The all-new Carens made its world-premiere at the Paris Motor Show in September 2012 and is now available in Qatar. The new Carens is receiving positive feedback from customers and its real value for money at around QR74,000. The compact MPV features sleek aerodynamics, a cab-forward design that ensures generous interior space with a choice of five or seven seats (perfect for a big extended family), and a broad range of convenience and safety features.
The year has been good for Kia as they entered InterBrand’s Top 100 Global Brands and posted all-time high sales of more than 2.7 million units (a 9.3 percent increase). Kia is doing extremely well in Qatar, posting a 62 percent year-on-year increase in Q1 from 2012 to 2013.
“The all-new Carens takes Kia back into one of the most important and competitive sectors of the global market with a strong contender for class honours. Very stylish and sporty looking, the new Carens has a spacious and versatile interior with five or seven seats, a large cargo bay and storage compartments throughout the cabin,” said Thomas Oh, Kia’s Executive Vice President and COO of the International Business Division.
Measuring 4.5m long, the new Kia Carens is more compact, but also more spacious than the previous generation model. Cabin space is generous thanks to the new model’s increased wheelbase (up by 50 mm, to 2750 mm) and cab-forward design. Overall, the new Carens is 20 mm shorter, 15 mm narrower and 40 mm lower. Its overall height (1,610 mm) is the same as the Kia Soul and is one of the lowest in class — giving the model a sporty appearance.
The all-new Kia Carens is a completely fresh model from the ground up, and is a dramatic shift away from the look of its predecessor. It builds on the functionality and versatility of the original Carens, with a spacious five- or seven-seater layout, a generously proportioned luggage bay and numerous stowage spaces, and wraps this family-friendly adaptability in more purposeful sheet metal.
Driver comfort in every model is assured thanks to the tilt-and-telescopic adjustable steering wheel, height adjustable driver’s seat and the adoption of an organ-type accelerator pedal pivoting on the floor and moving in a way that matches the natural motion of the human foot.
The Carens EX comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, privacy glass, front fog lamps, special ‘clean tex’ (easy-clean) seat upholstery, fold-up front seatback tables and a forward folding front passenger seat — to accommodate long items of luggage.
For the all-new Carens, the longer wheelbase and the latest packaging technologies have resulted in a spacious cabin with generous room for up to seven occupants and a larger cargo bay.
To deliver the maximum carrying versatility expected by MPV customers, the front passenger seat backrest can be folded forwards, the second row features sliding/folding seats with a 60/40 split and the third row seats split 50/50 and fold flat into the trunk floor when not required. In the seven-seater Carens, the second row seats can slide forwards to give easy access to the third row seats.
Every all-new Carens will be fitted with a six-speed transmission. Engineered to optimise the balance between performance and economy, the new transmission features lower first and second gear ratios (to boost acceleration from standstill), and high top (sixth) gear ratios allowing lower engine revs during high-speed cruising — reducing cabin noise and enhancing refinement, while also lowering both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
The suspension and running gear of the all-new Carens have been comprehensively re-engineered and developed to deliver responsive handling, excellent straight-line stability and exceptional ride quality and refinement on a wide variety of surfaces.
Kia’s new Flex Steer system is fitted as standard. This offers three different steering weights to match customer preference with Normal, Sport and Comfort modes — while leaving the gearing unchanged.
Available active safety equipment includes: an all-disc braking system with ABS anti-lock, BAS brake force assist system, ESC electronic stability control, HAC hill-start assist control and a VSM vehicle stability management system.
Standard safety kit includes a driver’s airbag, three-point seatbelts for all but the centre second row seat and height-adjustable head restraints for all occupants.
Front and rear parking sensors are available. Safety during parking manoeuvres can be enhanced even further by using the optional rear-view safety camera, while visibility during night-time driving can be enhanced by specifying HID Xenon headlamps.
The new Carens is fitted with an ‘opposing-type’ windscreen wiper system, with the left and right blades synchronised to rise in opposite directions, each sweeping to the A-pillar and cleaning an area which is 10 percent larger than with conventional systems.
The Peninsula
