Kia Carens: Test Drive Review

Kia has steadily been updating its range with new and more grown-up models over the past five years, and its mid-size seven-seat people carrier, the Carens mini-MPV, was the straggler of the litter until now. 

Despite being smaller than its predecessor in every direction, it has a 50mm longer wheelbase and the seats are mounted lower down, so there’s just as much room as there was in the old car plus an additional 71 litres in the boot. That translates into exceptional headroom and decent legroom for central seat passengers. The middle chairs all slide and recline individually, while the front passenger seat also folds flat for the purposes of carrying long luggage. There’s underfloor storage in the boot too.

Regardless of spec or trim level, all models come with seven seats as standard – just don’t expect the rear two to accommodate fully grown adults with any degree of ease, nor should you anticipate much of a boot when they’re in use.

Those used to rival MPVs such as a Ford C-max – which is very good to drive as people carriers go – will be left a little cold by the Kia’s handling. That’s hardly a priority in this sector though, and what’s more important is that the Carens is much more refined than its predecessor. It’s extremely quiet – only when you rev the engine past 4000rpm does it begin to make any sort of racket. The ride is comfortable and visibility is plentiful from every angle.

The grown-up look isn’t limited to the exterior either, as the cabin has also been updated to good effect with generous use of piano-black materials adding up to a decent quality dash.

As well as replacing the previous Carens, this model will also become the only full-size MPV in Kia’s range because the company has quietly ditched the large and ageing Sedona people carrier.

Price and the company’s perceived value are strong suits, and while the Carens is still very much in keeping with Kia’s low-cost ethos, it doesn’t have quite the lead on costs that you might expect. On P11D alone, the mid-level 2 with a 116hp diesel engine (the likely biggest seller across the board and to businesses), comfortably undercuts its chief rivals at £20,540, but an RV of 27.8% trails core competitors (and not just the three at the bottom of this page), all of which comfortably exceed the 30% mark. 

The 1.7-litre CDTi engine’s figures are commendable at 60.1mpg and 124g/km and strong enough to better a large proportion of the competition, but they’re not the lowest in the class. You can have a Zafira Tourer at 119g/km (it will be down to 109g/km by the end of the year), while the pioneering Toyota Prius+ hybrid has set the segment low at 96g/km.