Carens is Kia's compact people carrier, first sold in 1999 on the Sephia platform. The second generation debuted at the 2006 Los Angeles show and carried the Rondo name in North America and Rondo7 in Australia, while Europe kept Carens. The third generation was revealed at the Paris Motor Show in September 2012. Kia's European press kit lists a 1.7-litre CRDi diesel in two outputs, 115 PS and 136 PS. The torque of the stronger one is given as 330 Nm by some sources and 320 Nm by others.
The Rondo, marketed as the Carens in some regions, was a compact MPV offering flexible five- or seven-seat layouts in a small footprint. It aimed at families wanting minivan versatility without full-size dimensions. It was sold across two generations before being phased out in several markets.
20years
4generations
12trims
133–186hp range
The Lineage
4 generations · tap any to explore3 trimsUN (2nd gen).1
2006–2010
3 trimsUN (2nd gen).2
2010–2012
3 trimsRP (3rd gen).1
2012–2016
3 trimsRP (3rd gen).2
2016–2018
The Story
Why the Carens mattersTrims · RP (3rd gen).2
3 trims · 2016–20182016 facelift: The Carens/Rondo RP received a 2016 facelift with updated fascia and lighting within its 2012-2018 generation.