Item: Used Kia Carens MPV 2000 - 2006
Author: What Car? Team

What is it like?

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Buyers seeking value for money should have Kia towards the top of their shopping list.

Although once a niche brand in the UK, today Kia outsells many more established brands, helped by its market-leading seven-year warranty and a strong reputation for reliability; in fact, Kia regularly finishes towards the top of our reliability surveys.

There are plenty of models to choose from, too, ranging from the small Picanto city car to the Ceed family hatchback and the Sorento large SUV. The Picanto was the first Kia to win its class at the What Car? Car of the Year awards.

CARENS

It's a cheap six-seat MPV, but it's not as good as most of its rivals otherwise

Used Kia Carens MPV 2000 - 2006

The Carens is cheap to buy and cheap to run. Kia's dealers are among the least expensive for labour rates according to Warranty Direct, and replacement parts for the Carens are also very affordable.

The petrol engines return economy in the low to mid-30s, so they're below average for the class on fuel consumption, while the diesel can manage up to 43mpg. All models fall into insurance group 8 or 9, depending on the size of the engine.

You may want to budget for an aftermarket alarm, as none of the Carens range has one as standard. However, all come with breakdown assistance for the first three years of their lives.

It's a cheap six-seat MPV, but it's not as good as most of its rivals otherwise

The petrol engines aren't very refined, so we'd go for the turbodiesel. It's not as quick or as frugal as much of its competition, but it does a better job of pulling the Carens along when it's loaded with people and luggage.

And, whether you choose a petrol or a diesel, stick to the five-speed manual gearbox, as the four-speed auto is sluggish and has a drastic effect on fuel economy.

The SX models come with electric windows and mirrors, but to gain air-con as standard you need to go for the GSX, which also includes anti-lock brakes, alloy wheels, roof rails and metallic paint.

The six seat Carens is a useful people carrier if you need the extra place over the five-seat model, but the five-seater has more usable boot space. Kia dealers will be the best places to start your search for a Carens.

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of space for all the family and their paraphernalia</li> <li>Comfortable ride for everyone inside</li> <li>Seats with plenty of adjustment and versatility of layout</li> <li>Engine that can cope with a full load of people and luggage</li> <li>Excellent efficiency to avoid big fuel bills</li></ul>

Practicality is king in the MPV market, which has taken a hit as buyers have turned towards trendier SUVs. There are still plenty of decent offerings to suit most budgets, though, with Citroën fielding a particularly strong line-up. The French manufacturer’s Berlingo offers bags of space for not much money and you can easily haggle off thousands of extra pounds in discounts, too.

Citroën also scores with the larger Grand C4 Spacetourer, which offers seven seats, lots of oddment space and appealing running costs for something so large. A similarly priced and even better option is the Volkswagen Touran. Meanwhile, if you prefer a premium badge, there's always the BMW 2 Series Active and Gran Tourers or Mercedes B-Class and V-Class.

But for something sizeable that's still decent to drive, we’d recommend you check out the Ford Galaxy, which can offer three rows of seats and decent luggage space at the same time. It’s not that much pricier than the smaller S-Max.

The Carens is proving to be a tough car mechanically, and owners report that, while the engines may be unrefined, they are durable and unlikely to give trouble.

The rear suspension can develop a creak, but this is mostly on models with six seats that have been filled full of people and luggage on a regular basis, so watch out for ex-private hire cars.

Don't be surprised by a poor, vague gearshift action as all Carens suffer from this. The steering is very light, so check the front wheels for kerb damage, especially if alloy wheels are fitted.

The interior plastics are not the most attractive and they will squeak and rattle. They should stand up to rigorous use without actually breaking, however.

There's nothing fancy about the Kia Carens - it's simply a low-cost way of transporting five or six people in reasonable comfort. The 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrol engines are not especially refined, particularly when compared with a lot of the European and Japanese competition, and the 2.0-litre turbodiesel is not the most powerful or frugal.

There's also plenty of noise in the cabin courtesy of the engine, wind and road, so longer trips can be a trial of endurance.

At least, the cabin has plenty of space for those in the front and, in five-seat form, the rear seats have decent knee- and headroom. If you choose the six-seater there are three rows of two seats, and the third row has limited legroom. It's also a little tricky to reach the rearmost row, so these seats are best reserved for children.

Used Kia Carens MPV 2000 - 2006 review

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