Kia updates Carans with new Real Driving Emissions (RDE) and E20 (20% ethanol blended in petrol) compliant engines, now priced between ₹ 10.45 lakh and ₹ 18.95 lakh (ex-showroom, India) . The updated Carens now gets a new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine in place of the older 1.4-litre unit, and Kia has replaced the 6-speed manual gearbox with a 6-speed iMT on the turbo-petrol and diesel variants. Additionally, there are minor updates to the equipment list as well.
The prices of the new turbo-petrol and diesel variants have gone up by up to Rs 50,000, while the naturally aspirated petrol variant has seen a price hike of Rs 25,000.
The most significant update to the Carens line-up is a new 160hp, 253Nm, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine that replaces the older 140hp, 1.4-litre turbo-petrol unit. This new engine offers a 20hp, 11Nm bump in output, and while the 7-speed DCT has been retained, the 6-speed manual has been replaced by a new 6-speed iMT unit. With this, the Carens is now also the most powerful MPV in its segment by a fair margin.
The other two engine options on the Carens – 115hp, 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol and 115hp, diesel – have also been updated to meet RDE norms and E20 fuel compliance. The diesel engine also loses its 6-speed manual gearbox in favor of the new 6-speed iMT unit. The diesel engine is available with a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox while the naturally aspirated petrol engine is only available with a 6-speed manual gearbox.
Kia has made a minor change to the equipment list on the Cairns – a 12.5-inch digital instrument cluster with 4.2-inch color MID has been made standard across the range – that was earlier offered from the Prestige trim.
As before, the Cairns continues to be offered in five trims – Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury and Luxury Plus. The top-spec Luxury Plus is the only trim offered in both 6- and 7-seater, while all other trims are 7-seater only.
Other highlights include auto climate control, 10.25-inch touchscreen with connected car tech, keyless go, cruise control, ventilated front seats, wireless phone charging and rear-view camera. For safety features, the Carens gets six airbags, ABS, ESC, hill start and descent control, and a tire pressure monitoring system as standard.
The Carens rivals the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and the XL6 in the Indian market. For reference, the Ertiga is priced between ₹8.35 lakh and ₹12.79 lakh, while the XL6 is priced between ₹11.41 lakh and ₹14.67 lakh, both prices ex-showroom, Delhi. The Cairns is slightly more expensive than both its rivals, but it is also more premium, with a more powerful engine and an extended features list.
