Kia India has finally divulged complete details of its next product, the Kia Carens. The bookings for the Carens will open from 14 January, 2022. Now, if you plan on buying it, it’s most likely that the first question you may have is, what more does it offer over its cousin, the Hyundai Alcazar? We compare the brethren in terms of features to help you make a viable decision.

The Kia Carens can be had in five variants – Premium, Prestige, Prestige Plus, Luxury, and Luxury Plus. Considering the decorated Luxury Plus trim, the Carens gets loaded with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a fully-digital driver’s display, 64-colour ambient lighting, air purifier, wireless charging, five USB Type-C ports, one-touch electric tumble option for the middle-row seats, and 50:50 split for third-row seats.

Feature Differences

Now, without a doubt, the Korean siblings are loaded with features to the teeth. However, when we pit them against each other, which they will be when the Carens is launched, there are a handful of features that the Carens misses out on. Starting with the sunroof, the Carens gets roof-mounted aircon vents, thus, restricting the sunroof size to a single pane unit.

Another exclusion is the centre console for the second-row occupants. The Hyundai Alcazar offers a centre armrest with storage, a wireless charger, and even two cup holders whereas the Carens only gets a foldable slim armrest. The Alcazar also has a blind spot detection monitor that neatly integrates the display in the digital instrument cluster.

Besides this, the Carens gets four-stage speed control for the rear aircon vents while the Alcazar gets three-stage speed control only for the third-row occupants. Other practicality bits on the Carens comprise an under-seat parcel tray and cooled cup and can holders.

However, the ace up its sleeve is the safety features that are offered as standard across the variants. These include six airbags, all four wheels with disc brakes, a tyre pressure monitoring system, rear parking sensors, ABS, VSC, downhill brake control, and ISOFIX child seat mounts. Additionally, there are three different interior themes to choose from depending upon the variant. To know more about it, click here.

So, is the Kia Carens a better buy over the Hyundai Alcazar? That boils down to the price of the Kia Carens. Kia India is expected to announce the prices of the Carens in the coming weeks. We will also be driving the car soon to give you a detailed review. Until then, stay tuned.