All new generation of the Kia Carnival premium MPV has made its official debut in the South Korean market today
Current Kia Carnival is the 3rd generation variant, which has been on sale since 2014. After teasing the 4th gen Carnival for the past few weeks, Kia has now officially taken wraps off the luxury MPV. Unveiled in Korea today, it is set to make its way to many countries around the globe by next year.
New 2021 Kia Carnival is being dubbed as the Grand Utility Vehicle. It is seen with more refinement as compared to its current version. The new MPV comes with several colour options and wheel designs. The three row people mover will sport a updated styling with large aluminum wheels in 17, 18, and 19 inch options, a floating roofline, signature daytime running lights, a sculpted bumper and lower air intakes. Design elements at the rear will include a full width light bas and metallic skid plate. It is more spacious and sleeker with a more appealing design.
2021 Carnival MPV is longer by 40 mm and sits on a wheelbase which is 30 mm longer. This allows for more space on the inside for its passengers. Cargo space has been increased to a massive 2,905 liters, with all seats folded (except front seats). Multiple seating formats are on offer. This includes 3 rows or 4 rows. Depending on the format, you can either seat 7, 8 or 11 passengers.
To offer more luxury, new Carnival gets Premium Relaxation Seats for second row passengers with adjustable back, arm and leg rest. Updates are also seen in terms of technology. 2021 Kia Carnival gets a new dashboard design with two huge screens. These are a 12.3 inch digital instrument cluster and 12.3 inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.
Kia will also offer the ‘Kia Live’ services offering information on traffic density, weather updates, places of interest en-route and available parking slots. Passengers in the front wanting to communicate with those at the rear can do so via the ‘Rear Passenger View and Talk’ feature. This is possible via a small camera linked to the infotainment system. Another new feature to be seen on the Kia Sedona will be a one button smart open/close system for rear power sliding doors and tailgate.
Engine options
Kia will launch the new Carnival in Korean markets with multiple engine options. It will include a 2.2 liter Smartstream diesel engine making 199 hp power and 440 Nm torque. It would also receive its power via a 3.5 liter MPi petrol engine offering 268 hp power and 332 Nm torque and a 3.5 liter GDi V6 engine capable of 290 hp power and 355 Nm torque. Each of these engine options will get mated to an 8 speed automatic transmission. There is no manual transmission on offer.
Launch of new Carnival is scheduled to take place later this year in Korea. It will arrive in more countries by 2021. Considering that India has the current gen Carnival, which is performing decent in sales – the company might launch the new gen Carnival here as well.
