Kia's New People Mover - Carens

The three-row Carens has been unveiled and Dhruv Saxena got a chance to take a closer look at Kia’s next launch for the Indian market at its world premiere

- Dhruv Saxena

The Kia Carens (pronounced “car-ens”) is the South Korean carmaker’s next launch for the Indian market. Ahead of the official launch of the Carens in February 2022 though, Kia showcased the three-row vehicle in the flesh in India at its world premiere, giving us a chance to take a closer look at its exterior and a peek at its interior. Kia doesn’t label the Carens as an MPV or even an SUV. Its official literature refers to it as a “three-row recreational vehicle”. In the flesh, the exterior of the Kia Carens is a mix of SUV and MPV styling cues, similar to the approach adopted by Maruti Suzuki for the Ertiga derived XL6. The front-end styling has hints of Kia Soul, while the panel flowing along with the bonnet shut line joining the LED DRLs almost makes it look like an EV. The headlamps are mounted lower down and get LED treatment, at least in the case of this top-end trim, and the fog lamps are LED units as well. In profile, the generous wheelbase becomes apparent. In fact, at 2,780mm, it has the longest wheelbase in the segment, longer than the Alcazar’s and Innova Crysta’s.