2022 Kia Carens launched at Rs 8.99 lakh onwards — should the Alcazar and XUV700 be worried?

There’s been a lot of hype around the 2022 Kia Carens, and rightly so because Kia has slowly but steadily been revealing information, one layer after another. The moment we’ve all been waiting for is here — the 2022 Kia Carens has finally been launched with prices starting from Rs 8.99 lakh (ex-showroom), putting it right in the ballpark of competitors like the Maruti Suzuki XL6, Mahindra XUV700, Tata Safari, Hyundai Alcazar, Mahindra Marazzo, and theToyota Innova Crysta.

2022 Kia Carens Styling

There’s a lot we’ve already discussed about the 2022 Kia Carens in a lot of detail — you can read all about that in our review right here. But let’s just walk over a few bits in brief, starting with the design. The face is very reminiscent of an electric car with the solid nose, while the actual grille is lower down. Kia has given the Carens a good amount of chrome — the grille receives chrome surrounds, along with the windowpane, door handles, and the rear bumper as well. You can see glimpses of the Seltos in the Carens’ side profile, whereas at the rear you get a full-length bar connecting both the tail lamps — a design choice that’s growing in popularity. At 2780mm, its wheelbase is the longest in its class.

2022 Kia Carens Powertrains

Despite being sister offerings, the 2022 Kia Carens does not make use of the 2-litre nat-asp petrol from the Alcazar, and instead uses the same set of powertrains from the Seltos. The 1.5-litre nat-asp petrol which makes 113.4bhp and 144Nm of torque will only be offered with a six-speed manual transmission. The 1.4-litre turbo-petrol unit puts out 138bhp and 242Nm of torque, and receives a 7-speed DCT in addition to the manual. The diesel is a 1.5-litre mill which produces 113.4bhp and 250Nm of torque, which receives a six-speed automatic along with the manual transmission.

2022 Kia Carens Features and Interiors

This is something we’ve again covered in a lot of detail — you can check out the variant and equipment breakdown by hitting this link. Let’s still briefly discuss a few of the kit the 2022 Kia Carens receives. This includes a 10.25-inch touchscreen (8-inch on lower variants) with CarPlay and Android Auto, albeit you’ll need wires to use it. There’s also a 12-inch LCD instrument cluster (7.5-inch on lower variants), the Kia Connect suite, wireless charging pad with cooling, automatic headlamps, front parking sensors, keyless entry, automatic air conditioning, cooled cup holders, air purifier, OTA updates, 64-colour ambient lighting and more.

2022 Kia Carens Prices and Rivals

Pricing is key — something that car makers, especially in India know way too well. On that note, prices of the 2022 Kia Carens range from Rs 8.99 lakh to Rs 16.99 lakh (ex-showroom). The 2022 Kia Carens sits in a unique position, countering threats from the SUVs, as well as the MPV segment. On the SUV front, it competes against the Hyundai Alcazar (Rs 16.34 lakh), Tata Safari (Rs 14.99 lakh), Mahindra XUV700 (Rs 12.95 lakh), and possibly the upcoming Jeep Meridian as well. Among the MPVs, the 2022 Kia Carens goes against the Maruti Suzuki XL6 (Rs 10.14 lakh), Mahindra Marazzo (Rs 12.80 lakh), and the Toyota Innova Crysta (Rs 16.84 lakh).

Here's a list of the prices of its variants:

Premium: Rs 8.99 to 10,99 lakh

Prestige: Rs 9.99 to 11.99 lakh

Prestige Plus: Rs 13.49 to Rs 14.99 lakh

Luxury: Rs 14.99 lakh

Luxury Plus: Rs 16.19 to Rs 16.99 lakh

Click on the link above to watch our review of 2022 Kia Carens, and hit this link to celebrate our 100th issue by ordering a mint-fresh copy today!