Launched at the Paris Motor Show, the all-new Kia Carens is a completely fresh model from the ground up, and its sleek and sculpted design marks a dramatic shift away from the more utilitarian look of its predecessor.
It builds on the functionality and versatility of the original Kia Carens, with a spacious five or five-plus-two seating layout, a generously proportioned luggage bay and numerous stowage spaces, but wraps this family-friendly adaptability in more purposeful sheet metal.
“I wanted to give the new Carens a sleeker look and feel, to create a design that envelops its functionality and versatility in something altogether more athletic and dynamic,” says Peter Schreyer, Kia’s Chief Design Officer. “This new-found visual dynamism is important – this car needs to look appealing and attractive – but during its design and development stages, we never lost sight of the fact that its packaging flexibility and adaptability are why people buy these cars,” explains Schreyer. Gregory Guillaume, Kia’s Chief Designer Europe, said: “A vehicle like the Carens is probably one of the hardest of all to get right because we are very tightly constrained by the car’s functionality,… packaging versatility cannot in any way be compromised by the design of the car because to do so would eradicate the car’s raison d’être.”
The new Kia Carens is 4.5 meters long, 1.8 meters wide and 1.6 meters tall, making it slightly shorter, narrower and lower than the car it replaces. The wheelbase has grown by 50 mm and Kia’s engineers have moved the A-pillar forward for a more spacious interior. A panoramic glass roof helps to fill the cabin with light and further enhance the sense of spaciousness. Additional styling touches include the integrated roof rails and sleek rear spoiler.
The interior offers a three-way 33:33:33 ratio split for the second-row of seats, which also feature individual fore and aft adjustment. The front passenger seat backrest can fold forwards. On the 7-seat model, the third row of seats is split in a 50:50 ratio and can be folded flat into the floor of the boot.
The Carens will be launched in Europe, followed by other world markets, with no news on an expected arrival date for South Africa just yet, although we suspect KIA South Africa would like to replace the ageing Carens with this new one as soon as possible.
