Kia Seltos vs Kia Carens – Which is the Best Kia Under Rs. 20 lakhs?

Kia Seltos vs Kia Carens
Kia Seltos against the Kia Carens

Should you go ahead and buy the Kia Seltos or buy the 7-seater MPV Kia Carens? From these two models, which is the best Kia under Rs. 20 lakhs? Let’s compare these two models against each other and hunt the answer!

Kia Seltos vs Kia Carens – Exterior and Interior

Kia Seltos frontKia Seltos rear min

From the outside, the Kia Seltos has the Kia’s signature nose grille which is basically having hexagonal shape in the grille, quad-cube shape LED headlamps with curved L shaped indicators below the headlamps and the fog lamps are LED in cube-shape positioned vertically. The front nose of the Seltos is covered by the Chrome that contributes towards the front design of the SUV. The bumpers of the SUV are skid plate finished in white. The bumpers has cuts for the aggressive look. Moving to the side, it has thin wheel cladding for the 18-inch alloy wheels, roof rails on the top, chrome line on the bottom of the window lamp that extends till the D-pillar. From the rear, it has LED taillamps that a chrome bar with KIA logo at the center, roof spoiler and shark fin on top, and rear wipers on the rear windscreen.

Kia Carens frontKia Carens rear

From the front, the Kia Carens has an LED DRLS and below it is the LED headlamps, and between the two LED headlamps is a blacked out element with chrome line. Below is the hexagonal grille that has a chrome cover that contributes towards the design with LED foglamps right next to it. Moving to the side, it has thin wheel arches, chrome door handles, non-functional roof rails, with a little cut on the body, and has 16-inch alloy wheels. On the rear side, it has roof spoiler with shark fin antenna on the top. It has sort-of a L-shaped connected LED taillamps and the bumpers are finished in matte black to blend with the exterior design of the MPV.

Kia Seltos dashboard minKia Carens dashboard

For the Seltos, it has the 10.25-inch infotainment system integrated with the digital instrument cluster for one seamless display. The infotainment system is placed above the AC Vents and the AC Vents at the sides are positioned vertically. The Seltos doesn’t have the dual-tone dashboard theme option unfortunately. It has three-spoke multi-function steering wheel, single-pane sunroof, and metallic finish on the pedals. Tt has rotary dial for drive modes, buttons for ventilated seats, wireless charging pad, air purifier, two charging ports at the front and rear, and sun-blinds for all the windows. The rear seats are split in 60:40 ratio with recline option as well. It also has ambient lighting inside with 64 colors option. The Seltos has the 8-speaker Bose sound system.

The Kia Carens has an 10.25-inch infotainment system that is angled in a way that makes the dashboard look one piece and the AC vents are hidden below the dashboard for the seamless look with chrome line. It has the dual-tone dashboard option as well. The Carens has a three-spoke multi-function infotainment system with a digital instrument cluster, and a single-pane sunroof. It has buttons for drive modes, ventilated seats for driver and passenger, parking sensors, parking camera, etc. Moving to the second row, the seats are split in 60:40 ratio and the third row is split in 50:50 ratio. The Air purifier is right behind the driver seats, and a table on the first row passenger seat for the second row passengers, and also has two charging rows at the front, two in second row, and two in third row. The Carens gets the 8-speaker Bose Premium sound system.

Kia Seltos vs Kia Carens – Dimensions

Kia SeltosKia Carens
Length4315mm4540mm
Width1800mm1880mm
Height1645mm1708mm
Wheelbase2610mm2780mm
Ground Clearance190mm195mm
Boot Space433 litres216 litres
Fuel Tank Capacity50 litres45 litres
Kerb Weight1,480 kg1,555 kg

When it comes to dimensions, the Seltos measures 4315mm in length, width of 1800mm, and height of 1645mm. The Carens measures 4540mm in length which is 225mm shorter, 1880mm in width which is 80mm wider, and height of 1708mm which is 63mm longer. The Seltos has a wheelbase of 2610mm and ground clearance of 190mm whereas the Carens has a wheelbase of 2780mm that is longer by 170mm, and ground clearance of 195mm which is 5mm more. The Seltos has a boot space of 433 litres, fuel tank of 50 litres, and kerb weight of 1,480 kg whereas the Carens has boot space of 216 litres which is 217 litres smaller, fuel tank of 45 litres which is 5 litres smaller, and kerb weight of 1,555 kg which is heavier by 75 kg.

Kia Seltos vs Kia Carens – Engine Options

Kia SeltosKia Carens
Engine1.5-litre NA petrol1.5-litre NA petrol
Displacement1497cc1497cc
Power113.43 bhp113.43 bhp
Torque144 Nm144 Nm
Transmission Options6-speed MT, IVT5-speed MT
Fuel Efficiency 16.8 km/l 15.70 km/l

When it comes to engine options, both the Seltos and Carens has the same petrol engine and everything is the same except for the transmission choice and fuel efficiency. The 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine puts out 113.43 bhp and 144 Nm of torque. In Seltos, this engine is mated to a 6-speed Manual and IVT Gearbox with 16.8 km/l fuel efficiency. In Carens, this engine is mated to a 5-speed Manual Gearbox only with 15.70 km/l fuel efficiency.

