Some old reviews of the Carens:
This review at New Car Net wasn't very enthusiastic about the Carens, stating that it "rolled on corners and the steering was distant and imprecise." As for the styling, the interior is "a bit Woolworth's" and the exterior is "no oil painting."
This mini-review from the Irish Times notes that there are definite improvements compared to the older generation Carens and the new Carens narrows the gap with its competitors, but the review has the same rumblings as the one above. "There is an almost comical level of body-roll and it pushes into understeer pretty early on. It's safe and manageable but nothing more." "I wasn't tremendously excited about the styling: they certainly didn't take any risks."
On the other hand,
another review from the Irish Times has exactly the opposite take. "What was probably most surprising was the quality of the drive." "The Carens is a good-looking MPV...." This review is quite an interesting read, opening with a few paragraphs on Kia's challenge of shaking off its "bargain basement" image and closing with a few paragraphs on how the Carens stacks up against its rivals.