KIA Carnival

Kia Grand Carnival Overview

The third generation Kia Grand Carnival is a 5-door full size multipurpose vehicle (MPV). Locally assembled in Malaysia since 2018, three variants were initially introduced but the 8-seater KX and EX variant has since been dropped from the original line up. The latest model is only made available in the sole 2.2 D guise and is capable of seating up to 11 occupants at its maximum capacity.

The first-generation model started out life as the Kia Ria in Malaysia under the Naza-Kia joint venture and is also known as the Kia Sedona in the North American market. The South Korean MPV presents a more affordable alternative to the more premium Japanese rivals like the Toyota Vellfire, Toyota Alphard and the Honda Odyssey. The Kia Grand Carnival is priced from RM 179,888 and goes head-to-head against the similarly priced Hyundai Grand Starex.

Kia Grand Carnival Design

There is no hiding the fact that the Kia Grand Carnival is a sizeable people carrier with a boxy exterior. In the front, the MPV is wearing a loosely interpreted Kia family signature ‘tiger nose’ horizontal grille, with black plastic bars and a satin chrome frame. Next to it is a pair of halogen projector headlamps with LED daytime running lights along with the projector fog lamps on the lower bumper.

The MPV also comes fitted with 18-inch wheels as standard and a pair of functional roof rails. Sliding doors are fitted on both sides of the car for easy access. Unlike the cleverly hidden door rails design found on the Nissan Serena S Hybrid, the ones on the Kia sit right below the shoulder line underneath the rear quarter window, forming one of the only character line on the hefty side profile.

The rear features a massive manual tailgate accented by a single chrome strip, a roof spoiler with integrated LED brake light and LED combination tail lamps. Rear bumper design is plain with black plastic cladding and integrated rear fog lamp.

Kia Grand Carnival Dimension

The Kia Grand Carnival is massive, and it is fact bigger than the already huge Toyota Alphard in every measurable dimension. However, at its maximum carrying capacity with the fourth-row seats up, you are left with virtually no boot space at 33 litres. With the seats down though, the loading capacity goes up to an impressive 2,335 litres.

Kia Grand Carnival Interior

Stepping inside, you are greeted with beige fabric upholstery featuring Multiflex seats offering a 6, 7, 8 or 11 seater configuration. Front seats are manually adjustable while the second and third row seats offer manual 40:20:40 split folding. The fourth-row seats are pop-up units stowable into the boot floor.

Up front, build quality is pretty decent with extensive use of high-quality soft touch material across the dashboard with dual-tone effect, accented by chrome trimmings and gloss black inserts. Interior storage is ample featuring dual glovebox compartments. Driver gets leather wrapped multi-function 3-spoke steering wheel and analog instrument cluster.

Kia Grand Carnival Features

What’s new in the 2.2 D variant is the 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system now with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, connected to a six-speaker audio system. Standard equipment also includes keyless entry with push to start, tri-zone automatic climate control with cluster ionizer, electric chromic rear-view mirror, sunshades for the second and third row occupants and dual powered rear sliding doors.  

Driver assistance feature includes cruise control, reversing camera and park assist system (front and rear). On the safety front, the car comes equipped with 6 airbags, ABS with Brake Assist System (BAS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC) and ISOFIX child anchor seats.

Kia Grand Carnival Driving Performance

Engine

Powering the 2.1 ton car is a 2.2 litre turbodiesel engine developing 200 PS at 3800 RPM and 440 NM of torque from 1750-2,750 RPM.

Transmission

The engine is paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission to drive the front wheels.

Kia Grand Carnival Ride Comfort

The car sits on MacPherson Strut in the front and a multi-link suspension at the rear. The 11-seater boxy MPV is certainly not built with precision ride and handling in mind. Its tall and boxy body shape means that it inherently tends to lean to its side when going through the corners.

Kia Grand Carnival Fuel Consumption

No official rated fuel economy.

Kia Grand Carnival Conclusion

If you have a big family and a normal 7-seater MPV could not fulfil your requirement in a car, few other MPVs that can compete with what the Kia Grand Carnival has got to offer in terms of its sheer ferrying capacity. With 4 ISOFIX anchor points and dual power sliding door, big family with infants will certainly appreciate these features. While some key features like the digital instrument cluster, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert has been removed for the latest version, it also translates to a cheaper entry price. With its spacious and practical layout, superior ferrying capacity and a fairly modern interior, the Kia Grand Carnival, in all sense of the word, is a through and through multi-purpose vehicle (MPV).