Kia Carens Vs Hyundai Alcazar: What's different?

Last Monday, Kia India removed the covers off the Carens RV. The Carens, which is expected to hit the market early next year, will likely compete with other three-row options in the nation, particularly its Korean sibling, Hyundai Alcazar. While both these cars share a decent number of similarities, they still have subtle differences that tell them apart.

Kia Carens Vs Hyundai Alcazar - Design And Dimensions

The Kia Carens is 4,540mm long, 1,800mm wide, 1,708mm tall and has a 2,780mm wheelbase. The wheelbase is the same as the Hyundai Alcazar while the Carens is 40mm longer, 10mm wider and 33mm taller.

Talking about the design changes, the Alcazar gets a bigger grille with a block pattern that is inspired by the bigger and bolder Palisade. The headlights now merge with the grille thanks to a black applique running in between. The side profile gets bigger 18-inch alloy wheels and side steps for easy ingress and egress. Due to added length, the C- and D-pillars are reworked with a larger quarter glass for last row passengers. At the rear, the Alcazar gets split LED taillights and large Alcazar insignia spread across.

The Kia Carens is a heavily styled face with eye-catching design elements as has become the norm with Kia's offerings. The Tiger Nose detail is reinterpreted here with the two-part lamps joined by the textures panel. The LED DRLs is done with a floating effect while the large LED headlamps are placed below. The segmented foglamps which flank the large airdam complete the look of the front. The body panels on the side are quite simple and there is a sharply rising window line. While at the rear, the sharply styled LED tailamps are again reminiscent of other Kia models.

Kia Carens Vs Hyundai Alcazar - Interior and Features

The interiors of the Kia Carens are finished in an indigo and beige dual-tone theme. There are brushed aluminium and gloss black tones inside with the 10.1-inch touchscreen set high within the dash. There is a mix of hard buttons and capacitive touch panels, seen with the infotainment shortcuts and climate controls. The steering wheel is the familiar Kia unit from the Seltos although the instrument cluster is Kia's spin on the segmented LCD displays seen on Hyundais like the Verna and i20. Practicality has been given significant importance with the inbuilt bottle holders, the headline mounted air vents, the tumble-fold second-row seats as well as the single second-row tray tables. Other features of note are the 8-speaker Bose audio, 64-colour ambient lighting, second-row spotlight for the doors, climate control, ventilated front seats, the Kia Connect suite of connected car tech.

On the inside of the Hyundai Alcazar, the first thing to notice is the new Tan and Black colour scheme that covers the dashboard, seats and door pads. Hyundai has also generously used gloss black touches on the centre console, boosting the luxury quotient. However, the most prominent change inside is the 10.25-inch instrument cluster with blind-spot monitoring. Thanks to the 360-degree parking camera, the feed is also displayed in the instrument cluster dials every time you switch on left/right blinkers. The 10.25-inch infotainment system gets new connected features and 64-colour ambient lighting. On the 6-seater variants, a fixed centre armrest with wireless charging and cup holders has been provided for middle-row passengers.

Kia Carens Vs Hyundai Alcazar - Engines And Performance

Hyundai Alcazar comes powered with two engine options - 2.0-litre u3 petrol and 1.5-litre CRDi diesel. Both the engines are mated with 6-speed manual and automatic gearboxes. The 1.5-litre diesel is the same we get with the Creta and it generates the same 115PS and 250 Nm. However, Hyundai has tweaked the final drive ratios of the 6-speed manual gearbox for better driveability inside the city. On the other hand, the 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine sees some engineering changes and produces more power than in the Hyundai Tucson.

The Kia Carens' engine options are the same as the Kia Seltos. The 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol from the Alcazar has been given a miss here but the top spec engine option is the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol that puts out 140PS and 242 Nm. This pairs with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DCT. The diesel engine option is a 1.5-litre unit that puts out 115PS and 250 Nm, mated to a six-speed manual or torque converter. The base engine option is a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol that makes 115PS and 144 Nm and is only available with the manual.

Kia Carens Vs Hyundai Alcazar - Prices And Variants

Hyundai Alcazar is offered in Platinum, Prestige and Signature trim levels with both petrol and diesel engine options. Hyundai Alcazar range starts from Rs 16.34 lakh and tops at Rs 20.14 lakh ex-showroom, India. The Kia Carens will go on sale by February to March 2022 in India and is expected to to be priced between Rs 15 to 20 lakh.