Kia Carens impresses upon return as ‘more practical’ SUV

The recent return of the Kia Carens is quite an interesting one.

As compact SUV sales soared and that of compact multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) went off the boil, the seven-seater was axed from the Korean carmaker’s local line-up in 2013.

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Now the Kia Carens returns to a market bursting out of its seams with SUVs due to the influx of Chinese products. But instead of being the uncool MPV among the SUV crowd this time around, it is now billed as a MUV or multi-purpose vehicle.

As MUV, which basically translates to a more practical SUV due to its seating for seven, the Carens has a much better chance at success than trying to fight the people-moving commercial stigma associated with an MPV.

Kia Carens joins select group

As a seven-seater, the Kia Carens’ has a only a small group of direct rivals which include the Jetour X70, Mitsubishi Destinator and Hyundai Alcazar. Making it even more appealing is its diesel powertrain, a trait only the Alcazar can rival. And starting at R399 995, the Carens undercuts its Korean sister brand’s most affordable seven-seater by a cool R99 905.

The Kia Carens SX rides on 17-nch alloys. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe

The Citizen Motoring recently sampled the Kia Carens SX, which at R599 900 is the top-of-the-range offering. While flagship comes with a world of goodies to justify the R200k premium over the base model, what is unchanged is the oil-burner, the range’s sole choice of engine.

The 1.5-litre turbodiesel mill, which is also offered alongside a petrol option on the Alcazar, produces 85kW of power and 250Nm of torque. It sends the power to the front wheels via six-speed automatic transmission. It is the only box for all the derivatives bar the six-speed manual base model.

Futuristic styling

A dead giveaway that the Carens is not a mundane MPV anymore, or in fact a garden variety SUV, is it’s futuristic styling. It follows the same design language as the manufacturer’s EV cars. The front features slimline LEDs headlights and prominent body-colour panel between the horizontal lightbar and grille.

The rear is more in the mould of a traditional Kia SUV, featuring what the carmaker calls star map taillamps connected with a full-width horizontal lightbar.

Plastic lower door mouldings feature along the sides, with the SX riding on two-tone 17-inch alloy wheels. Ground clearance is a very generous 180mm.

The black and beige interior won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe

Loads of creature comforts

The futuristic styling continues in the cabin with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, 12-inch digital instrument cluster and flat-bottom steering wheel, all set in a love-or-hate black and beige finish. What we really like is the fact that Kia still sticks to physical buttons. These include the row of buttons underneath the infotainment system that toggles between climate control and the audio system and the turning knobs flanking them.

The Kia Carens SX comes standard with full imitation leather, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charger, eight-speaker Bose sound system, heated front seats, ambient lighting and 360-degree surround-view camera system.

Space is ample in the second row is ample, which sliding and folding seats make access to the third row easier. Leg space in the third row isn’t great, but children should have little to complain about.
Boot space is 216 litres with all seven seats up, while it increases to 645 litres with the third-row folded flat.

In addition to the six airbags, rear parking sensors, electronic stability control and hill-start assist, the SX also features a range of comprehensive driver assistance systems. These includes the likes of adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist and blind-spot warning.

Oil-burner shines

Where the Kia Carens realty shines in our opinion is out on the drive. The biggest mistake you can possibly make is to underestimate the 85kW of power you see on paper. This is something we did many years ago with the Hyundai Alcazar’s predecessor the Grand Creta.

Access to the third row made easy. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe

This refined little oil-burner is an absolute gem. It doesn’t shoot off the line, but once on the move, it is an effortless ride featuring slick shifting. Being overly exposed to the throttle calibrations issues evident on almost every non-hybridised Chinese car, it is just bliss to return to a well-behaved and properly calibrated powertrain. It makes driving a pleasure, which is key if you are going to take the seven-seater on endless school runs through varying traffic every day.

Our fuel consumption of 6.4 litres per 100km was slightly higher than the claimed 5.3L/100m, but still great considering we did not take it on the open road once during the course of the week.

Kia Carens hits the spot

The Kia Carens makes a welcome local return with a clear plan, something it lacked when it left Mzansi 13 years ago. It looks good, feels good and drives well.

It’s diesel party trick gives it an edge against the Chinese onslaught. And that is of utmost importance these days.

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