Kia Carens Clavis

The Kia Carens Clavis has made its world premiere in an online unveil event, and is set to join the standard Carens in Kia’s India lineup in the coming weeks. Essentially a facelift for Kia’s popular MPV, the Carens Clavis will be positioned as a more premium, feature-rich alternative to the regular Carens (which will continue to be on sale), with its suffix translating to ‘golden key’ in Latin. During the event, Kia also confirmed the Clavis will spawn an EV, which is expected to be launched in the second half of 2025. Bookings for the Carens Clavis will open at 00:01 am on May 9, with Kia promising ‘Priority Delivery’ to customers who make their reservations early. The Clavis will be available in seven trim levels – HTE, HTE(O), HTK, HTK+, HTK+(O), HTX & HTX+.

In appearance, the Clavis is quite similar to the regular Carens, but with a revised face and tail section. Kia says the Clavis follows the company’s new ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy, and its front-end – bearing L-shaped daytime running lights connected by a light strip and ‘Ice Cube’ LED headlights – is reminiscent of some of Kia’s EVs sold overseas. The bumpers are new, as are the 17-inch dual-tone alloy wheels and the ‘Starmap’ connected LED tail-lights. A new ‘Ivory Silver’ paint option is available with the Clavis.

On the inside, the changes are more significant. The Clavis has a new dual-tone colour scheme – Triton Navy & Beige, with navy-and-beige leatherette seats. The Clavis’ dashboard is significantly different from the Carens’, as it features a combined dual display – clubbing the central infotainment touchscreen with the full-digital driver’s display – measuring 26.62 inches. 

The Clavis also gets a panoramic sunroof, something that’s not available on the standard Carens. Another first for the Clavis is a powered one-touch double-folding function for the second-row seat, to make access to the third row easier.

Also included on the Clavis are ventilated front seats (with four-way power adjust for the driver's seat), 64-colour ambient lighting, five USB-C ports, dual-view dashcam, seat-mounted air purifier, and an 8-speaker Bose sound system. The Clavis will be available in 6- and 7-seat forms, with the former equipped with captain seats for the second-row passengers.Exclusive to the Clavis is the Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) suite, which brings over 20 functions, including adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and rear cross traffic alert.

The 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, producing 158 bhp and 253 Nm of torque, will be offered with three transmission options. The 6-speed manual and 6-speed iMT variants are both claimed to deliver a fuel efficiency of 15.95 kmpl, while the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) variant will return 16.66 kmpl.

The 1.5-litre diesel engine makes 114 bhp and 250 Nm of torque and is paired with either a 6-speed manual transmission, offering an ARAI-certified efficiency of 19.54 kmpl (most frugal), or a 6-speed automatic transmission, which provides a claimed 17.50 kmpl. 

Lastly, the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine is available solely with a 6-speed manual gearbox. This engine puts out 113 bhp and 143.8 Nm of torque and has a claimed efficiency of 15.34 kmpl. 

Other Upcoming Kia Models are the EV4, EV5, EV2 and New Seltos