Kia Carens Vs 7-Seater Mid-size SUVs: Price Talk

The Carens may be an MPV but it treads quite closely to the three-row SUV space as well

The Kia Carens three-row MPV has arrived on the budding scene with disruptive introductory prices. It is a well-equipped premium offering with many similarities to the Kia Seltos compact SUV. The Carens is primarily a seven-seater with the choice of a six-seater configuration in the top-spec. By design, the latest Kia MPV can also compete against the likes of other mid-size three-row SUVs like the Hyundai Alcazar and MG Hector Plus. Let’s see how the prices of the Carens compare to these three-row SUVs:

Petrol

• The top-spec petrol-manual Kia Carens Luxury Plus is priced similar to the entry-level variants of these three-row SUVs. It’s more affordable than the Hyundai Alcazar, the seven-seater Mahindra XUV700 and only slightly more expensive than the MG Hector Plus.

• Considering the Carens fully-loaded variant will have a lot more to offer than these rivals at these prices, it’d be fair to say that the choice between them is quite simple.

• Kia offers the Carens with the choice of two petrol engines: 115PS 1.5-litre and 140PS 1.4-litre turbo-petrol. The variants that compete with the entry variants of the SUVs are powered by the turbo-petrol engine which is available with the choice of a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic.

• The rivals listed here offer more performance than the Carens. The Hyundai Alcazar is powered by a 159PS 2-litre petrol engine mated to a 6-speed manual. Meanwhile, the MG Hector Plus is offered with a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine which produces 153PS.

• Mahindra offers the XUV700 with both 5- and 7-seater configurations and we’re only considering the latter here. It uses a 200PS 2-litre turbo-petrol engine making it one of the most powerful SUVs in this price segment.

Related: Kia Carens Variants Explained: Which One Should You Buy?

Diesel

• When considering the diesel-powered rivals to the Carens, we can add the Tata Safari to the comparison. The Safari is the closest competitor to the Carens here with its entry-level variant being priced on par with the latter’s Luxury variant.

• The entry-level variants of the three-row XUV700 and MG Hector Plus are priced closer to the top-spec Carens. Meanwhile the entry-level diesel-powered Hyundai Alcazar is closer to the diesel-automatic, top-spec variant of the Kia MPV.

• The Carens gets the same diesel engine as the Alcazar, a 115PS 1.5-litre unit, yet the Hyundai attracts a steep premium as an SUV.

• Mahindra offers the XUV700 with a three-row option from a lower trim when it comes to the diesel engine. Still, it is priced closest to the top-spec variant of the Carens. It uses a 185PS 2.2-litre diesel engine mated to a 6-speed manual.

• The MG and Tata SUVs are powered by the same 170PS 2-litre diesel engine mated to a 6-speed manual.

• While the Carens offers a lot of value at similar prices to these SUVs, the larger models have the appeal of their size and powertrains.

Also read: Kia Carens Vs Rivals: Price Talk

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