Kia Motors launched their second generation Carens with a 2-litre petrol engine model available with either a manual or automatic transmission, to fill the gap between the MPV and SUV markets.

Clever styling techniques

Although the new Carens is 40mm taller, 55mm longer and 50mm wider than its predecessor, the styling techniques make it look smaller and lower. 

Ideal mom's taxi and weekend family car

What impressed me was the long list of safety and comfort features, making it an ideal mom’s taxi that can become the weekend family car.

Standard safety features include dual front airbags, front side airbags and full-length curtain airbags - six in all, an on/off switch deactivates the passenger side front airbag when a child seat is fitted, ABS with EBD and ESP, rear door child locks, collision auto door unlock, active front headrests and six 3-point safety belts with load limiters and pre-tensioners.

Comfort features include parking sensors!

Price: R209 995 - R219 995 Article Options Email to Friend Print Article Remove from Favorites Add to Favorites Remove from 'Articles to Read' Add to 'Articles to Read'

The comfort features include climate control air-conditioning, electric windows and side mirrors, power- and tilt-steering, Radio/CD, underfloor luggage box, leather seats and driver 8-way power seat. I must say I love the door locking function - there is a button on the driver’s side as well as the front passenger’s side - especially for those days when hubby is behind the wheel and forgets to lock the doors!

There’s a storage compartment for sunglasses and both sunvisors are fitted with an illuminated vanity mirror. The best feature of all is the rear parking sensors!

Another nifty ‘lady friendly’ feature is the handy hook attached to the inner post of the passenger’s headrest, on which a jacket can be hung and a second hook on the inner side of the passenger’s footwell is ideal for keeping a carrier bag upright.

The new Carens has a foot (pedal-actuated) parking brake that is released with a handle between the centre console and the steering column.

Stow your third row of seats

The multi-function seating arrangement can be tailored to accommodate a wide range of needs and loads. When not in use the third row of seats are stowed flush with the floor and are easily raised by tugging a strap in the backrest of each. Even the third row’s two seats have 3-point inertia reel seatbelts, cupholders and a lidded storage compartment on each flank.

The middle row features a wide central armrest as well as flip-down outer armrests and if the seat is pushed back when the third row is not in use there is plenty of legroom This seat as a 60/40 split and with the separate cushions tilted forward and the backrests folded down, creates a huge flat luggage compartment. That’s not all - the mid-row backrests can be reclined to a horizontal position as well!

All this for just over R200 000!

It gets better! - the new Carens’ recommended retail price for the manual transmission is R209 995 and the automatic R219 995. Adding tremendous value, the pricing includes Kia’s 10-year/150 000km warranty incorporating 3-year/unlimited kilometres roadside assistance and a revolutionary 4-year/75 000km maintenance plan. Servicing is required at 15 000km intervals.

The new Carens certainly lives up to its name - a combination of Car and Renaissance! - The result a versatile vehicle which has the practicality and dynamic behaviour of a people-mover and the styling cues, generous ground clearance and spaciousness of a sports-utility.