Kia Carens (2006 – 2012) Review
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Kia Carens (2006 – 2012) At A Glance
Option of seven usable seats, all rear seats fold into the boot floor, spacious interior, five-year warranty on models sold since September 2006.
Foot-operated parking brake is old fashioned, poor turning circle.
The previous Kia Carens was a decent enough vehicle - roomy, pleasant, reasonable to drive and at very fair list prices. The trouble was at heavily discounted transaction prices, the better looking and better to drive Citroen Xsara Picasso wiped the floor with it.
But now the goalposts have shifted. Citroen is still there with 5-seater Xsara Picasso Desire diesels from around £9,800 via a broker. And its much more expensive new 7-seater C4 Picasso.
Vauxhall offers a much-improved new Zafira. Renault has updated its Scenic. Ford has the excellent S-Max. And both Vauxhall and Renault offer 7-seater diesel automatics.
So what sort of a fight does the new Kia Carens put up against all this stiff competition?
Obviously before discounts, it's still price competitive, starting at £11,995 for the petrol engined 5-seater and £14,495 for the diesel engined 7-seater. While diesel automatics start at a very enticing £15,495.
Reviews for Kia Carens (2006 – 2012)'s top 3 rivals
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Kia Carens (2006 – 2012) handling and engines
- Engines range from 1.6 CRDi to 2.0 CRDi
- Readers report Real MPG to be between 26–54 mpg
We drove the diesel automatic first. Straight out into Belfast traffic. It was immediately apparent that the car would make a very good taxi. The box only has four ratios and as long as your expectations are reasonably modest, it's smooth and pleasant and makes a decent fist of getting on with the job. Top gear works out at around 35mph per 1,000rpm so cruising at 70 you're bang on peak torque that lasts from 1,800 to 2,500rpm.
Our route in the auto was mostly straight, so it wasn't until we swapped to a manual that we were able to push it a bit and find the handling limits on corners. That eventually shows up as roll understeer, not to early to be annoying and with plenty of warning to behave yourself before things get out of hand. Most drivers will have no problem at all with it.
I wound up coming back to Belfast in the midst of the evening rush hour, which is always a good test for drivability with a vehicle like this. The good mirrors, light clutch and smooth power delivery ensured no problems at all.
So, a very good mid-size 7-seater, sensibly priced and available with the autobox so many drivers prefer these days from a list price of just £15,495. Nothing else comes close for the money except at a very big discount.
| Engine | MPG | 0-62 | CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 | 39 mpg | 11.6 s | 174 g/km |
| 1.6 CRDi | 50 mpg | - | 146–149 g/km |
| 2.0 | 33–35 mpg | 10.6–11.9 s | 192–200 g/km |
| 2.0 CRDi | 39–46 mpg | 11.0–13.5 s | 159–189 g/km |
Real MPG average for the Kia Carens (2006 – 2012)
Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.
Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.
Average performance
94%
Real MPG
26–54 mpg
MPGs submitted
79
Kia Carens (2006 – 2012) interior
- Boot space is 74–2106 litres
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Length | 4493–4545 mm |
| Width | 1748–1820 mm |
| Height | 1650–1720 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2560–2700 mm |
It's good looking, not in an alien South Korean kind of way, but aesthetically pleasing by any standards. It has a pleasant interior, with practical touches like a shelf in front of the passenger, a dashboard that doesn't reflect in the windscreen and even a ‘curry hook' in the passenger footwell.
All the seats fold flat; the rearmost two particularly easily. The centre row slides fore and aft 60/40 so legoom can be arranged to suit the occupants. And the plastics, cloth and carpeting are all good quality, without that curious fishy smell that once used to emanate from South Korean interiors.
It's easy to get comfortable. The mirrors are nice and big giving a good view of the car's flanks. The indicator stalk is, correctly, on the right of the column so you can change gear with your left hand and flick the indicators with the fingers of your right. The parking brake is like an automatic's. Kick on with your left foot and release with your left hand. Though I prefer a hand brake, it's actually no hassle, probably because the release is sensibly on the left rather than the right of the steering column.
