Kia Carens

The re-born South Korean MPV is set to shake up the opposition...

What's New
Name aside, everything about the second-generation Carens is new. Its predecessor was the last surviving old-school Kia, having been largely developed before the brand's takeover by Hyundai Motor Company in 1998, and this was painfully obvious when comparing it with fresher rivals.

The new model, due to hit Singapore showrooms in December, looks like it comes from a completely different planet - in a good way of course. Although still a mid-sized seven-seater Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) at its core, it boasts far more contemporary styling, blending Sports Utility Vehicle design cues like roof rails and wrap-around lower bumper sections with some more conventional MPV features.

That sounds like a potentially disastrous recipe but Kia's designers have actually pulled it off quite well. The Carens is generally well-proportioned, and there's plenty of neat detailing to keep the eye entertained. The inverted L-shaped tail lamps are very distinctive too, so you're unlikely to mistake the car for anything else when you come up behind one.

All this means MPV-averse types shouldn't have any qualms about buying a Carens, especially since the last row of seats can easily be made to disappear into the floor, turning it into a five-seater with a big boot. This alone goes a long way towards cancelling out the decidedly non-trendy image most seven-seaters are burdened with.

The car has grown in all dimensions but it's still relatively compact (shorter overall than a Honda Civic), so parking it in tight spots isn't a problem. Good packaging means there's a respectable amount of room at the back too, as long as passengers in row two sacrifice some lounging space by sliding their seats forward.

Something's had to give, of course, and in the Carens' case it's the boot. With all the seats in place, the compartment behind the rearmost bench is reduced to a letterbox-like slot that would struggle to hold more than a few boxes of golf balls, never mind a whole golf bag.

There's just 74 litres of space available, less than half the volume of a Picanto's boot. Bringing the whole family out for a shopping spree? Better make sure at least a couple of them don't mind taking a cab back, or at least sitting in the car with paper bags on their laps.

In fairness, Kia doesn't pretend that the Carens can carry lots of people and lots of luggage at the same time. What's important is the ease of making the transition between the various cabin configurations, and here the car scores.

Folding the seats this way and that is as easy as pie, and there are some thoughtful touches, like how the squabs of the second-row seats are sprung so they pop out more easily. Such features normally appear only on high-end MPVs, so finding them in the Carens is a nice surprise.

Also pleasing is the overall standard of fit and finish around the cabin, with the dashboard plastics in particular looking far more upmarket than you'd expect a sub-$70K car's to be.

How it Performs
Performance from the 2.0-litre engine is adequate rather than sparkling, with the 145bhp unit feeling a bit flat in the mid-range.

Still, it's not like the Carens will leave you at the mercy of fast-moving traffic at busy junctions. It moves off the line smartly enough as long as you don't mind using a few more revs, and the powerplant's smoothness right to the redline means it's no hardship doing so, either.

The four-speed automatic transmission expertly slurs gearchanges too, while allowing for a manual override via the well-positioned lever. It works fine when left in 'D' for most of the time, but the DIY mode does come in useful if you're attempting to pull off particularly ambitious overtaking manoeuvres.

There's a crispness to all the controls that was conspicuously missing from the old model, giving you the confidence to push hard when the roads turn twisty.

The light, accurate steering and well-damped suspension allow plenty of speed to be carried through corners, and the car's centre of gravity doesn't feel any higher than a normal saloon's. That's despite the fact that you sit much further away from the road surface. A strong set of brakes completes the impressive dynamic package.

Some wind noise from the big door mirrors aside, the Carens is impressively hushed at three-figure speeds. The ride also remains superbly controlled over large undulations, which goes some way towards making up for its firmness around town. Multi-hour journeys in this car will pass quickly, even for those seated right at the back.

How it Stacks Up
The Carens is expected to launch here in January 2007 and with a projected price in the mid-$60K, its main competition will come from the parallel-imported 1.8-litre Toyota Wish. The Toyota has the edge in third-row and boot space thanks to its squared-off rear end, but this also gives it a more utilitarian appearance than the stylish Kia. Looks apart, the Carens also has a more modern interior and greater refinement on its side, plus the assurance of full service backup from an authorised distributor. For the price, it's an unbeatable combination of virtue and value.

Technical Specifications

MODEL Kia Carens 2.0 ENGINE Engine: 1,998cc 16V in-line 4 Max Power: 145bhp at 6,000rpm Max Torque: 189Nm at 4,250rpm TRANSMISSION 4-speed automatic TOP SPEED 181km/h 0-100km/h 11.9s