The Korean MPV has changed both outside and inside. At home, the model retained petrol and diesel engines; in addition, the van now has a hybrid version.
The appearance of the restyled Kia Carnival minivan was revealed at the end of October. Now a full-fledged presentation has been held in Korea, orders will begin to be accepted there starting tomorrow, November 8th. Let us remind you that the current generation MPV with the factory index KA4 has been in service since 2020; it shares a platform with the current Kia Sorento crossover. In the home market, Carnival is in high demand: 59,058 units were sold last year, and the result of January-October 2023 is almost 58,700 units.
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Van got new optics: like the refreshed Sorento, the headlights were made vertical, and additional “eyebrows” of running lights appeared on top; the rear lights have also become fanged, their pattern echoes the lighting equipment of the restyled Kia K5 sedan. The Kia Carnival also received a different grille, bumpers and tailgate, and the rear license plate was moved lower. In Korea, they will also offer an expensive version of Gravity, its features are its own grille, original design wheels and extended dark decor.
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Inside the Kia Carnival there is a new curved display, that is, a combined virtual instrument panel and a touchscreen multimedia system (each display is 12.3 inches diagonal). The climate control unit has also been replaced (a single panel now combines temperature and multimedia settings), the cup holders integrated into the central tunnel have become larger, and the van also has a compartment with ultraviolet disinfection (built into the armrest between the front seats). Plus, restyling brought the van a central airbag (now there are only eight airbags), and electronic assistants were modernized. Finally, Kia announced improved sound insulation.
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The option with 11 seats has been removed from the range — at least at first, such an updated van will not be available in Korea. The model will be offered with a 7- or 9-seater cabin, plus the four-seat VIP version of the HiLimousine with a high roof remains in the lineup (but the restyled top-end MPV has not yet been shown). By the way, it was announced that from now on all versions have a more comfortable suspension (springs and shock absorbers with reduced rigidity), whereas previously it was the prerogative of the luxury HiLimousine.
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In the Korean market, the Kia Carnival is available with the same naturally aspirated V6 3.5 GDI petrol and 2.2 CRDi turbodiesel with 294 hp. and 194 hp Accordingly, both engines are combined with an eight-speed automatic transmission, front-wheel drive only. Moreover, after restyling, the minivan also for the first time acquired a hybrid HEV version (without the possibility of charging from the mains) with an installation based on a 1.6 petrol turbo-four. The total output of the hybrid is 245 hp. The brand did not talk about the transmission of the gas-electric minivan, but it is probably the same as that of the similar Sorento HEV: it is a six-speed automatic.
The price of the “traditional” updated Carnival starts at 34,700,000 won, which is equivalent to approximately 2.45 million rubles at the current exchange rate. The hybrid minivan will cost at least 39,250,000 won (2.77 million rubles). For comparison, the pre-reform Kia Carnival costs from 31,800,000 won (2.24 million rubles).