Kia Carens (2006-) Review

Overview

• Next: Reliability and Quality

The whole Kia range has always been about simple, unpretentious transport. Whether they're fun to drive is neither here nor there; all that matters is that the car does the job, reliably and cost-effectively. The last-generation Carens, which arrived in 2002, embodies this straightforward approach, and it's been a modest success.

Lately, however, Kia has upped its game. The entire range has been overhauled since the neat little Picanto arrived in 2004 - and there's more to come, first in the shape of the cee'd compact family hatch, which has been designed for Europe, and then in even more ambitious models that will be shaped by the highly acclaimed new design chief, Peter Schreyer, who has an impressive number of Audis and VWs on his CV.

The new compact MPV is an international model, built in Korea, but the Carens sold in Europe has been tailored to suit our tastes. When the car goes on sale in the UK in early October 2006 it will be offered with five or seven seats for the first time, but the five-seater will only be available with the weaker of the two engines, a 2.0-litre petrol, with a manual gearbox, and in the lesser of the two trim levels. If you go for seven seats, you can have the petrol or the far superior 2.0-litre turbodiesel, and you can have it with a six-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed automatic.

Prices for the longer, wider and taller new Carens begins at £11,995, £1000 less than the Vauxhall Zafira, which dominates the compact MPV market in the UK. The Kia is starting to look like a very serious budget alternative to the Zafira and Renault Scenic, but of course the opposition is not standing still, and the Carens will be competing for the same customers as Citroen's new C4-based Picasso; although the familiar five-door Xsara Picasso will continue being sold at giveaway prices - it's currently £8995.