A few days after revealing the exterior design of the facelifted Carnival, Kia has officially revealed details of the MPV. The facelifted model of the fourth-gen Carnival was spied testing earlier this year and has finally been unveiled. Bookings are open in Korea for the MPV.
- Carnival gets a major design update inside out
- Gets three engine options
- Will come to India in 2024
Kia Carnival facelift exterior design
The updated Carnival's design is a complete departure from the KA4 MPV that was displayed at the Auto Expo in January. It gets a more upright nose, a wide grille and L-shaped headlamps with daytime running lamps. The grille gets chrome bits, with the bumper getting a small air intake lower down that's surrounded by a faux brushed aluminium skid plate.
The L-shaped theme continues at the rear with the tail-lamps connected via an LED light bar. Meanwhile, the rear bumper gets a mix of matte black and chrome.
The facelifted Carnival is offered with 19-inch alloys, the design of which mimics the ones seen on newer Kia models like the EV5 and EV9. However, models equipped with the hybrid powertrain get smaller, 18-inch alloy wheels.
Kia Carnival facelift interior and features
Available in 4-, 7- and 9-seater configurations, the Carnival gets a new infotainment curved unit that spans across the driver's side of the dashboard. It features two 12.3-inch screens – one functions as the digital instruments screen and the other as the infotainment unit. The MPV also gets reworked AC and audio controls located below the central screen, a rotary drive selector, front and rear dash cameras, a heads up display, a digital rear view mirror, an updated digital key, ambient lighting along the dashboard and the option to start the vehicle with your fingerprint.
Kia claims that it has updated the infotainment unit with better support for over-the-air updates, improved the cabin ambience by using better materials for sound insulation, and improved ride comfort by tweaking the shock absorbers on the MPV. Also on offer is the option of a 14.6-inch rear entertainment screen.
What community is saying on the Carnival?
In terms of safety, the facelifted Kia Carnival gets an updated ADAS suite with the addition of adaptive cruise control, lane change assist and more. Eight airbags are also standard on the international model.
Kia Carnival facelift engine details
The Carnival facelift gets a choice of three powertrains: a 3.5-litre petrol, a 1.6-litre petrol hybrid and a 2.2-litre diesel. Kia has revealed that the petrol hybrid powertrain can produce a total of 245hp and 367Nm. It remains to be seen what powertrain makes it India.
Kia Carnival India launch details
In July, Kia India boss confirmed that the new version of the Carnival is headed for India. "We don’t want old styles to come to the India market. We want the best, newest model to premiere here," he said.
The Carnival has no direct rivals and sits between Toyota Innova and the Vellfire in the MPV market.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
