Play the field, with new options in the world of personal EVs

The Carens has done quite well for itself and is a popular choice amongst family cars. Now, after a refresh and addition of features, it is more popular than ever and hence Kia India decided to update the car with an EV option, which is exclusive to India.

The reason for that is that all of a sudden, EVs are finding favour as family cars even as people are learning how to manage range anxiety better. EV batteries are getting bigger, charging times are coming down, and public infrastructure is going up. All these factors are increasing EV popularity and adoption with sales numbers slowly but steadily rising. Most of the vehicles in the EV market in India are either smaller vehicles or very expensive – there is certainly a niche vacant for a family size EV, that not only is cheap to run, but ticks all the boxes.

Want to buy an EV? Explore the Kia Carens Clavis EV

On the exteriors, there is not much to distinguish the EV from its ice counterpart, save for a few aesthetic and functional details. There are active front flaps which open up when the car is turned on and the front fogs in a similar design are placed on either side.

You have 3 lense LED jewel cube type headlights, connected by a strip of light that ordinarily acts as a DRL but also doubles up as a turn signal. On the side, the body profile is similar save for the 17-inch alloy wheels that come with a new aerodynamic design, The lower models make do with 16-inchers. At the rear, the same connected DRL is present, though here LED sequential lights mark the turn signals. A huge dual pane panoramic sunroof floods the interiors with ample light.

On the inside, you either get a Navy & Beige two tone or a Black & Grey two-tone interiors, both made of leatherette (saves costs over leather) and gets ventilation up front. There is now a hanging centre console which has a useful cubby hole and two cup holders. This also houses the controls for the camera system, seat ventilation and a couple of other useful things.

The gear lever stalk in the column is now a twist-action type and also houses the on/off button for switching the vehicle on or off. The biggest party trick however is the twin 12.25-inch touch screens, which control the infotainment systems as well as the driver’s information centre.

The middle rear seat has the one-touch tumble system so that the second row folds completely for easier ingress to the third floor, quite a nifty feature. The front left seat also benefits from a ‘boss mode’ which makes it easier for those in the second row to move the seat forward. There is also a Bose sound system with average quality sound. A 3-pin socket at the rear (besides USB ports) ensures you can plug in a laptop or similar and work out of the table fitted behind the front seats. A nifty air purifier is quite a relief, especially in dusty areas and manages to control dust inside.

The name of the game however is the electric powertrain and the Kia excels here. As mentioned before, it is available with two battery pack options – 40 kWh and 51.4  kWh, with a claimed range of 404 and 490 kms, respectively. Power is 99 k for the smaller battery and 126 kW for the larger one, though torque stays at 255 Nm. The battery is IP67 resistant and can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 39 minutes. To drive, it is a normal EV – feels responsive, has very low road noise and is quite economical. Top models get Level 2 ADAS.

The EV version of the Clarens Clavis is packaged quite well, and has lots of features to boot. The claimed range is quite good too, and at least on the face of it, this electric MUV does seem to be quite a package.

Prices start at ₹18 lakhs.