Kia Carnival Review – Yes, The Best MPV!

Interiors – Stepping in the Carnival is rather an easy affair, thanks to the car’s relatively low ride-height. Once inside, what you see is what you get. The dashboard is fairly ordinary in its appearance and so is the instrument cluster. But many would prefer it that way. The equipment level in the Carnival is exhaustive with even the base Premium trim getting goodies like a touch-screen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, four-speaker audio-system, reverse camera, cruise control amongst others. The top-spec Limousine variant adds Nappa leather, air purifier, 10-way adjustable driver’s seat with ventilation, wireless smartphone charging, rear-entertainment screens and UVO connectivity which will be free for the first three years. 

Even the base trim of the Carnival comes loaded with equipment, with the top-spec getting ventilated seats among others

The fit, feel and finish on the inside is superb. Kia has done a great job with the quality of materials and the general sense of premium-ness. There is are enough soft-touch materials and the quality 
of switches and buttons feel more than satisfactory. In this digital age, some customers may like that Kia has kept physical buttons and knobs.

Space is lavish upfront and the same can be said for the second-row of the 7-seater version. You can truly stretch out and the Limousine-spec also offers an option of ‘Luxury VIP’ seats which get an option of an individual leg-rest. Getting in the second row is an occasion with electronically sliding doors. There is corridor levels of space to get in and out and grab handles have been provided for easy entry. What you will truly appreciate is the twin-sunroof that aids light into the cabin. Kia has also played it safe by keeping beige as the sole interior theme. The seats are supremely comfortable and it won’t be an exaggeration to say that the Carnival feels more expensive than what it would be from the second row. An ideal chauffeur-driven car then!

The Carnival can seat 7 people in absolute comfort, making it ideal for chauffeur-driven owners & long journeys

The third row is spacious by class standards and ingress and egress won’t be an issue, thanks to the sliding door. However, we did feel that the last row won’t be ideal for seating three adults abreast as it is a bit narrow. But the all-important legroom is plenty and tall passengers won’t complain about the headroom. As mentioned earlier, Kia will also offer the Carnival in the 9-seat configuration with four-rows. Because there won’t be any changes to the wheelbase for this configuration, don’t expect it to be too spacious.

The MPV scores really high for equipment, quality, versatility and space on offer.