Driving Kia’s smooth and capable new Carens

In this day and age of exceedingly competent "cars, it’s seldom that we come across a car that " makes us sit up and take notice. But this was precisely the case when local Kia distributor Columbian Motors invited us to take their new Carens crossover vehicle for a drive from Makati to Subic and back last Saturday.

Normally, it would’ve been a tiring day of driving, especially as the day involved driving along pre-arranged paved and off-road (yes, off-road!) paths that meandered through Subic’s scenic monkey-populated forests.

But after nearly seven hours of round-trip driving, most of us got home fresh as a daisy. More importantly, we got home with a fresh new insight on how high the quality of Korean-made cars has reached.

But first, what exactly is a Carens? It’s a compact 7-seat station wagon/MPV crossover that’s reminiscent of Mitsubishi’s Space Wagon of the 90s but is closer in height to the Honda CR-V. It’s a couple of inches longer and wider than the Chevrolet Optra wagon.

Looking at the Carens from my rear-view mirror during our convoy, I can’t help mistake it for the 2nd-generation Honda CR-V; especially with the large doe-eyed headlamps, the trapezoidal grille, and even the black lower bumper cutouts.

It’s the side and especially the rear view where the Carens has a look all its own. The doors and fenders have a smooth uncluttered look, the principal design elements being the BMW X3-like doglegged D-pillar treatment and the thick chrome strip that runs along the lower edge of the doors and gives the Carens an upmarket European feel.

The rear is dominated by a tailgate with a dramatic reverse-angled sweep just below the backlight that’s echoed by the equally distinctive tail lamp clusters. There is also a blacked out "diffuser" at the bottom of the bumper that’s being seen on several new cars. The Carens’ rear end is distinctive enough to get quite a number of cars accelerating to get a closer look at this new Kia.

But styling is far from what impressed the two dozen or so journalists who went along for the drive. First off, we were bowled over by the build quality. Fit and finish, inside and out, was excellent – not just outside and in the passenger area, but also in the rarely inspected cargo area and engine compartment.

Body panel gaps were as tight as a Honda’s. Slam the doors and you get a solid "whump!" Except for the console box lid, you’ll find no leather trim on the seats, steering wheel, shift knob or doors; but the cloth upholstery is still first rate, as are the plastics used in the dashboard and door panels.

There is lots of leg- and headroom, too – especially compared to other 7-seat crossover MPVs – thanks mostly to the Carens’ generous 2700-mm wheelbase and its specially designed fuel tank that’s long but shallow and mounted on the rear subframe to free up floor space inside.

If there’s anything I’d change, it would be to go for firmer cushions in the seats, as the too-soft foam used in most Korean cars feel great when you first sit on them but are not supportive enough on long drives.

On the road, even more of the high build quality and engineering become evident. The 145-ps (19.2 kg-m of torque) 2-liter 16-valve variable valve timing-and catalytic converter-equipped DOHC engine revs smoothly and with a muted roar even at high rpm. It’s every bit as refined as the 2-liter motors in Japanese cars. (A 2-liter CRDi turbo-diesel engine with 140 ps and a whopping 31 kg-m of torque will be introduced later this year.)

The 4-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly and responsively. It even has a manumatic Sport Mode for manual shifting. There is a 5-speed manual gearbox variant for the entry-level LX model, as well.

Ride quality and suspension damping from the MacPherson front/multilink rear setup are strong points, too. I purposely drove over bumps and potholes at various speeds and the front-wheel-drive Carens simply shrugged them off almost as easily as an Accord or a Camry.

I actually expected its damping to be on the soft side but was pleasantly surprised that it never bottomed out even during some fairly fast driving on the forest trail. The Carens rolls on 15-inch alloy wheels with comfort-oriented 205/65R-15 tires.

The Carens also felt utterly relaxed cruising through the NLEX at 120 kph. It even reached an indicated 160 kph with a minimum of effort and still felt extremely stable. Braking (four-wheel discs but with no ABS) and steering response (power rack-and-pinion) are likewise top notch.

Other nice touches include a decent 2-DIN stereo/CD/MP3 audio system with four speakers, lots of storage compartments front and rear, rear aircon vents, three extra 12V power outlets, lots and lots of cupholders, and a roof rail and keyless entry system/alarm for the top-of-the-line EX variant. The driver’s seat is multi-adjustable and the 2nd- and 3rd-row seats slide, fold and tumble every which way to maximize passenger/cargo-carrying capabilities. All headrests are even height-adjustable.

Prices for the new Carens were quoted at a surprisingly low P818,000 for the entry-level LX M/T (P868,000 for the LX A/T) and top out at P995,000 for the automatic-only flagship EX model, all with 2-liter engines. That’s great value for money for what is a spacious, comfortable, good-looking and versatile people/cargo-mover.