Kia Carens has been a go-to solution for Indian car buyers looking for a monocoque 3-row high-riding vehicle with crossover design DNA and powered by frugal engines. Kia has now introduced a new iteration of Carens called Carens Clavis. Carens Clavis has reduced Carens’ variant lineup significantly, but it does not fully replace the latter.
Carens Clavis is advertised as the more premium version of standard Carens and it features quite a lot of revisions to establish a separate identity. We drove Carens Clavis in Bengaluru as part of the national media drive held by Kia India. After driving it across multiple terrains and experiencing everything it has to offer, here’s what we think about Carens Clavis.
Kia Carens Clavis
Bookings for Kia Carens Clavis commenced some time ago and prices are yet to be announced. We can expect it to cost a wee bit more than what Carens did. With Carens Clavis, we have up to 8 monotone colours – Ivory Silver Gloss, Sparkling Silver, Imperial Blue, Gravity Gray, Aurora Black Pearl, Pewter Olive, Clear White and Glacier Pearl White.
On the inside, Carens Clavis gets a new interior colour theme, depending on trim level. With top-spec HTX and HTX+ trims (Yes, the trim hierarchy has been renamed), Kia is offering Triton Navy and Beige two-tone interiors. It is a nice approach and the execution is a breath of fresh air in a world where Black is a defining shade. This Navy is dark enough to not cause major reflections on front windshield.
Shifting interests from colour schemes to design changes, there are enough revisions on Carens Clavis to establish a separate identity. We have a more SUV-ish appearance now. We particularly like the new EV5-inspired fascia with its triple ice-cube LED headlight setup and striking Starmap LED DRLs.
Silver Chrome finish on faux skid plates lends a sophisticated appeal. If you were expecting cornering lights, Carens Clavis doesn’t even get fog lights. Rear gets a new design for Starmap LED tail lights that are now of connected type. From the sides, Carens Clavis looks a lot like, well, Carens with minimal changes. The main revision here is its new 17-inch alloy wheels that are a size up from Carens’ 16-inchers.
Only the driver’s door gets a request sensor, but that won’t be used as much because Kia Carens Clavis gets the brilliant Digital Key feature that we first saw with Hyundai Alcazar. It allows keyless entry and even keyless start from the Digital Key stored in your NFC-equipped smartphone.
New Interiors!
On the inside, we have an all-new dashboard with soft-touch plastic inserts for the first time. Kia Carens Clavis gets a dual 12.3-inch Panoramic Display setup (one for infotainment and other for instrumentation). Double D-Cut 2-spoke steering wheel is all-new and is shared with Syros which gets music controls, instrumentation controls, cruise control and ADAS-related functions. Automatic variants get paddle shifters as well.
Lifted from more premium vehicles like Carnival and EV6, we get the intelligent swap screen that cycles between FATC controls and infotainment controls. Below it are front ventilated seat controls, 360-degree camera buttons, USB Type-A and Type-C along with a 12V socket and wireless charger among others. Centre armrest has storage underneath and there are a few cup holders in centre console too.
Panoramic sunroof lets in a lot of light if that’s what you need in the sunny Indian climate. 2nd row gets captain and bench seat options. For the first time, Carens Clavis gets Boss mode but it is manual, unlike in Alcazar. Tray table, air purifier behind driver’s door, window shades, and separate blower for rear occupants are retained as they were. Upping the premium quotient, we have an 8-speaker Bose audio system that buyers will appreciate. There’s a plethora of Kia Connect features too.
Carens Clavis features one-touch tumble seats that make 3rd-row ingress and egress much easier. 3rd-row seats are still good enough for children only, but they get amenities like cup holders, dedicated AC vents, seat belts, adjustable headrests and Type-C USB ports. Both 2nd and 3rd row seats are adjustable for recline and only 2nd row can be moved front and back.
For the first time, driver’s seat is 4-way electronically adjustable. One feature we were hoping to see in Carens Clavis is rear ventilated seats, which even the smaller Syros gets (albeit only for thighs). However, that is sadly not the case. Also new, is the 2nd row cooled cup holders on top of 1st row cooled cup holders. Boot space is the same at around 216L with all three row seats up, which can be expanded by folding 3rd-row seats.
Major Safety Upgrade
When compared to 10 Hi-Safety standard features on Carens, Carens Clavis offers 18 Hi-Safety standard features. The company claims at least 10 win points with Carens Clavis over its immediate rivals. The main safety upgrade comes in the form of Level-2 ADAS that makes use of front and rear radars along with a front camera beside IRVM that acts as visual input for ADAS suite to work.
Kia Carens Clavis Level-2 ADAS suite offers up to 20 autonomous features including 18 driving safety and 2 parking safety features. Notable safety features include front and rear collision avoidance assist, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, high-beam assist, driver attention warning, front junction collision assist, 360-degree cameras with surround view monitor along with a blind view monitor.
During the media drive event, some of the ADAS features were turned off. But we did test out adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist features that work quite well. The addition of 360-degree cameras is a welcome move from Kia India. In select trim levels, Kia is also offering a dual-channel (front and back) dashcam feature for the very first time.
Powertrains, Mileage & Dynamics
Where powertrains are concerned, Kia Carens Clavis continues to be powered by the same 1.5L 4-cylinder trio that used to be in the Carens. We’re talking about the 1.5L NA Petrol engine (113 bhp, 143.8 Nm), 1.5L Turbo Petrol engine (156 bhp, 253 Nm) and 1.5L Turbo Diesel (114 bhp, 250 Nm). 1.5 NA Petrol gets a sole 6-speed manual gearbox (15.34 km/l mileage), while 1.5 Diesel gets 6-speed manual (19.54 km/l mileage) and 6-speed torque converter automatic (17.5 km/l mileage) options.
For the first time, Kia is offering a 6-speed manual gearbox option (15.95 km/l mileage) with 1.5 Turbo Petrol alongside iMT (15.95 km/l) and 7-speed DCT (16.66 km/l mileage) options. These engines have served in Hyundai / Kia vehicles for quite some time and they’ve become quite familiar to the masses. All three powertrains are smooth and refined, with very minimal NVH creeping into the cabin.
At the media drive, we drove Diesel MT and Turbo Petrol DCT and both powertrains have proven their mettle with their performance and reliability. Where dynamics are concerned, Carens Clavis feels almost identical to the Carens just as Kia intended. It is a comfy 3-row premium MPV and it rides quite well. Bump absorption could have been improved and Carens Clavis is not for spirited driving and for hustling it around the twisties. Braking is handled by disc brakes at all four corners and it offers a sure-footed feel and stopping power.
Conclusion
Now that Kia Carens has been offered with just one trim level and limited powertrain combinations, Carens Clavis should be your obvious choice if you’re looking for a premium MPV experience at an affordable price with frugal engines and low running costs. It comes very close to Hyundai Alcazar in terms of experience but misses out on key features like rear ventilated seats along with electrically operated Boss Mode. If you’re in the market looking for a comfy high-riding crossover MPV with an SUV stance, Kia Carens Clavis should be high up on your wishlist.