Kia Clavis SUV Spotted In India: Threat To Maruti Brezza?

Indians love SUVs. They are spacious, have enough ground clearance to leap over most speed breakers in the country and, most importantly, have a good road presence that fulfills the 'Big car feel' sought by the masses. 

To fulfil this demand, manufacturers have invented SUVs in all shapes and sizes. From micro to full-size body-on-frame and everything in between, you name it, they have it.

Among these, the sub-four meter SUVs have the highest demand. This segment is just a little over the entry-level hatchbacks in terms of pricing and offers much better ground clearance, cabin space, and most importantly that 'big car feel'.

Ever since its inception, the Maruti Brezza has been the top seller in this segment. It gets tough competition from Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet and the Tata Nexon. But none of them have been able to cut down the immense popularity of the Brezza.

However, Kia thought the Sonet was not working as it should. Hence, they are testing a new car for this segment, named Kia Clavis. This is said to sit between the Sonet and Seltos in terms of market position which makes it a direct rival of the Brezza, Nexon Venue, and others. 

We have witnessed several leaks and have seen spy shots of the test mules to tell you if this car poses any threat to the segment leader, the Maruti Brezza or not. Let’s get going.

Exterior

All the spy shots are camouflaged but we can figure out that car has a tallboy design. Meaning, that there will be plenty of headroom!

The Brezza too is a spacious car but the space inside could be better than on the Clavis because of the drastically different structure. In terms of the 'big car' feel, this seems to look better than the Brezza and Kia's current offering, the Sonet.

In terms of styling, the Clavis features modern-looking angular LED headlamps and DRLs which appear to be very similar to the recently launched flagship electric SUV, the Kia EV9. Other than this, the side profile of the Clavis appears to be rather simple with attractive16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels.

On the rear, the Clavis gets vertically mounted LED taillamps. The license plate is mounted on the rear bumpers.

Looks are subjective and we have not seen the Clavis without the camouflage. Hence, it is tough to comment if it looks better than Brezza or vice versa. 

Interior and features

In terms of space, the Clavis’s cabin is speculated to be on par with its elder sibling, the Seltos. If this speculation is true, then the cabin space might be better than the Brezza.

Another area where Clavis might take the lead is features. Maruti Suzuki follows the typical Japanese mentality of if it ain’t broke don't fix it. The Brezza is not the most feature-rich car of its segment, it never was.

However, with the rumoured features like a big panoramic sunroof, dual 10.25-inch screens, a Bose audio system and ADAS, the Clavis might pull some modern mentality Brezza buyers towards itself.

Performance

The Kia Clavis is expected to arrive with ICE and EV powertrains. The ICE variants could come with a 1.0-litre turbo petrol motor and a 1.5-litre turbo diesel burner. The Clavis EV is rumoured to join them a few months later.

If rumours turn out to be true, then the Clavis will become the second most versatile powertrain car in the segment after the Nexon. The Brezza ,on the other hand, only available with a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol burner with CNG as an option.

However, the Clavis EV could face the heat from the upcoming Maruti eVX.

Expected Pricing and launch date 

The Clavis is expected to be positioned between the Sonet and the Seltos. So based on the base pricing of both these cars, we can expect the Clavis to start somewhere around INR 10 lakh (ex-showroom). The vehicle is expected to break cover in the early next year.

Conclusion

We do not know much about the Kia Clavis as of now, but from what we see, it is going to be a big threat not only to Brezza but all the other compact SUVs.

It has a drastically different design, is expected to offer better interior space and better features than its rivals. All this suggests that the Clavis to be a great package of comfort, features and performance. If priced well this could put its competitors in trouble.

Could the Sonet face the axe eventually? Let's wait and watch.