Rs 8.99 Lakh Kia Carens Vs Alcazar, Seltos, Ertiga, XL6, Marazzo & More (Price, Specs Comparison)

Kia has launched the Carens in India at a starting and introductory price of Rs 8.99 lakh.

The top-of-the-line variant has been priced at Rs 16.99 lakh.

Competition

It has a long list of competitors in the market. 

It will directly face off against Hyundai Alcazar and Tata Safari.

At the same time it will also compete against the Maruti Suzuki XL6 on one end of the price spectrum and the Innova Crysta on the other.

Also giving it a tough fight will be other three-row SUVs like MG Hector Plus and Mahindra XUV700.

Here’s how it stacks up against other major players.

vs Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

The Ertiga is one of the most popular, best-selling offerings in the MPV segment.

Unlike the Carens it comes only in petrol guise, and manual and automatic formats.

Maruti Suzuki also retails the Ertiga with a factory-fitted CNG kit. 

The base trim undercuts the base Carens by almost Rs 87,000.

However, the Carens offer tons of features, making it a compelling buy even in its basic trim over the Ertiga.

vs Maruti Suzuki XL6

The XL6 is the upmarket version of the Ertiga.

Its base version is dearer by Rs 1.15 lakh than the entry-level trim on the Carens.

The automatic version of the XL6 undercuts that of the Carens by Rs 3.25 lakh to Rs 4.97 lakh, depending on the variant.

Do note that the XL6 comes in only four trims, two each split between manual and automatic transmission.

vs Mahindra Marazzo

The Marazzo is a 7/8-seater model, available in only diesel guise with a single 6-speed manual gearbox.

Carens’ base diesel trim with manual unit undercuts the base Marazzo by almost Rs 1.81 lakh.

But if you look at the higher end of the range, then the Carens is dearer by Rs 1.27 lakh.

Like the Carens the Marazzo comes in 6 trim levels- M2, M4+, and M6+, for both 7- and 8-seater layouts. 

vs Toyota Innova Crysta

The Toyota Innova Crysta rules the MPV segment and therefore is the biggest rival of the Carens.

It occupies a segment share of 43% with nearly 3 lakh units sold of the current version.

The Innova Crysta comes with almost 20 trims, spread across its petrol and diesel formats, in both manual and automatic gearbox options.

What gives it an edge over the Carens is that it offers 12 trims for its diesel iteration, of which 3 are for the automatic version.

The Carens gets only a single automatic version but wins this one since it undercuts the diesel versions, both manual and automatic versions, by a margin.

vs Hyundai Alcazar

The Hyundai Alcazar is the Carens’ ‘supposed sibling’ since the latter was built on the K1 platform, which also underpins the Hyundai Grand i10 instead of the K2 platform as the Kia Seltos.

Hence, the Carens is actually an MPV and not a full-fledged SUV which its pricing also indicates.

The Carens is cheaper than the Alcazar in almost all the trim levels, for both powertrain options.

Base petrol variant in manual form undercuts the base Alcazar by almost Rs 7.35 lakh.

vs Mahindra XUV700

Since its launch four months back, the XUV700 was the most affordable among the other 7-seater, three-row SUVs.

This changed now that the Carens is here. 

It undercuts the base petrol manual version of the XUV700 by almost Rs 3 lakh, while the top-spec sees a difference of almost Rs 1.4 lakh.

vs Tata Safari

The Tata Safari has only a single diesel powertrain, paired with a manual and automatic gearbox.

It is also possibly the most expensive among the lot and the Carens undercuts it by Rs 4 lakh for the base version.

The Safari’s top-spec is also at a premium of almost Rs 5.81 lakh over Kia’s MPV.

Conclusion

The Carens ticks all the boxes with respect to pricing and offers more bang for the buck with features, performance, powertrain, 6-airbags on every variant — and most importantly desirability.

It will hold its own when going head to head with the Innova Crysta and other heavyweights such as the Hyundai Alcazar, Mahindra XUV700, and Tata Safari.

It should be noted that the Carens’ prices are introductory so a hike may be announced later.