Kia Carens CNG Under Testing: CNG Comes With 1.4 Turbo Engine

This means the upcoming CNG version of the Kia Carens will be India's first turbocharged CNG vehicle in India.

However, like other CNG vehicles in India, the CNG version of Kia Carens will be available with manual transmission only.

The Kia's decision to use the 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine for the CNG version could be down to the powertrain character of the 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol unit. With the added weight of the CNG kit and lower power output, the 1.5-litre unit may struggle to haul passengers and their luggage.

At present, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is the only MPV in India to come with a factory-fitted CNG kit. With the launch of the CNG version of the Kia Carens, Kia Motors aims to expand its market share by attracting more customers with the CNG version of the MPV.

Recently, Kia Carens recorded 50,000 bookings, out of which more than 21,000 bookings came from Tier 3 cities in India. In addition to that, the demand for the petrol and diesel variants of the MPV remains equal.

Despite its recent entry into the Indian automobile segment, the Kia Carens MPV quickly gained traction in the 7-seater segment in the country and the company sold 5,300 units in February 2022.

Apart from that, Kia Carens MPV is one of the most feature-rich MPVs in India and the MPV is equipped with features such as a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with Apple Car Play and Android Auto, Kia's UVO connected car tech, wireless charger, full-digital driver's display, ambient lighting, 8-speaker BOSE sound system, cooled glove box, an electric sunroof, ventilated seats at the front, roof-mounted AC for 2nd and 3rd-row passengers, cooled cup holders, air purifier, and lot more.

Though a feature-rich MPV, Kia hasn't cut any corners and Carens MPV comes equipped with top-tier safety features such as 6-airbags, electronic stability program (ESP), ABS, EBD, ISOFIX Mounts, vehicle stability control (VSC), BAS, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), hill-hold assistance, All-Wheel Disc Brakes and a few more.

At present, Kia Carens comes with three engine options. This includes a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine with 113bhp of peak power and 144Nm of peak torque. The next engine option is a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol unit with 138bhp of peak power and 242Nm of peak torque.

Finally, the third engine option is a 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine capable of producing 114bhp of peak power and 250Nm of peak torque.

Thoughts About CNG Version Of Kia Carens

The CNG version of the Kia Carens is likely to be priced on the higher side as the model comes with the 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Moreover, we expect this model to go on sale within a few months in India.

Source: V3Cars