When someone brings up ‘luxury’ minivans around these parts, only a few names really immediately come to mind. Obviously, there’s the Toyota Alphard and, more recently, its higher-end cousin from Lexus, the LM. Now, the Kia Carnival is bringing itself into the conversation, too.
The Korean car manufacturer recently revealed a four-seat option for the Carnival High Limousine over in South Korea, and we dare say it appears the model may have now caught up with its counterparts over in Japan.
This version comes with suspension tuned to favor road comfort above all else, and gets a ton of extra space thanks to the absence of all of its seats save for the two up front and a pair of captain’s chairs in the back.
Powering this unit is a 3.5-liter gasoline engine with 290hp and 355Nm of torque. And since this is a luxury variant, it also gets nappa leather seats with 3D quilting and premium-looking wood flooring. Nice.
What really sets this thing apart, though, are the features it comes with. There are sotrage boxes—including a hot/cold drawer—neatly concealed in front of the second row, and cupholders come with a hot/cold function, too. Rear passengers can adjust vehicle settings via a 7-inch touchscreen mounted on a central armrest that comes equipped with pop-out tables and wireless smartphone charging capability, too. And if you need a change of clothes between meetings? Just pop open the rear to access a hanger with LED lighting and more storage boxes.
Oh, and did we mention that there are foot massagers that conveniently pop out in front of the rear seats, too? Yeah, that’s a thing here.
Think these upgrades are enough to put the Carnival on par with the likes of the Alphard and the LM?
