My 7-Seater Kia Carens 58 Plate

My Kia Carens was a 58 plate, Diesel 2 litre CDI seven seat MPV which I bought in April 2010 for £10,250. I traded in my Renault Clio for £4,500 (it was only 3 years old). To purchase the Carens, I consolidated the cost by getting a loan. The new debt was a new loan of £177 a month. I took this out over 5 years.

New Style Kia Carens pictured above.

5 Year Warranty on 58 Plate

Although all new Kia's come with a 7 year warranty the 58 plate model only had a 5 year guarantee. Because my Carens was just under a year and a half old I still had the benefit of over 3 1/2 years left of guarantee. It was this that made me buy the Carens. I thought this was great for a 2^nd hand and reasonably cheap MPV.

The third row seats remained mostly flat but were easily used by pulling them up easily. When we holidayed we put one seat down and left one up.

pictured above are the third row seats of my Kia Carens

Nippy MPV

After having my Kia Carens for about a month, I found it nippier than expected and could move about town quickly. Parking was also easy. Viewing for reversing was also easy. The kids got in and out with no problem and reaching over them to belt them up was easier than it was in my former Renault Clio. My children (of which I have four) continue to argue about where to sit.

Kia Carens Boot Space, pictured above.

Needless to say, the Carens performed well. Despite the battery dying within the first day of ownership I have to say that since then, nothing went wrong. When the battery died I was at work and had to get home for childcare. I phoned the garage and a mechanic was with me in 20 minutes to start the car with a battery pack. This was all covered under warranty.

Kia Carens Interior Seating, pictured above.

The next morning the Kia Carens wouldn’t start again. I called the garage. The garage sent a mechanic and a courtesy car within 30 minutes. The courtesy car was ironically a Renault Clio! However the Clio had over half a tank of fuel so I was happy.

New Battery

The garage kept my Kia for 2 days whilst waiting for a battery to be delivered. After the new battery was fitted I collected my Carens. I had nothing to pay and didn’t even fill up the Clio with fuel. I think I was supposed to.

Since then there have been no problems. It does around 40-45 miles to the gallon and keeps the family happy. I’m glad I’ve got a long warranty!

Grey Seats

The only problem is the Grey seat material. Not exactly perfect for children, especially in wet West Wales. The children’s' footprints show up clearly. The boot space with the two rear seats fits around 3 large shopping bags. The rear seats can easily be flattened with one hand.

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