The Carnival has been Kia’s flagship car model for India since its launch way back in 2020. The Carnival has not only been well received but also has helped the Korean brand make its name in the Premium MPV segment. Now in 2024 the New Carnival enters the Indian market wanting to cement its top place in its class. We head to Bangalore to explore and understand the Premium Korean Limousine inside out.
Food for Thought
Kia launched the Carnival globally way back in 1998 in its first generation code named the KV2 that sold primarily in the Australian, European and the North American markets. The second generation code named the VQ arrived in 2005 selling in markets including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. Third Generation code named the YP launched in 2014, this is the generation that also made it to India. The latest 4th Generation Carnival codenamed the KA4 made its debut in 2020 globally and in 2023 received a major facelift.
Exteriors
The Kia Carnival has been synonyms with space, road presence and luxury and in its latest incarnation has grown in dimensions compared to the outgoing model. The car is 40mm longer in terms of length and has 30mm more wheelbase too. It has also gone 20mm taller and wider too.
Upfront you get the Kia family tiger nose grille that sits wide and comes with dark chrome chicklet inserts on the black mesh. The surrounds also get brushed metal finish while the extended design LED DRL sit flush reaching till the middle of the hood. The headlamps are stacked one on another in four projector LED glow while the large bumper houses a wide air dam along with a faux skid plate finished in brushed meta and also LED fog lamps neatly hidden besides the air-dams. The large bonnet gets character lines along with the new age KIA badging on it.
Side profile is where you realize the gigantic length of this vehicle. The fenders get character lines that give it a flex look while the R18 sized tyres are mounted on dual-tone alloy wheels. The waistline gets a slim sharp character line that runs across its length. Glass area is large and they get blacked out surrounds. Wing mirrors are door mounted and the rear door retains the electric sliding opening USP that has been a hallmark with the Carnival. Door handles get slim chrome lining while the running board gets a step-board and a faux metal cladding. The C Pillar gets a thick metal insert with pattern on it that enhances the side profiles overall appeal. The roof gets large roof-rails along with a twin opening electric sunroof and a large shark-fin antenna.
The rear profile is styled with the family Kia connected tail lamps, large windshield with a large spoiler that hides the rear wiper inside it, dual-tone rear bumper with faux skid plate finished in brushed metal. The large electrically opening boot-lid adorns the Carnival and Limousine+ badges too.
Interiors
The Carnival is a very large MPV with tons of space in it and you don’t step into it but actually walk into it. The seats come with leather upholstery finished in a tone of red. Front seats get full electric adjust while they also come with ventilation. The dashboard gets all black finish and is wrapped in premium soft touch material. The key highlight of the dash is the twin 12.3 inch displays that are placed in a curved fashion making for the AVN screen and the drivers display. You get all the connectivity options along with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, FM radio and Bluetooth connectivity. You also get an 11 inch smart heads up display. The steering is large in size and feels premium to grip, it comes with MFD buttons along with ADAS control buttons mounted on it. Manual adjust for height and reach is available. The center dash houses a unique touch panel display that can be toggled into the control module for Audio and also for the three zone climate control. The center console houses the unique shift by wire drive dial finished in metal along with the electro mechanical hand brake, drive mode shifter and auto hold. Loads of storage space, can holders and USB charge port are available along with the wireless mobile charge dock.
The middle row seats are the biggest USP for the Carnival and getting into them is a breeze opening the electrically sliding doors, You can open or close the electric slide doors using the buttons on the driver’s side or on the door panels in the middle row both ways. Once in you have two captain seats which come with heating and seat ventilation and can be electrically adjusted for recline nearly to 180 degrees making for the business class like seats. You also get an under thigh extension support that also can be adjusted electrically. You have a separate climate control unit for the middle row. These seats get foldable arm rests and can be slided back or front and even left or right as per comfort. Needless to say there is miles and miles of leg room, head room and shoulder room here and the comfort that it offers when the seats are reclined is 2nd to none.
Getting into the third row is by sliding the middle row captain seats to the extreme sides making way. Here you have loads of space and comfortable seating angle too for three abreast. You get reading lights; AC vents and can holders for the last row. Seating here is good and the large fixed glass also lets in good amount of light making things more comfortable here.
Big Car – Big Boot
The Carnivals boot lid can be opened electrically opening up the 627 liters of deep, wide and spacious boot are with all the three seat rows up, you can fold down the third row into the floor manually boosting the boot area to a mammoth 2827 liters.
Engine – Transmission – Drive
Powering the New Kia Carnival is the 2.2L 4-cylinder Diesel engine making 192bhp of power and 440nm of torque. This engine comes mated to a 8-speed torque convertor automatic transmission.
In terms of drive the Carnival is a XXL sized MPV but when you are in the driver’s seat the car feels just like a midsized SUV to drive. It is super easy and the overall visibility from the driver’s seat is excellent that also inspires confidence. This engine has loads of power to drive the 2 ton vehicle ahead in style and high refinement. The cabin feels super silent and quiet at all speeds. Power delivery is immense and the suspension is tuned to the softer side absorbing all the bumps and adulations in premium style.
The steering feels very well weighted and connected at all speeds. The drive shifter can also be managed using the paddler shifters while you also have the preset drive modes – Eco – Normal – Sport – Smart to suit your drive needs.
Another area where the Carnival surprises is in it braking, offering relatively short stopping distances, coming to a standstill from 100kmph in 43.8m and 3.4s. Of course, you do have to push the brake pedal in past the initial soft response to get real bite. As a chauffeur-driven car, it’ll prove to be a great tool towards a smooth drive, with predictable responses and great modulation. This helps when you get to the twisties, with the Carnival slowing down without excessive dive, though carrying a fair turn of speed through a corner is met with mild lean
The key highlight on the drive of the Carnival is drive quality and the in cabin drive comfort it offers especially to the middle row passengers seated in the lounge business class seats. The motor sounds fairly refined while it’s at it, too. Clattery old diesel, this is not. At a steady highway cruising speed of 120kmph, the Carnival’s ultra relaxed, ticking over at just below 2,000rpm.
Safety
In terms of safety, it offers 8 airbags, all-four disc brakes, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), a 360-degree camera, and Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) features like adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, and lane keep assist.
Competition
The Kia Carnival has no direct competition but you have the Toyota Innova Hycross below it and the Toyota Vellfire above it.
Verdict
With the Carnival Kia made a new niche segment here in India and sold very handsomely. Now in its latest avatar the Carnival gets bigger, more loaded in terms of tech, comfort and safety features. The Carnival also gets pricey but then at Rs. 67 Lakh Ex Showroom it has no direct competition out there. If you are a politician, celebrity, actor, industrialist or a builder with this budget and want to arrive in style in an office on wheels or a bedroom on wheels the Kia Carnival is just the right choice for you.