2025 Kia Carens Clavis Review: It’s exciting when Kia launches a new vehicle — we have seen it with the Seltos, Sonet, Carnival, and the Carens. They have all set certain standards and have stood out from the crowd. This time, when Kia said there was a new vehicle, we were excited. The car in question was the new 2025 Kia Carens Clavis, the more premium offering in the Caren’s’ lineup, one could say. But is it?
New Kia Carens Clavis review — First impressions
At first glance, the Carens Clavis looks nothing more than the existing Carens. However, look at it for a couple of seconds and you know what Kia has done — the headlights and DRL setup are brand new, giving the car a more stylish and premium feel, while the tail lamps are also redesigned, giving the vehicle an up-market look. The profile of the vehicle looks identical, but the Catrens Clavis is longer than the Carens and the overall design elements show a hint of the Syros as well.
Step in and you’re greeted with premiumness again — dual TFT instrument clusters, well-bolstered seats, an updated steering wheel, tweaks done to the dash, and more. The variant we drove – the top-spec petrol model with the DCT gearbox – gets captain seats for the second row with a one-touch tumble function for the middle row seats.
The second row is roomy and the third row is surprisingly okay for adults, albeit for a short while. The Bose sound system is another factor to speak about as the quality is excellent. The dash is customisable and one can get carried away pretty easily with all the gadgets on offer like the panoramic sunroof, electrically adjustable seats, ADAS features, and the list goes on and on.
New Kia Carens Clavis review — The drive
The 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine is quite powerful, however, to experience that, one needs to be in sport mode. The car holds the revs for longer and higher, while the standard mode makes the Carens Clavis feels lethargic. In Eco, it outright feels sluggish for a 156bhp engine. The Sport mode should have been the standard mode in my opinion and the Sport mode should have been more sporty.
That said, the ride and handling part is another highlight of the Carens Clavis and the vehicle feels planted at highway speeds while it carries its weight and size well in city conditions. Overall, it rides well and handles well — just not razor-sharp. But …
There has to be a but and here it is — for those who are not used to a car with some of the ADAS functions, it can get a bit annoying. The Carens Clavis helps keep the driver in the right lane and looks out for vehicles around you, but at times, when an overtake is needed or a quick lane change, the system can intervene with your inputs — this makes it annoying for those aware of the ADAS features but can be a bit unnerving for many who will upgrade to the Clavis.
New Kia Carens Clavis review — Should you consider it?
Of course yes! The Carens has always been a nice vehicle and with the Carens Clavis, Kia has managed to tweak it a bit more to make it feel like a new vehicle itself. The 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine drives well and the DCT gearbox compliments it well. The ADAS system can be a bit unnerving at times, but some of the functions can be overridden.
The Carens Clavis feels light, spacious, and offers a lot of premiumness. If the Carens Clavis is to be priced at around Rs 12 lakh ex-showroom onwards, it is an extremely compelling choice. Oh, and for those wondering what ‘School zone ahead’ means, it is one warning the Carens Clavis prompts out quiet often, and Kia says this is something that will be checked very soon.