Kia Carens (2006 – 2012) models and specs
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Length | 4493–4545 mm |
| Width | 1748–1820 mm |
| Height | 1650–1720 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2560–2700 mm |
| Miscellaneous | |
|---|---|
| Kerb Weight | 1450–1715 kg |
| Boot Space | 74–2106 L |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Servicing | 10000 miles |
| Costs | |
|---|---|
| List Price | £10,495–£19,000 |
| Insurance Groups | 19 |
| Road Tax Bands | F–J |
| Official MPG | 32.8–49.6 mpg |
| Euro NCAP Safety Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Adult | 4 |
| Child | 1 |
| Pedestrian | 1 |
| Overall | - |
On sale until December 2012
| People Carrier | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
| 1 1.6 (5 seat) 5dr | £14,705 | 39.2 mpg | - |
| 1 1.6 CRDi (5 seat) 5dr | £16,000 | 49.6 mpg | - |
| 2 1.6 CRDi (7 seat) 5dr | £17,500 | 49.6 mpg | - |
| 3 1.6 CRDi (7 seat) 5dr | £19,000 | 49.6 mpg | - |
On sale until April 2010
| People Carrier | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
| 1.6 GS (5 seat) | £14,320 | 39.2 mpg | 11.6 s |
| 1.6 S (5 seat) | £13,295 | 39.2 mpg | 11.6 s |
| 2.0 CRDi GS (5 seat) | £15,855 | 45.6 mpg | 11.0 s |
| 2.0 CRDi GS (5 seat) Auto | £16,880 | 39.2 mpg | 12.6 s |
| 2.0 CRDi GS (7 seat) | £16,380 | 45.6 mpg | 11.0 s |
| 2.0 CRDi GS (7 seat) Auto | £17,405 | 39.2 mpg | 12.6 s |
| 2.0 CRDi LS (7 seat) | £17,915 | 46.3 mpg | 11.0 s |
| 2.0 CRDi LS (7 seat) Auto | £18,940 | 39.8 mpg | 12.6 s |
| 2.0 GS (7 seat) | £15,355 | 33.6 mpg | 11.0 s |
| 2.0 GS (7 seat) Auto | £16,380 | 32.8 mpg | 11.9 s |
| 2.0 S (5 seat) | £13,805 | 33.6 mpg | 11.0 s |
On sale until October 2009
| People Carrier | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
| 2.0 GS (5 seat) | £13,995 | 33.6 mpg | 11.0 s |
| 2.0 S (5 seat) | £12,995 | 33.6 mpg | 11.0 s |
On sale until April 2009
| People Carrier | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
| 2.0 LS (7 seat) | £15,035 | 33.6 mpg | 11.0 s |
| 2.0 LS (7 seat) Auto | £15,035 | - | - |
On sale until April 2006
| People Carrier | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
| 2.0 CRDi LE | £12,495 | 43.5 mpg | 13.5 s |
| 2.0 CRDi LE Auto | £12,495 | - | - |
| 2.0 CRDi LX | £11,495 | 43.5 mpg | 13.5 s |
| 2.0 CRDi LX Auto | £11,495 | - | - |
| 2.0 GS | £10,495 | 34.9 mpg | 10.6 s |
Model History
May 2006
All new Carens, now 5 or 7 seater with choice of 2-litre 140 ps turbo diesel or 144 ps petrol engines, both EU4. All rear seats fold down flat into the boot floor when not required.
Length: 4,545 mm (14’ 11")
Width (excluding mirrors): 1,820 mm (6’ 0")
Height including roof rails): 1,720 mm (5’ 8")
Innovative ‘shallow’ fuel tank mounted integrally with the rear suspension subframe, which allows the rear cabin floor to be lowered by 40 mm, boosting interior space and ensuring that the rear row seats in the seven-seater will accommodate two 1.8 metre adults in comfort. In both versions, middle and/or rear row seats fold down to create a flat-floored luggage area. With five seats occupied, luggage space is more than 400 litres and with just the driver and front passenger on board, up to 2,106 litres of cargo can be carried.
4-cylinder 2.0 CRDi diesel engine features avariable geometry turbo (VGT) and a particle filter as standard. It generates 140PS and has a six-speed manual gearbox. The twin-cam four-cylinder 2.0-litre ‘Theta’ petrol engine, with continuously variable valve timing (CVVT), produces 144PS and is mated to a five-speed manual.
Both Carens engines will be available with a four-speed automatic transmission (as an extra-cost option), fitted with Kia’s Sport Mode system which offers drivers the choice of fully-automatic gear changes or driver-controlled sequential manual selection.
2.0i 5-speed manual: 0-60 10.7 seconds; top speed 118 mph; combined mpg: 33.6; CO2 emissions: 201g/km (VED Band F petrol £190pa); EU 4; IG 10
2.0CRDi 6-speed manual: 0-60 10.7 seconds; top speed 116 mph; combined mpg (LS): 46.3; CO2 emissions (LS) 163g/km (VED Band D diesel £135pa); EU 4; IG 10
2.0CRDi 4-speed automatic: 0-60 12.3 seconds; top speed 116 mph; combined mpg (LS): 39.8; CO2 emissions (LS) 189g/km (VED Band F diesel £195pa); EU 3; IG 9D
April 2007
Excellent 5 year bumper-to-bumper warranty on all Carens first registered from April 1. Also applies as an extension to any new Carens sold since launch in September 2006. And, provided the vehicle is maintained in accordance with the Kia servicing schedule, the unlimited mileage warranty is transferable to subsequent owners.
March 2008
7 seater 2.0 petrol LS derivative. 2.0 litre 142bhp petrol engine with five speed manual or four speed automatic transmission. With top speed of 112mph the automatic transmission produces 189Nm of torque and accelerates from 0-62mph in 11.9 seconds. The manual has a top speed of 118mph with an acceleration of just 11 seconds. The CO2 193g/km manual and 200g/km auto.
January 2010
New 7-Year Kia Warranty. No mileage limit to the warranty for the first three years, except for vehicles used as a Taxi, when coverage is limited to 100,000 miles. Over the full period of the warranty, the overall mileage limit is 100,000 miles. Qualifications to the new warranty include: paintwork is covered for
5 years (depending on model), audio for 3 years and 60,000 miles and service parts, accessories and batteries for 2 years. Normal 'wear & tear' on items such as tyres, brake pads and clutch linings, are excluded from cover.
October 2010
Old belt cam 2.0 diesel dropped for 2011 and replaced by modern chain cam 1.6 diesel.
What to watch out for
On manual diesels used as taxis, DMFs and clutcxhes typically last 32,000 miles.
26-07-2013:Report of a DPF problem with a 2009/59 (or 2010/59) Carens diesel at 52k miles. Replaced under warranty.
