Kia Carnival Review: It’s A Party!

For someone who’s now in the 30 year old club, I wasn’t surprised that the Kia Carnival seemed like a very very appealing machine. The way it looks, the features it has on offer and the tech simply made the process easier. It was the asking price of nearly Rs 75 lakh (on-road, Mumbai), however, that got the jaw to drop firmly. 

Sure, it’s a whole lot of car for the money in the literal sense. But is it really? 

Big Stepper! 

Whip your iPhone out to click a picture of the Carnival, and you will struggle to fit it in a frame. Move to the ‘wide angle’ mode on your camera, and you’ll realize you’re trying to squeeze in a near 17-foot (5.2-metre) long car in your Insta-worthy frame. You can very comfortably fit an entire MG Comet EV in the Carnival’s wheelbase that stands at 3-metres long. 

With this new generation, Kia’s had the Carnival hit the gym and then wear a well-fitted suit. It looks more in line with its global SUV cousins such as the Telluride and the Sorento. The short nose, the massive glass area and the (relatively) lower height make sure its MPV origins shine through. 

Kia’s chosen to be subtle too. There are no over the top or shouty elements on the vehicle. No smorgasbord of cuts and creases, nor an overdose of chrome anywhere. It’s got a clean design that’s likely to age very well. It’s not without its quirks, however. 

The 2XL sized headlamps house four projectors — two each for the low and high beam. Kia’s now-signature daytime running lamp identity sits on top and doubles up as the turn indicator. Tiny fog lamps and a massive grille complete the strong (but not angry) front end. 

From the side and the rear, there’s very little drama. In fact, the 18-inch alloy wheels look rather lost and tiny under the sheer size of the vehicle. The rear too, is one massive slab of metal, thankfully broken up by a connected lighting element. 

An interesting detail is the silver panel (that gets a wave-pattern) on the side that helps break the monotony of the large glass house. While we’re at it, we couldn’t help but wonder that the Carnival would look really good as a pickup truck. The proportions are almost spot on for it. 

If you choose to zero in on a Carnival, Kia’s also making your life easier by offering just two colors — black or white. The previous iteration offered the staple corporate silvers and grays, which have now been deleted.

New, But Same

On the inside, there’s so much that’s new to soak in. Let’s kick things off with the dashboard design that’s a brilliant mix of practicality and style. Kia has opted for a tan-black colour combination throughout the cabin which is safe, and pretty apt for our dusty conditions too. 

There’s novelty by way of design and materials — extensive use of horizontal elements add to the feel of an already wide cabin, the silver accents liven the place up and there are twin curved displays vying for some attention.

Quality isn’t a significant step up from the previous generation. It’s exactly where you’d expect it to be (for the most part), but doesn’t make you go wow. There’s soft touch material on the dashboard and front door pads, but it’s oddly missing on the rear doors. If you go hunting, you will find some budget-grade plastics too, which feel properly out of place, especially on an expensive people mover. 

You’d struggle to fault the Carnival, however, for practicality. This vehicle probably has more storage space than your wardrobe, and that’s before we get to the massive boot. The large glovebox, spacious central glovebox, 3XL-size cup holders and trays in the centre console all ensure you’re never short of space to store the knick knacks. Oddly, the door bottle holders are rather slim, both at the front and the rear. 

Kia has simply upped the desirability quotient of the Carnival’s interior, while keeping its core idea of ‘luxury x utility’ intact — which rich people tell me — is important. 

Lux Lounge

First things first, the side step you see in the pictures is an optional accessory. Using it makes getting in and out a whole lot easier. The floor of the Carnival seems high (relative to the seat base) which might make it tricky to get in and get off, especially for the elderly. 

If you intend to drive, you will be pampered by really wide seats with plenty of cushioning. These seats are powered, heated and ventilated. The driver’s seat additionally has a memory function too. Also, these are one of those rare seats that are kinder to wider/overweight frames than slimmer ones.

It’s the rear where you’d want to spend most of your time, however. The experience is simply phenomenal. We’d go out on a limb and say that the Carnival offers the best second row experience this side of a crore rupees. Both captain seats are powered, heated and ventilated too. 

And there’s just so much these seats do in terms of finetuning its position to have you relax. There’s a literal ‘relax mode’, that lowers the seat recline, raises the seat base, extends the ottoman and quite literally suspends you in mid air. This is the closest thing to meditation if you want to lower blood pressure. 

