The facelifted Kia Carnival could be had in Malaysia with either 7 or 11 seats within its spacious cabin.
Kia has certainly gone big with its recent local relaunch, as the South Korean automaker has just announced the local debut of its facelifted Carnival. Although it actually arrives some two years after its international introduction, the practical people mover has nevertheless finally made its way here in two guises:
- 2.2D 11-seater: RM 188,888
- 2.2D 7-seater: RM 248,888
Now visually, this facelift has brought with it a sharper and more contemporary look to what has always been a sleek-looking people mover. The Carnival gains a wider ‘tiger nose’ grille flanked by vertically stacked LED headlights up front, while its rump has been updated to match with inverted L-shaped LED taillights and a redesigned lower number plate recess.
Along the sides meanwhile, the Carnival has been subtly freshened up with new wheel designs. The 11-seater rides on 18-inch two-tone turbine-style alloys, while the seven-seater receives larger 19-inch wheels with a distinctive ‘cubic’ pattern. Anoraks can also tell the two variants apart by the taller door mirrors exclusive to the 11-seat variant.
As for what lies under the bonnet, the Malaysian-spec Carnival does soldier on with the familiar 2.2-litre Smartstream turbocharged four-cylinder diesel and 8-speed automatic transmission pairing. This carry-over oil-burner churns out a decent 202 PS and 440 Nm of torque, but even more impressive perhaps is the claimed NEDC-rated fuel consumption figure of 6.5 l/100 km, which Kia says translates to a driving range of over 900 km on a single tank.
It is nevertheless worth noting that other markets do get a hybrid version of the Carnival, with the electrified variant incidentally already being built locally for the Thai market. Kia has however stated that the hybrid is not on the cards for Malaysia just yet, though its eventual introduction has not been ruled out entirely.
Finally moving along within, the facelift brings a pair of 12.3-inch displays for the instrument cluster and central infotainment system — complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — seamlessly integrated into a single curved panel. The audio and climate controls have also been combined into a switchable touch panel, similar to the EV6, while a full-width ambient lighting strip runs beneath the equally wide air vents.
As the variant name suggests, seating layouts differ according to variant, with the 11-seater arranged in a 2-3-3-3 configuration and the seven-seater adopting a more premium 2-2-3 layout. The latter’s second-row power-adjustable captain’s chairs further come with a one-touch Premium Relaxation recline function, and can be slid manually fore and aft or side to side.
Standard equipment across the range includes keyless entry with remote engine start, triple-zone automatic climate control with third-row air vents, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, second- and third-row side window sunshades, twin power sliding doors, a Qi wireless charger and seven USB-C ports throughout the cabin. The seven-seater adds rain-sensing wipers, a head-up display, genuine leather upholstery over faux leather, an upgraded 12-speaker Bose sound system in place of the standard six-speaker setup, and a panoramic sunroof with a powered shade.
Further differentiating the range-topper, the seven-seat variant also gains four-way power lumbar adjustment with memory for the driver’s seat, along with heating and ventilation for both front seats. Crucially, it is also the only version to receive a full suite of ADAS features, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane centring assist, blind-spot monitoring with collision avoidance, blind-spot cameras, rear cross-traffic alert with auto braking, and a driver attention monitor.
The facelifted Kia Carnival continues to be locally assembled at the Inokom plant in Kulim, Kedah. Though new for this year is the warranty, which now has been extended to five-years or 150,000 km.
