Kia Carens (2000 - to 2006)
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Your family is burgeoning, youve got expenses sprouting from everywhere and the last thing you want is to fork out major amounts of money for a new mini-MPV. By the same token, you dont especially relish buying something ancient that could leave you stranded by the roadside. What do you do? Tracking down a used Kia Carens would be one option. Outrageous value for money is always a good leveller.
How many seats should a mini-MPV have? Ought it to be five (like the Scenic, the Mazda Premacy or the Nissan Almera Tino)? Or at least six (like the Vauxhall Zafira, Fiat Multipla or Toyotas Picnic)? The answer depends on your priorities of course, but its useful that the Kia alone offers the option at the showroom stage of going either way. The standard Carens came with room for five people as standard, but for £500 more, you could add a third row of seats to be taken in and out as necessary. Opt for that third row and the back seat bench is replaced by two separate seats, leaving room for two further seats to be inserted behind them. Room theoretically then, for six people inside.
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You pays your money and takes your choice. But what kind of choice might you expect to make if your cheque is pointed in Kias direction? Well, as already suggested, its a lot of car for the money as long as you know what youre buying. And what youre buying is rather different from what the brochure tells you. For a start, the five seater version isnt really going to be very comfortable for five adults.
This is mainly due to the fact that the centre passenger on the rear bench must sit on an uncomfortable raised cushion. Which wouldnt be too bad if (like most families) youd be more likely to be carrying two adults with a child in the centre. The only problem with that is that in this position, your offspring will only have a lap belt, rather than the proper three-point affair. The six-seater version is probably a better bet, though having said that, you wouldnt want to incarcerate two large adults in the two rearmost places for very long.
Think of them as two extra childrens seats and youll be much more comfortable. As with virtually all cars of this kind, use all the passenger room available and youll struggle when it comes to luggage space. Best to save up for a roof box if you plan to do this on a regular basis. Or of course, consider Kias larger Sedona MPV a not uncommon course of action amongst UK used car buyers.
The MPV customer is not renowned for a rapid turnover of vehicles, so your best bet is to contact a Kia franchised dealer and see whats in the network. 2000 W-registered cars are very rare indeed, and dealers will advise you to buy one if the price seems right. To give an estimate of valuations, a 2000 X-plate 1.8 SX retails at around £4,200 or £4,500 for a Y-plate example.
Insurance groups start at 8 for the SX whilst a GSX is rated at Group 9.
The interior of the Carens is tougher than you may expect given its lowly price but its well worth checking for rips, stains and other damage to upholstery and minor trim parts. Inspect for parking knocks and make sure that tyre wear looks normal, as the CArens can have its tracking quite easily knocked out of kilter by savage bumping over kerbs. Kias bear up pretty well reliability-wise, but do check for its service history and contact a few franchised dealers to try to find the best bargain available.
(Estimated prices, based on a 2000 1.8 GSX) Kia spares prices have gained an enviable reputation for good value, and replacement parts for the Carens are no exception. A clutch assembly is around £220, whilst front brake pads weigh in at around £40. An alternator will cost around £130, and for a starter motor youll be looking at £115.
A replacement headlamp will require £110.
On the road, the Carens 1.8-litre petrol engine (the only powerplant currently on offer) should prove willing enough, developing a useful 128bhp and plenty of pulling power, driving the front wheels via a light but rather vague-feeling five-speed gearbox. That means rest to sixty in 11.3 seconds on the way to 115mph.
Expect to average around 25mpg around town and around 30mpg in normal use, figures that will fall significantly should you opt for the 4-speed automatic. The 2.0-litre CRDi common-rail diesel engine offered in later models is a preferable option if you can afford one. Its 112bhp is less than the output of the 1.
8-litre petrol unit but the 40mpg fuel consumption and punchy power delivery are major plus points.
The Carens is a good deal better than it deserves to be at the prices charged. Itll never offer anything remotely slick or stylish, but thats what youre not paying for. We knew youd see sense.
