Kia Carens Vs Maruti Ertiga: Know Which Affordable MPV Is A Better Buy

With Kia coming in with a starting price of Rs 8.9 lakh, we had to compare the lower and base spec variants of the Carens with the Ertiga to see which one makes more sense.

Maruti Ertiga Vs Kia Carens

New Delhi: With Kia launching the Carens at an extremely competitive price, its main rival is easily the Maruti Ertiga which itself is a hugely popular car. The Ertiga in its latest generation has been a popular car in terms of being an affordable MPV along with being a much cheaper Innova alternative. However, it did not have any competition till now. With Kia coming in with a starting price of Rs 8.9 lakh, we had to compare the lower and base spec variants of the Carens with the Ertiga to see which one makes more sense.

Which Is The Bigger One?

The Carens is the longest, widest and also the tallest car which means it is much longer than the Ertiga. The Carens is 4540 mm long, being longer than the Ertiga at 4395 mm. The Carens is also wider at 1800 mm while the Ertiga comes in at 1735 mm. The Carens also looks bigger while having a more radical SUV-like look while the Ertiga is more of a typical MPV design. The Carens also has an SUV-like 195 mm ground clearance vs the Ertiga at 180 mm.

Which One Has More Features?

While the prices start at Rs 8.9 lakh for the base Carens the top-end is Rs 17 lakh but we will compare more of the mid-spec versions that match the prices of the Ertiga. 

The Ertiga starts at Rs 8.12 lakh to Rs 10.8 lakh. The Carens Prestige trim priced at Rs 10 lakh has features like an 8-inch touchscreen, front/ rear parking sensors, one-touch electric seat tumble for the second row, rearview camera, auto headlamps, retractable cup holder, tray, 6 airbags, auto AC, Hill hold function, Hill descent control and Tyre pressure monitoring amongst other features. 

With the Ertiga the top-end comes at Rs 10.8 lakh which has a 7-inch touchscreen, twin cupholder cooled, auto ac, rear camera with rear parking sensors, smartphone connectivity etc. 

While the Ertiga has a decent amount of features, the Carens has extra airbags and some more features at this price. Higher up the price, the top-end Carens at 17 lakh gets captain seats, sunroof, wireless charging, purifier, ventilated cooled seats etc.

Which Has More Powerful Engine?

The Ertiga is available only with a 1.5l petrol engine but that engine makes a decent 105hp/138Nm  with a 5-speed manual as standard while top variants get a 4-speed automatic. 

The Carens base variant at the starting price gets a 1.5l petrol which makes 115bhp/144Nm with the only gearbox option being a 6-speed manual. That said you can get a Carens turbo petrol with more power at 142bhp/242Nm with a 6-speed manual as a standard fit while top-end variants get a 7-speed DCT with paddle shifters along with ambient lighting paired with drive modes. The Carens also gets a diesel with 115hp/250Nm with again a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic.

Efficiency

The Ertiga being like any Maruti scores in terms of efficiency with a figure of 19.01 kmpl for the MT petrol and 17.99 kmpl for the automatic. The Carens petrol delivers a claimed efficiency at 16.5 kmpl while the diesel comes at 21.5 kmpl.

Which Is A Better Buy?

The Ertiga is more efficient and is slightly cheaper but the Carens is bigger along with having more space, more modern interiors, added safety features and more comfort/technology features. The fact that the Carens offers you more engine options is also a plus point for this car along with the fact that it also looks a bit like an SUV. The Carens at this price offers a great deal in terms of the base/mid-space trims though prices are introductory for now.