of normal-sized adults. There are other mini-MPVs on the market that claim they can carry up to 7 adults comfortable. Of course these adults would have to be stand no taller than five feet two inches it they want to travel more than a few miles.

The Kia engineers know that the average person stands 5'11? so they designed the underbody of the car in such way that allows for the rear seats to sit much lower than competing models. This redesign means that normal-sized adults can easily fit in the rear seats with relative comfort. The Kia Carens is offered with the ability to seat five or seven comfortable.

Under the bonnet Kia is offering the Carens with two engine choices. Both are 2.0-litres with one being petrol powered and the other being diesel. The petrol engine is what they call ?Theta? petrol and comes with a CVVT (continuous variable valve timing) which provides 142bhp of power. This isn't the most powerful engine, but it is decent for this class of car and is designed to be reliable not to be flashy. The diesel option is a 4-cylinder CRDi engine that includes a variable geometry turbocharger. The power output is slightly lower than the petrol at 138bhp.

Exterior styling of the various MPVs on the market usually results in a boxy-looking thing that no one really loves to drive, but feel they need to in order to get the space. Because of the underbody design that lowered the fuel tank which allowed for the rear seats to be lowered the Kia design team was able to create an MPV with some curves. The front windscreen is pushed back which allows for excellent visibility. The rear area slopes back slightly to give the MPV a much more car like look.

In keeping with the non-cheap feel Kia has equipped the Carens LS with a decent set of interior appointments. These standard features include electric windows throughout, electric adjustable exterior mirrors, a storage box under the floor and a nifty little tray under the front passenger seat for extra storage. The Carens 2.0LS also comes standard with air-conditioning, electric folding mirrors on the front doors, 16-inch alloy wheels and automatic wipers and headlamps. Safety features include twin front and side airbags as well as anti-lock brakes.

Once again Kia has outdone their competition by delivering a high-quality car at a relatively low price. It is no wonder to see why so many Kia buyers either buy the same Kia again or step up to the next class of Kia when they can. If the Kia Carens is any indication Kia while certainly be taking more and more of the market share with each successive vehicle update.