MORE FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS: KIA CARENS CLAVIS

KIA CARENS CLAVIS

-  Saneet Dsilva

The Kia Carens has always been the dependable family member who shows up on time with eco-friendly, disposable cutlery and sensible shoes. The new Carens Clavis is the younger cousin who wears linen shirts, speaks in bullet points, and brings sparkling water with a hint of elderflower to the picnic. They have the same bloodline but an entirely different attitude.

This is still, at heart, an MPV. It has seats. It has doors. It transports people and their cargo in a largely upright, spectacular fashion. But what Kia has attempted here with the Carens Clavis is something more nuanced. It's still the sensible Carens underneath, but it has, for lack of a better phrase, moisturised and grown a personality.

Bookings opened up at the stroke of midnight on May 9, and prices are expected by the end of the month. The pitch is straightforward enough. It's the Carens, but with more tech, more shine, and a bit more self-esteem. And, crucially, with no direct rival breathing down its neck.

We begin with the exterior. This is where the Carens Clavis attempts its most audacious party trick, looking fashionable. It wears what Kia calls the 'Digital Tiger Face', which sounds like a synthetic NFT but is in fact a rather snazzy hidden grille and lighting arrangement, nicked rather effectively from the bigger, boxier Kia EV9. The LED DRLs sweep across the front like a stern expression, folding into triangular headlamp housings that seem eager to look serious.