Mark your calendars for May 8. That’s when Kia will peel back the covers on the facelifted Carens , and no, it’s not replacing the current one. Instead, it’ll sit beside it in showrooms, perhaps with a new suffix to make things a bit more confusing for those of us who appreciate alphabetised garage spreadsheets.
Sharper suit, same silhouette
Spy shots and teasers suggest that the Carens is getting a stylistic makeover. Think slimmer grille, redesigned bumpers, and snazzier LED headlamps that now fall in line with Kia’s newer design language. Around the back, expect a restyled LED lightbar, one that wouldn’t look out of place on a Seltos.
It’s a familiar shape underneath, but the new alloy wheels and exterior tweaks should help it blend into 2025 traffic with a bit more purpose. You’ll spot it quicker in mall parking lots, which might be its most crucial design brief.
What’s new on the inside?
Not much, frankly, and that’s probably deliberate. The Carens already does space rather well. So instead of rearranging the furniture, Kia’s just polishing the finish. Updated trim, new upholstery colours, and maybe a fresh design for the dashboard fascia are likely.
The big news is tech. A 360-degree camera is on the cards, so you’ll no longer need to rely on your passenger’s vague hand gestures while parallel parking. There’s also Level 2 ADAS, which brings in adaptive cruise control and lane assist — clever stuff for school-run duty. Higher variants might even get a panoramic sunroof and a flashier touchscreen.
Familiar faces under the bonnet
Mechanically, it’s business as usual. Kia isn’t touching the engines, so you’ll get three 1.5-litre options:
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A naturally aspirated petrol with 115 bhp and 144 N · m
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A turbo-petrol with 160bhp and 253Nm
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A diesel engine with 116 bhp and 250 N · mm
The entry-level petrol model comes with a 6-speed manual. The turbo-petrol offers a 6-speed imt or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, while the diesel is paired with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic.
There’s talk of an all-electric Carens on the horizon too, but that’ll come later — and probably with a name long enough to require a second number plate.
Pricing and rivals
Currently priced between ₹10.60 lakh and ₹19.70 lakh (ex-showroom), the new Carens facelift is expected to cost just over ₹20 lakh for the fully loaded variant.
It’ll still go head-to-head with familiar rivals like the Maruti Ertiga, XL6 and Toyota Rumion. But at the upper end, it’ll also bump into 3-row SUVS like the Hyundai Alcazar, Tata Safari and MG Hector.
Final thought
The 2025 Kia Carens facelift isn’t a revolution, but that’s precisely the point. It’s a gentle evolution designed to keep the Carens competitive in a segment that now demands LED lighting, surround-view cameras and a whiff of semi-autonomous driving. If you already liked the Carens, this one gives you more reasons to justify buying another one. Or the same one again, with a shinier badge.
