Just a few days ago, the first official photos of the new Kia Carnival were published, although not much details were revealed at the time. However, the luxury minivan has just made its public debut in its home market of South Korea, and the full specifications have been revealed as well.
Like before, the new Carnival is available in two body styles, name the standard version and the Hi-Limousine. The latter is a high-roof, high-luxury version of minivan, but more on that later. We’ll kick things off with the standard model first.
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It may be a facelift, but Kia did quite a lot of changes to its bodywork. For starters, it features an entirely new front end with vertical headlights, a wider grille, and a redesigned bumper. At the back, its taillights are now vertical with a long horizontal strip connecting the two. As a result, there are also significant changes to the tailgate. The minivan also gains body cladding on the lower section of the body and a new set of alloy wheels.
As we expected, there are big changes inside as well. There’s a new dashboard design similar to that in the also recently updated Sorento. The digital instrument cluster has been given an overhaul, and the same goes for the touchscreen. As for the back, models fitted with captain chairs get something called Dynamic Body Care. Almost all its controls are power operated, along with a full massage function that covers the the whole back and even the calves. It’s a full body massage, the Kia way.
Other features? There’s now a heads-up display, multi-zone voice recognition, additional USB ports, and even a UV disinfecting box. Advanced driver assist features have also been ramped up. Lane change assist has been added, along with remote parking assist, rear collision prevention, and rear autonomous emergency braking.
Engines are mostly carried over from the pre-facelift version so it’s a choice between 3.5-liter V6 gas or 2.2-liter turbodiesel. Power outputs are also unchanged but both pack over 200hp. However, the big news here is the addition of a 1.6-liter turbo petrol with hybrid power. For that, Kia claims a total system output of 245hp, so it sits right at the middle of the diesel and V6 gas in terms of horsepower.
As for the Hi-Limousine, that gets extra headroom and a far more opulent interior. It’s worth pointing out that it’s 305mm taller than the standard Carnival, so it’s best to be a little more careful around multi-level carparks.
The Hi-Limousine is available in either seven or four-seater configurations. The latter gives its passengers the VIP treatment with plusher power Ottoman seats with massage function. Speaking of massages, a foot massager is standard in the four-seater version. But if that’s still not enough, the top-spec version has a built-in refrigerator, air purifier, storage boxes, and even a wood-effect floor.
