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Five things to look forward to with the new Kia Carnival

Kia takes the Carnival to new heights with its most recent update.

Jerome Tresvalles on Sep 25, 2024

Five things to look forward to with the new Kia Carnival

For Filipinos, the Kia Carnival holds a special place in their hearts as one of the few minivans that offer a well-balanced combination of space and luxury. The current generation of the Carnival arrived in the Philippines in 2022, two years after its global debut. While priced above P2.5 million, it remains significantly more affordable than its Japanese competitors, which often exceed the P3 million mark.

The Carnival may seat only seven passengers, but, the purpose of the Carnival isn’t to haul the most people, its purpose is to ferry its passengers in comfort over long distances. A purpose it excels in accomplishing.

Recently, Kia introduced the updated Carnival to the Philippine market. Impressively, it's more than just a cosmetic refresh to keep up with modern trends—Kia has packed it with a wealth of new features as well. In this article, we’ll be exploring the new Kia Carnival and listing five areas we’re most excited about with this facelift.

Related: Can Kia's upcoming EVs rival with the popular electric sedans in the Philippines?

A bold and futuristic exterior

Starting with the outside, Kia has molded the Carnival to adopt its “Opposites United” design language, keeping it in line with Kia’s latest additions like its ‘EV’ electric car lineup and SUVs like the Niro.

The Carnival now looks more like Kia’s EV9 electric SUV with its Signature Star Map lighting at the front, featuring LED reflectors. At the rear, it sports a sleek lightbar, complemented by a refreshed Tiger Nose grille and new 19-inch alloy wheels. At the rear, the minivan-MPV now boasts a full-width lightbar, replacing the traditional separate taillights seen on the pre-facelift model.

Overall, the exterior upgrades have given the Carnival a more commanding presence on the road. While it remains a refined and practical family hauler, it now has the style and flair to stand out, despite its otherwise mundane role.

First-class, further refined

The Carnival’s interior was already a fine place to be before its facelift, but Kia’s facelift introduced some adjustments to make it even better. At first glance, the cabin appears largely unchanged, but take a closer look and you’ll see that Kia has given it some thoughtful changes. Up front, the panoramic screen is now more cohesive, with the instrument cluster side seamlessly integrated into the design. Both screens are fully digital and now measure 12.3 inches each, and the previously raised bump is gone. The dashboard design accent, which echoed the C-pillar, has been removed, and a new air conditioning control system has been introduced.

At the dashboard, the strip of touch controls for the aircon on the center stack now doubles as a display for vehicle information, reducing the need for extra buttons and giving the dashboard a cleaner look. Furthermore, we’re happy to report that the piano black plastics on the center console have been minimized, limited to the shifter housing, while satin black now covers the rest of the console.

Like what it has done with the exterior, Kia has found and targeted ways in which the interior can be further improved. We like the thought they’ve put into making the inside of the Carnival more appealing and longer-lasting without being excessive.

Improved safety

The Carnival SX gets an array of advanced driver aids from Kia’s Drivewise safety suite, but, the standard features on the Carnival are equally impressive. Standard features on the Carnival include parking distance warning with front and rear sensors, a 360-degree camera, and parking collision-avoidance assist.

The refreshed Carnival also comes with a comprehensive set of airbags, covering the front, driver’s knee, front center, side, and curtain areas. Key safety systems such as anti-lock brakes (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC), hill-start assist control (HAC), and rear occupant alert are all standard, along with an anti-theft system for added security.

The Carnival’s seats include seatbelts with three-point ELR and pre-tensioners in the front, three-point ELR seatbelts in both the second and third rows, and ISOFIX child anchors for both the second and third rows. Additionally, a child lock feature is standard.

Tech features aplenty

As previously mentioned, the Carnival now features a new pair of expansive displays. This is complemented by a four-plus-two speaker system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Passenger amenities across the lineup remain impressive, with standard features like three-zone automatic climate control, power sliding doors, and a power liftgate. However, the range-topping SX model offers exclusive amenities such as a walk-away close function for the tailgate and a wireless mobile charger.

Kia Drivewise

We’ve mentioned the standard safety features on the Carnival, now let’s talk about features specifically for the SX variant. The latest addition to the top-of-the-line Carnival SX is the Kia Drivewise ADAS system. This advanced system features adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping and lane-following assist, forward collision avoidance assist, and rear cross-traffic alerts.

Even in its EX form, the Carnival is already an excellent long-distance cruiser, capable of covering miles with ease. However, with the addition of Kia’s DriveWise suite, you can ride comfortably and confidently, knowing the Carnival provides enhanced safety from all angles.

Thinking about the Kia Carnival for your family’s next vehicle? Visit the Kia Carnival Car Guide on AutoDeal.com.ph, where you can find all the specs, pricing, and variants. You can also connect with official sales agents with just a few clicks. Discover how easy it can be to purchase your next ride!

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