Kia Carnival luxury MPV launched in India at Rs 63.90 lakh

Kia's Carnival in its newest generation makes it to India as SKD which drastically ups the asking price, but it compensates for it with more features, space and tech. It received 1,822 pre-orders within the first 24 hours of the commencement of bookings.

In Short

• The Carnival employs a 2.2-litre diesel engine
• It has a 7-seater (2+2+3) layout
• It also gets Level 2 ADAS

Kia India today launched the new Kia Carnival luxury MPV at a starting price of Rs 63.90 lakh (ex-showroom). The vehicle is available in a single, fully loaded Limousine Plus variant, in a semi-knocked-down (SKD) avatar. It does not have any direct rival right now.

This is the second innings of the Carnival in India. It entered the Indian market in February 2020, recording sales of 14,542 units in three years. While the old Carnival garnered 1,410 bookings on the first day, the new Carnival received 1,822 pre-orders within the first 24 hours of the commencement of bookings.

At the heart of the Carnival is a Smartstream 2.2-litre in-line 4-cylinder E-VGT CRDi engine, which produces 193PS of maximum power and 441Nm of peak twisting force. The engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. You can choose between four drive modes -- Eco, Normal, Sport and Smart.

The Carnival has quite generous dimensions. It measures 5,155mm in length, 1,995mm in width, 1,775mm in height with roof rails and has a 3,090mm long wheelbase. Inside the cabin, there is a 7-seater (2+2+3) layout.

Although the Carnival is rather big, it has a very sharp design. The front has the signature Kia 'Tiger Nose' grille in black and chrome, 'Ice Cube' LED headlamps, Starmap DRLs and LED fog lamps. The rear has LED combination lamps. There is also a hidden wiper at the rear. The MPV drives on 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels. There are two exterior colour options -- Glacier White Pearl and Fusion Black.

The cabin of the Carnival is an absolutely luxurious space to be in. To start with, there is a dual-tone Navy and Misty Grey layout. There is a 12-way power driver's seat with 4-way lumbar support and memory function and an 8-way power front passenger seat. The front seats have ventilation and heating functions as well. The second row has powered relaxation seats with ventilation, heating and leg support.

Among the other notable features are an independently controlled 3-zone fully automatic temperature control, infotainment/climate control swap switch, one touch smart power sliding door, dual panoramic curved display (12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment and 12.3-inch instrument cluster), 12-speaker Bose premium sound system, 64 colour ambient mood lighting and dual sunroofs.

Talking about the safety features, the Carnival is loaded with eight airbags, electronic stability control, hill assist control, front and rear disc brakes, emergency stop signal, vehicle stability management, seatbelt reminder for all rows, parking distance warning (front, side and rear), highline TPMS, and trailer stability assist. The luxury mover also has Level 2 ADAS with 23 autonomous features.