From April 1, 2023, the stricter BS6 Phase 2 emission norms will be rolled out for all two-wheelers, passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles. With all automotive manufacturers launching updated 2023 vehicles and ensuring the engines are E20 compliant, Kia will soon launch a five-seater version on the Carens and the diesel variant will be offered with an iMT gearbox. With the new emission norms, Kia is following in the footsteps of its parent company Hyundai by replacing the 1.4-litre turbo petrol with the new and more powerful 1.5-litre turbo, which has already made its debut on the Alcazar.
2023 Kia Carens: Diesel iMT trim
The Carens diesel variant will continue to be powered by the 1.5-litre engine that churns out 113bhp and 250Nm of torque. This is the same motor that is also available in the Seltos and the Sonet. The major update in the diesel range is that the Carens will soon be equipped with iMT or clutchless gearbox. It will be the second vehicle in the Kia range to get this transmission after the Seltos. The Carens diesel is currently mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission like the compact SUV, the Sonet.
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2023 Kia Carens: 5-seater option
Kia Carens is, at the moment, only available as a 6-or-7 seater, but this will soon change as the South Korean manufacturer will introduce an affordable range by introducing 5-seater variants. Kia will introduce a new base trim that will be slotted below the current entry-level Premium option, which is a seven-seater. The base-level version will only be available in the naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol and the 1.5-litre diesel powertrains.
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The 5-seater entry will give the Carens a big advantage over its competition, the Maruti Suzuki duo — the Ertiga and the XL6 as the former is a seven-seater while the latter is a six. This will make the Carens the only MPV to be available as the five-seater.
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2023 Kia Carens: New 1.5-litre turbo petrol
As the Hyundai Group is pulling the plug on the 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine, Kia too will be replacing it. Hence, the Carens is expected to get a bigger and more powerful 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine. The new engine is currently only available in the Alcazar and based on the specifications revealed by Hyundai, the engine has an output of 158bhp and 253Nm of torque. The new turbo petrol engine will be mated to a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. According to Hyundai, the manual gearbox trim returns 17.5 kmpl while the automatic offers a fuel economy of 18 kmpl.
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