Auto Trader Ten Point Test: Kia Carens
With the centre and rear seats folded flat there’s a voluminous 2,106 litres of storage space 
Price as tested: £16,312.00
Price range: £10,995-17,045
Insurance group: 10
Insurance group range: 10
Tested: February 2007
Road tester: Keith Collantine
Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 71%
If you need a family car with seven seats, the Kia Carens can meet your needs for less money than most of its rivals.
The new version of the car promises to improve on the flaws of the original – which was wasn’t particularly popular and lost value quickly.
The much-vaunted new Cee’d has raised the bar on the Kia range. We put the second generation Carens to the ten-point test to see if it matches up.
Read on for our verdict on the Kia Carens, or click the links below to skip to a section.
Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor | Rivals
The revised Carens is a clear step forward from its predecessor, replacing that model’s boxiness with a sharper design.
There is evidence of a shared design philosophy with other Kias: The front end shares a distinctive style with the Picanto.
Towards the rear of the car the curves transform into smart creases and it looks a lot better – even a little sporty. Chrome extras are standard on all models except the base Carens and they give it a little more class than its bargain-basement rivals.
7/10
The Carens’ interior hasn’t moved with the times as well as the exterior. There’s still a lot of tell-tale cheap plastic on the fascia, steering wheel and especially the flimsy door handles.
The heating controls are pleasingly clear and chunky, but the same can’t be said for the clumsy audio control system. The centre console is a bit of a reach for the driver and lack of steering-wheel mounted stereo makes it worse.
Even though we had the dearest model there were still quite a few blank buttons from missing features that were unattractive, and those on the steering wheel rattled at speed.
6/10
The Carens’ selling point is its seven seats. The extra pair at the back slide out with minimum fuss and easily stow away into the floor again. But they’re only big enough for children – much like any other car in this class.
In the other seats legroom and headroom are decent and there are plenty of storage spaces and cup holders.
With the centre and rear seats folded flat there’s a voluminous 2,106 litres of storage space ready to swallow up anything you throw at it. With all seven seats up you’ve still got 414 litres of space to play with.
9/10
The handling is definitely the Carens’ weakest card. On quick roads the chassis lolls from corner to corner with more body roll than a Mazda 5 or Vauxhall Zafira.
The steering is light which, on the one hand, makes for effortless parking, but at speed gives too little feedback and sensation to the driver. It feels twitchy and nervy on twisting A-roads.
Its ride is not sufficiently comfortable for a car designed to carry lots of people. Road bumps are translated into jarring thuds and its basic grip does not inspire comfortable, confident driving.
5/10
There are two engine options – a 2.0-litre 142bhp petrol unit and a diesel of the same capacity. We tested the diesel, which produces slightly less power but, more usefully, over 50% more torque (pulling power). It pulled the car along adequately but I didn’t have much confidence in its ability to tackle hills with heavy loads.
Dragging the 1,681kg car along the engine makes a lot of noise as well. This wasn’t helped by the automatic gearbox which let the engine thrash away, reluctant to change gear.
The brakes were powerful but lacked feel - the pedal had a lot of travel in it and braking was not progressive, resulting in jerky stops.
5/10
The Carens falls into insurance group 10, which is reasonable, and its CO2 output of 189g/km is fairly low.
But the automatic does you no favours with fuel consumption. A quoted figure of 39.8mpg (combined) was more than we managed during our test.
You’re far better off with the manual, which gets 6.5 miles more to the gallon and has even lower CO2 output (163g/km). Whichever you go for, although the base price is low, used values are quite poor.
7/10
Sturdy and uncomplicated, there’s not much to go wrong with the Carens in the first place. The fit and finish look good, Kia’s reputation for reliability is sound and a three-year unlimited mileage warranty covers any concerns you might have.
9/10
The Carens’ score four stars for adult occupant safety in its EuroNCAP test. The car has a decent complement of safety features – another step forward over its predecessor.
All versions have twin airbags, curtain airbags, ABS, active head restraints in the front and side impact protection.
8/10
The Carens’ equipment level is surprisingly good for the low price. All models feature air conditioning, MP3 CD player, electric windows all round, electric mirrors and plenty of internal lights.
Our top-of-the range LS model added some worthwhile: climate control, cruise control, trip computer and a rear parking sensor - although the latter was far too loud.
The upgrade from the GS to the LS model adds £1,200 to the price and metallic paint is £360 extra.
8/10
The Carens is a cheap and well-equipped seven seater. It can carry decent loads, should be very reliable and is well backed-up by Kia in the event of any problems.
Depreciation is the biggest concern for buyers of a new Carens – but no more so than the Zafira. But with a list price starting at £12,000 it’s a decent option for MPV buyers on a budget. If you are set on a Carens, plump for the manual for better performance and running costs.
7/10
Rivals
You might also want to consider:
Vauxhall Zafira
Mazda 5
Volkswagen Touran
Mitsubishi Grandis
Honda FRV
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