Kia Carnival Review
Car Tested: 2019 Kia Carnival; Road Test No. 1062; Test Location: Delhi NCR
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 30 lakhs (est.)
The Carnival is a full-size people mover with acres of space and lots of features
The MPV segment in India has slowly started to stand taller and taller. Until a few months back, we just had two players dominating, the Maruti Ertiga at the lower end and the Toyota Innova at the higher end of the price spectrum. Now though, we have the Mahindra Marazzo which has been priced consciously between the Ertiga and the Innova Crysta and the Mahindra MPV has been received quite well by the Indian audience but that shouldn’t let us not look at the fact that there is still no proper rival to the Toyota Innova Crysta. Talking of which, the car we’re sampling today could just be that. Ladies and gentlemen say hello to the Kia Carnival.
Motor Quest: The Kia Carnival was showcased at the Auto Expo last year and is currently in its third generation avatar. The full-size MPV is available only in front wheel drive configuration and is also sold as the Sedona and Grand Carnival in some international markets.
In terms of size, the Kia Carnival is longer and wider than the Innova
Exteriors – In terms of looks, the Kia Carnival will come across as a modern, sophisticated and an urban MPV. The front fascia looks purposeful with the brand’s customary ‘Tiger Nose’ grille and the hi-tech projector headlights with LED DRLs. At the side is where the MPV design traits start becoming more prominent with the sheer length and the large windows. However, there’s a unique touch here that prospective Innova buyers would like, the sliding rear doors. They not only make the ingress and egress comfortable but at the press of a button they automatically slide in or out, so less effort there! The rear end looks smart as well as sporty courtesy those LED tail-lights and roof mounted spoiler.
The cabin of the MPV is smartly laid-out, good-quality materials used
Interiors – Get inside the Kia Carnival and what you will immediately appreciate is the sense of space. The cabin is made with good quality materials and the piano black inserts on the dashboard, steering wheel and the door pads uplift the premium appeal of the car. The 3-spoke multi-function steering wheel is identical to other Kia cars we’ve driven before but the instrument console with a MID display in between looks a tad bit sportier. Taking centre stage in the cabin of the MPV is an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with all sorts of smartphone connectivity options along with navigation. Our test car was specced with a host of features like cruise control, engine start/stop, passive entry, voice commands, automatic climate control, roof-mounted AC vents in all rows, heated and ventilated front seats and electrically foldable and adjustable ORVMs.
The Korean MPV has a 311 mm longer wheelbase than its arch rival
Unlike the Innova, the Kia Carnival is a very practical MPV which has space for the occupants and all their luggage
The space on offer is plenty. The front and second row seats are comfortable and there’s enough under-thigh support, leg room, headroom and shoulder room. The third-row seats are reasonably comfortable but lack under-thigh support, still there is enough room for adults here. We were a tad bit skeptical about the roof-mounted AC vents but they do their job very well, they chill the entire cabin in no time. The boot space even with the third-row of seats up is very huge and in case you have some house moving duties, fold down the second row of seats and you get access to 2220-litres of cargo space!
The 2.2-litre oil-burner is strong enough to handle even a full house
Performance – The Korean people mover comes powered by both petrol and diesel engines. Our test car came powered by a 2.2-litre CRDi VGT engine that produces 197 HP of power and 440 Nm of torque. The motor is very calm and smooth and gets going quickly although there is a small amount of lag lower down the rev range. That said, where the oil-burner truly shines is in the mid-range but higher in the rev band, it starts feeling breathless. All that power is fed to the front wheels via an 8-speed automatic gearbox that is fast and slick in terms of shifts. However, one needs to work around the gears for a quick overtake. Expect a mileage of around 10-11 km/l if driven sedately and the humongous tank does ensure that we’re looking at a range of 700 plus kms on a full tank.
Barring some amount of body roll, the ride and handling balance is good
Driving Dynamics – At over 2 tonnes, the Kia Carnival is a heavy car. The feedback from the steering is decent and it also weighs up well at triple digit speeds. The suspension setup is slightly on the softer side which leads to a good ride quality but at the cost of some body roll. High speed stability is good as the vehicle feels composed at all times. The tyres offer decent grip around the corners and don’t screech on heavy braking. The brakes offer good stopping power with ABS being well calibrated.
The 8-speed automatic gearbox comes with an auto-hold function
Safety and After Sales Service – The Kia Carnival is loaded with safety features like ABS with CBC and EBD, Traction Control, Rollover Mitigation, Autonomous Emergency Braking and multiple airbags. The vehicle has received a full 5-stars from NCAP in crash worthiness. It remains to be seen how expansive and customer-friendly will the after-sales service network of the Korean carmaker be in India.
The Kia Carnival has all the ingredients to be a better alternative to the Innova
Verdict – The Kia Carnival has impressed us in spades. It looks stylish, has got an umpteen number of features, there’s more than enough space, decent performance and the ride quality is good too. We believe even if the Kia Carnival is priced at a slight premium over the Toyota Innova (which it will be considering the size and equipment on offer), the former could eat into the latter’s market share. Kia’s second launch for India is likely to be the Carnival which will make for a practical upgrade for current MPV owners.
The third row is also suitable for adults
What’s Cool
* Simple and pleasant design
* Acres of space, very practical MPV
* Well presented cabin
* Lots of features to play around with
* Sliding rear doors
* Diesel engine is punchy
What’s Not So Cool
* No sunroof
* Quite a lot of body roll
Alternatives: – Toyota Innova Crysta
The boot is spacious even with the third row of seats up
Kia Carnival Specifications
* Engine: 2199cc, 4-cylinder, Diesel
* Power: 197 HP @ 3800 RPM
* Torque: 440 Nm @ 1750 – 2750 RPM
* Transmission: 8-speed automatic transmission
* 0-100 km/hr: 13.6 seconds
* Top Speed: 190 km/hr
* Suspension: McPherson Struts (Front), Multi-Link (Rear)
* Tyre Size: 235/60/18 (Front and Rear)
* Brakes: Discs (Front), Discs (Rear), ABS
* Safety: Multiple Airbags, ABS, Traction Control, Hill Start Assist Control
Kia Carnival Dimensions
* Overall length x width x height: 5115 mm X 2268 mm X 1740 mm
* Boot Space: 960-litres
* Fuel tank capacity: 80-litres
* Ground clearance: 171 mm
* Wheelbase: 3061 mm
* Kerb weight: 2195 kgs
Do you want to see this stylish MPV on Indian roads?
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