It’s not all perfect here, sadly. If you move the rear seat far away from the front, controls for the window, door and seat ventilation are firmly out of reach. Also, since there’s no storage attached to the seat itself, you’d have to stretch to keep your tumbler in the space between the front seats. Finally, there are no rear seat entertainment screens here, offered with the previous model (as a complimentary accessory). 

Why not both? 

If the Carnival is to be used as the family car, it’s pretty versatile there too. 6-footers can easily fit in each row, without feeling cramped. In fact, even the third row seems usable by adults. The only hiccup here is the high floor, which results in you sitting in a relatively knees up position. Also, do note that the second row does not fold or tumble and accessing the third row is only possible by walking in-between the captain seats. 

Kia says the third row can accommodate three adults — which seems possible too, given they’re of an average/slim build. The third row occupants get their own sunshade, type-C chargers and cupholders too. 

What’s genuinely impressive, is the Carnival’s ability to not make you choose between people and their luggage. With all three rows in place, you could very easily fit 5 cabin-sized trolley bags and just as many backpacks without breaking a sweat. This is before you start stacking more luggage on top. Fold the third row away — possible by using a very helpful lever on the seat back — and you’ve got enough space to move a fridge or two. 

TechMax

Speaking of fridges, that’d be a cool addition to the Carnival’s feature list. We’ve got to make stuff up now, considering there’s practically nothing left to want. Here’s a quick run through of the highlights:

Other feature highlights include dual sunroofs, powered tailgate, electric parking brake with auto hold, and wireless charging. Safety tech includes 8 airbags, traction control, electronic stability control, and ISOFIX. It also gets Level 2 ADAS tech including auto emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring. ADAS functions as intended too, but might just be limited by the chaotic Indian traffic conditions more than anything else. 

VanLife

The best way to describe the Carnival’s driving experience is that, well, it drives. It takes you from point A to point B, and that’s that. There’s a single 2.2-litre diesel engine on offer that makes an adequate 190PS and 441Nm. Paired with an 8-speed automatic, the Carnival has no problems getting a move on. 

In fact, it does build up speed quite quickly. You could get to 100kmph in about 10 seconds, and maintaining triple digit speeds on the highways seems natural for the the engine. Shifts too are quick and smooth whether you’re belting it or taking it easy. It’s a very neutral vehicle to drive or be driven in. Nothing particularly stands out, and that’s a good thing. 

Save for one important annoyance. We feel Kia could’ve pushed harder in lowering the NVH levels of the cabin. Up front, the diesel clatter is audible, even with the music system switched on at a low volume. At the rear, you hear a lot of road/tyre noise. This is amplified when you’re in the relax mode, where your head is almost over the rear wheel well. A slightly better NVH package, maybe active noise cancelling — would’ve helped Kia deliver a First Class experience and not just Business Class. 

On the ride front, we’re happy to report that the Carnival is as comfy as you’d want it to be. The 18-inch wheels with a fat side profile pays dividends here, and complements the softly sprung suspension well. Together they iron out most imperfections you’d tackle. We didn’t have the chance to show the Carnival some really broken roads, but save for some side-to-side movement (as expected in a vehicle this size) — you’d have nothing to worry about. 

Kia claims a ground clearance of 180mm, which is plenty for Indian roads. However, it’s 3090mm wheelbase could become a challenge over humps masquerading as speed breakers. 

Deal Or No Deal?

By pricing the Carnival at Rs 64 lakh (ex-showroom), Kia has ensured that the Carnival hobnobs with the likes of an S-Class, 7 Series, GLS or a Range Rover in uber rich garages. This has now become the large family car for those who’ve got more expensive vehicles that cannot be taken everywhere. 

As a product, the Carnival is asking you to dare a little. Choose practicality and utility in a price band that wants your attention by way of extravagance. What it delivers is a well-rounded, no-nonsense experience, whether it’s in terms of tech, comfort or quality. 

Kia’s been wise to move the Carnival out of the Innova’s fiefdom. Competing at that price point, with a brand that has a cult following, would’ve been hard to say the least. The Carnival is a fantastic product, beyond any doubt, but would probably be a whole lot more desirable with a Rs 50 lakh price tag. 

That said, it’s also pretty much the only option you have for an experience like this, unless you’re willing to spend over twice as much on a Toyota Vellfire. Kia’s definitely on to something here. Not surprising, then, that the Carnival is pretty much sold out for the entirety of 2025.