Kia Carens three-row MPV finally goes on sale in India at a starting price of Rs. 8.99 lakh for the base version, going up to Rs. 16.99 lakh (ex-showroom, India) for the top-of-the-line variant. Available in 6- and 7-seater cabin layout, the new Kia Carens MPV comes with both petrol and diesel powertrains, coupled to both manual and automatic transmission set-ups. The Kia Carens MPV is the fourth Kia product in India, and the second MPV model in its product portfolio, after the Kia Carnival MPV. The Kia Carens three-row MPV is essentially the extended wheelbase version of the Kia Seltos, employing the company's 'Opposites United' design language.

Speaking of styling, the Kia Carens MPV is the first model in India to follow the new design language, which globally made its debut with the Kia EV6. So, it receives an aggressive treatment up front with a split lighting setup, signature LED DRLs, sleek LED headlamps, and a muscular bumper with large air intakes. The new Kia logo also sits on the hood, below which is a slim gloss-black strip that joins the lights at both ends. In profile, the sporty alloy wheels, bold character lines and roof rails build up on its strong appeal. The rear section of the Kia Carens also looks sharp thanks to the wraparound LED taillamps connected by an LED strip, while the sculpted tailgate and rear bumper all contribute to its sporty SUV-ish design. Kia has also thrown in adequate amount of chrome to heighten its premium appeal.

The Kia Carens also boasts of class-leading dimensions, and measures 4,540 mm in length, 1800 mm in width, 1700 mm in height, and sits on a 2780 mm wheelbase. This makes it longer than the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga or even XL6, and a tad longer than the Hyundai Alcazar. It is wider than almost all its rivals except its sibling and is even has the longest wheelbase in the segment. With a good stance and ride height, the Kia Carens also does well on ground clearance. The Kia Carens MPV also offers 216 litres of luggage space with all the three seats up. With the third row down, there's 645 litres of bootspace, and with the second-row folds down fully flat, cargo space goes to 1164 litres.

The inside of the Kia Carens is very interesting because the South Korean carmaker has loaded the MPV with the latest gadgets. Apart from the new design language for the cabin, Kia is also offering new materials and colours to deck up the inside with variety of options depending on the trims. You get a 10.25-inch touchscreen, a 12.5- inch digital instrument cluster, wireless charging, Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, auto climate control, 8-speaker Bose sound system, multiple USB charging points, ambient mood lighting, spotlights, rear table trays and sunroof.

In terms of safety, the Kia Carens will come with six airbags and all-four-disc brakes as standard along with other drive assist features like, electronic stability control, hill descent control, rollover mitigation and hill assist among others. You also get the latest Kia Connect car tech that include features such as geofencing, live vehicle status and tracking and certain remote-controlled features like engine start/stop, climate control operation, and door lock/unlock. Additionally, the seven-seater variants will feature electric one-touch tumble seats for easy third-row access.

The Kia Carens MPV is offered in 5 trim levels - Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury, and Luxury Plus. Powering the Kia Carens MPV are two petrol and one diesel engine, that includes a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine, a 1.4-litre turbo petrol motor, and a 1.5-litre diesel mill. The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine churns out 113 bhp with 144 Nm of torque, whereas the 1.4-litre T-GDi turbo petrol engine develops 138 bhp with 242 Nm of peak torque. The diesel mill produces 113 bhp and 250 Nm. Transmission is handled by a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard with optional automatic 7-speed DCT and a 6-speed torque converter, respectively.