Kia Carnival made its entry in India at the AutoExpo in February last year as a more premium alternative to Toyota Innova Crysta. The MPV is a fully imported model under the CBU route and hence is a very pricey proposition. In order to attract buyers, the South Korean carmaker has introduced a unique ‘Satisfaction Guarantee Scheme’.
Under this programme, customers can avail a refund of up to 95 percent of the total cost incurred within the first 30 days of purchase should the buyer be not satisfied with the vehicle. The scheme is a first-of-its-kind offered by an automaker in India on any new vehicle. This offer is applicable to all variants of Carnival on sale.
However, in order to avail this offer, a few criteria need to be met. For starters, from the date of purchase, the MPV should not have clocked more than 15,000km on its odometer. The car should also be devoid of any kind of ‘damages, mechanical or electric failures and pending claims’.
Further, conditions state that it is obligatory for the Carnival owner to provide a consent letter relating to the transfer of the vehicle which should include all documents and charges in the name of owner.
Additionally, buyers who financed their cars will need to submit a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the financer. The scheme will cover 95 percent of the total cost incurred on the vehicle including ex-showroom price and overhead costs for registration, finance and other related costs at the time of purchase.
Coming to the vehicle, Carnival is offered in three trim levels namely Premium, Prestige and Limousine and in three seating configurations- seven, eight and nine. The entire range is powered by a 2.2-litre diesel unit which pumps out 200 bhp and 440 Nm of peak torque. This motor is coupled with an 8-speed automatic transmission as standard.
Being a premium MPV is gets a long list of features including electric sliding doors, a three-zone climate control system, a dual-pane sunroof, automatic LED projector headlamps, powered front seats and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment with connected car technology among others. The top-spec Limousine variant comes with middle row VIP seats offered with a range of adjustability and a foldable ottoman.
It also offers a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment screen for second-row occupants along with Nappa leather upholstery. In terms of safety, Carnival is kitted with up to six airbags, brake assist, ISOFIX child seat anchorages, roll-over mitigation, electronic stability control (ESC), cornering brake control and hill start assist. Prices for the MPV start at Rs. 24.95 lakh and go up to Rs 33.95 lakh (both prices ex-showroom).