Impressive: The Kia Carnival stands out in terms of details, with its tiger nose grill, black trims and chrome finish. And it’s practical too, with its seven or eight seats and generous boot.
The Carnival is Kia’s latest and largest people-mover, its name resuscitated to replace the Kia Grand Sedona.
The Carnival or Grand Sedona has existed in a space of relative blandness. It’s a multipurpose vehicle (MPV) after all, and that’s a difficult one to make sexy, intriguing or provocative.
Its design brief puts space and the practicality right at the top and for this reason design takes a back seat in most cases.
That was the story until Kia and Hyundai designers decided they’d had enough. The Hyundai Staria emerged and, whether you like it or not, that got our attention … a braai-side argument for another day.
The KIA Carnival then made its appearance, cutting a less controversial design and one that certainly made me think, mmm … that’s not so bad. I’d happily be seen in one of those. The cool modern family.
I would never have said that before but the new Carnival really does stand out. It’s a car that’s good from afar but also just as considered in the details. From the tiger nose grille, as Kia calls it, to the classy side profile with just enough chrome-look and black trim pieces, this SXL model is thoroughly well penned. The rear is fairly bland but the full-length taillight design brings it to life.
The SXL is the fanciest of them all, made with a seven-seat configuration. A tow-two-three setup means the SXL offers a choice mix of luxury and practicality. There are eight-seat options in the line-up and these mean a bigger market to which the Carnival can be sold.
Think about the business use cases from shuttle options for fancy hotel chains to funeral homes and then, of course, the large family that requires space, practicality and some appeal. The Kia Carnival seems to have it all.
The interior is equally tempting, if not more so. You’ll find Kia’s most modern interior presentation here and it’s a very considered attempt at luxury meeting practical motoring. The driver is catered for with an experience that is easy to use yet brimming with well-meaning tech.
These cars come with Kia’s ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and Kia brings together technologies such as lane change assistance, adaptive cruise control and even blind spot viewing and lane change mitigation. It’s all good stuff in addition to Kia’s latest drive by wire setup, a console of drive buttons, drive mode selectors and a few other luxury comforts.
Ventilated and heated front seats are top drawer, leather all round and they’re exceedingly well apportioned, comfortable for all.
The drive is impressive too. This is Kia’s new 2.2 turbo diesel mated to an eight-speed auto — 148kW and 440Nm is nothing to scoff at, and it does ensure that the size of the Carnival doesn’t detract from a decent shove. There’s a smack of lag but not much. Once it kicks in, the Carnival is powerfully endowed. Careful of the front wheels scratching for traction from time to time. Despite its power, the ride is decidedly comfortable and the cabin a pleasant place to be, no matter where you sit.
Practicality you ask? Good. There’s a lot going on with this car. Dual sliding doors that are operable by interior, exterior and smart key buttons as well as an automatic tailgate that can be similarly operated.
And then, of course, the seating configurations and options with the ability to even remove these should you so choose. I didn’t because I didn’t need to, but the option makes for a thoroughly practical space.
Well-appointed from front to back and with seven USB ports, chauffeur space adjustment from the second row and sunshade blinds, this Carnival gets it right for what it is.
Nice from far: The Carnival MPV surprises our columnist by not being, as the corollary would have it, far from nice. Its taillight design brings its rear to life.
My big commendation is the boot space. Even with all seven seats being used, you can still enjoy the depth and height of the boot, with more than 1 000 litres of usable space. That’s proper.
Some things to consider? Your actual need. Do you need eight seats or seven? If it’s the former, you’ll need to go for the less feature-filled EX+ or SX. These are about R145 000 or R25 000 cheaper than the SXL, which costs R1 024 995 but with less tech.
I was thoroughly impressed by the Carnival. It’s a well thought out product and also a generously specified vehicle not just in the parts bin allocation but in the entire design and packaging of the product. Its packaging forces it into being considered alongside some other luxury SUVs (not MPVs) and in that light, it wins in some areas and would struggle in others. But that’s not even where it truly sits. Kudos to Kia on going the extra length here. Here’s a Dad wagon in which I’d be happy to take the kids to soccer.
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