Kia SeltosKia Carens
Engine1.5-litre diesel1.5-litre Diesel
Displacement1493cc1497cc
Power113.48 bhp114.41 bhp
Torque250 Nm250 Nm
Transmission Options6-speed iMT, 6-speed AT6-speed iMT, 6-speed AT
Fuel Efficiency 21 km/l – MT
18 km/l – AT
18.40 km/l

Not only the both the models has petrol engines, but they also has diesel engines on offer. The Seltos is powered by the 1.5-litre diesel engine that pumps out 113.48 bhp and 250 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed iMT and 6-speed Automatic Gearbox with fuel efficiency of 21 km/l in Manual and 18 km/l in Automatic. The Kia Carens has a 1.5-litre Diesel engine that pumps out 114.41 bhp and 250 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed iMT and 6-speed Automatic Gearbox with fuel efficiency of 18.40 km/l.

Kia Carens
Engine1.5-litre turbo petrol
Displacement1497cc
Power157 bhp
Torque253 Nm
Transmission Type6-speed iMT, 6-speed AT

Other than the diesel engine, the Carens has a turbo petrol engine as well. The 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine produces 157 bhp and 253 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed iMT, and 6-speed Automatic Gearbox. Kia had launched this engine to comply with the RDE and E20 Norms.

Kia Seltos vs Kia Carens – Features

FeaturesKia SeltosKia Carens
HeadlampsLEDLED
TaillampsLEDLED
Wheel Size & Type18-inch alloy wheels17-inch alloy wheels
SunroofSingle-paneSingle-Pane
Auto Power WindowYesYes
Seat upholsteryLeatherLeather
Powered SeatsYes
Leather-wrapped steering wheelYesYes
Ambient LightYesYes
ACAutoAuto
Rear AC ventsYesYes
Ventilated SeatsYesYes
Instrument ClusterAnalogDigital
Infotainment System10.25-inch10.25-inch
Android Auto, Apple CarPlayWirelessWireless
Heads-up Display (HUD)Yes
Voice ControlYesYes
Sound System8 speaker Bose Premium sound system8-speaker Bose Premium sound system
Cooled GloveboxYesYes
Auto-dimming IRVMYesYes
Height adjustable driver seatYesYes

When it comes to features, both the Kia models are loaded with features. However, the Carens misses out on Heads-up Display (HUD) which the Seltos doesn’t. Rest everything between the two models is the same. So, Seltos is slightly better than the Carens in features.

FeaturesKia SeltosKia Carens
AirbagsSix airbagsSix airbags
ABS with EBDYesYes
Camera360-degree cameraReverse parking camera
Parking SensorsYesYes
TPMSYesYes
Rain-sensing WipersYesYes
Auto HeadlampsYesYes
ESCYesYes
VSCYesYes
Cruise ControlYesYes
Traction ControlYesYes
Hill AssistYesYes
All 4 Disc BrakesYesYes
ISOFIX anchoragesYesYes

Even when it comes to safety, both are very-much loaded with safety features. However, the Seltos has 360-degree camera while the Carens has reverse-parking camera on offer. Thus, here Seltos is better in safety than the Carens.

Kia Seltos vs Kia Carens – Price and Warranty

ModelPrice (ex-showroom)
Kia SeltosRs. 10.89 lakh – Rs. 19.65 lakh
Kia CarensRs. 10.45 lakh – Rs. 18.95 lakh

The Seltos starts at Rs. 10.89 lakh for the entry-level ‘HTE’ variant and goes up to Rs. 19.65 lakh for the top variant, ‘X-Line Automatic’ Diesel. As for the Kia Carens, it starts at Rs. 10.45 lakh for the ‘Premium’ petrol variant and goes up to Rs. 18.95 lakh for the top variant, ‘Luxury Plus AT’ Diesel. The price difference between the two entry-level variant is Rs. 54,000 and Rs. 60,000 for the top variant.

As for the warranty, Kia is offering 3 years/1,00,000 km warranty period for the Seltos and Carens and can be extended up to 5 years/1,00,000 km.

Kia Seltos vs Kia Carens – Verdict

In the end, the decision to buy which Kia Models depends totally on you, however, if you’ve a 7-seater MPV requirement, you can buy the Carens as it’s bigger than the Seltos, comfortable, and practical. However, if you’re looking for a 5-seater SUV, then the Seltos is the right choice since it has slightly better features than the Carens. Therefore, it depends on your requirement and since there is only Rs. 60,000 difference between the two Kia models, you can buy either of them as both are very good models. Which one would you choose?

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