Kia Motors India debuted in the Indian market with the Seltos and that was an instant hit. Just to make its dealerships more extravagant, Kia decided to launch the Carnival minivan. With no direct competition to the Carnival in the market, Kia was confident to garner good sales and well, they succeeded. Call it the brand's novelty value or chaining consumer behaviour, one this is for sure that Kia did its homework well. As we have put the Kia Carnival to its paces, it's time to know the pros and cons of this extravagant minivan.
Pros:
Doesn't Look Like a Van
The Kia Carnival looks great and proportionate from every angle you see. The smooth flowing panels give it a chiselled stance and the sliding rear doors are not prominent or odd-looking, to say the least. The front gets a broad Tiger Nose grille which is flanked with LED headlights. The Carnival is long, very long but the on-road footprint is smaller than what it is. Overall, the Carnival takes a different approach in terms of design and really stands out on the Indian roads.
Versatile and Utterly Spacious
Kia Carnival is a people mover and it is meant to be spacious and accommodating. The Carnival can accommodate as high as 9 people on board including the driver. But what if you don't want to cram in 9 people inside and want all that space to yourself? Kia has the Carnival Limousine for you which a ton of space to open your legs. And you can actually keep you legs straight open thanks to the extendable leg support and a ton of adjustments. If you want a car/van - whatever - which has a great amount of space, Carnival is just the right option for you.
Great Ride Quality and Features
The ride quality of the Kia Carnival is very supple and plush. It isn't high-riding SUV, hence you may feel some movement over sharp bumps but Kia has ensured that these bumps don't creep inside the cabin. Moreover, all seats of the Carnival - be it the front row or the middle one - offer great cushioning and support. The Carnival also offers a plethora of features including dual-pane sunroof, 8.0-inch touchscreen with UVO connect, ventilated seats, electrically-sliding rear doors and much more.
Powerful Diesel Engine
In the age of stringent emission norms, Kia offered the Carnival with a 2.2-litre diesel engine. For a minivan, a torque heavy diesel engine is needed to potter the weight and Carnival has that. The 2.2-litre diesel engine produces 200ps of power and 440 Nm of torque, mated with an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The diesel engine throws loads of torque to the front wheels and it moves fast which is not expected from a minivan!
Cons:
Poor Safety in Base Trims
Kia Carnival is a feature-loaded car but that statement is only viable up the range of variants. You will be shocked to know that a 25 lakh rupee car comes with only two airbags. That's very shocking given Carnival is made for long-distance highway touring. Kia has compromised on safety in the lower trims while brimming the top trims with features.
Loves Speedbrakers
We mentioned the term "Minivan" till now multiple times, just to make you realise that it's not a high-riding ladder-on-frame based MPV. The Carnival is based on a Monocoque chassis and comes with small ground clearance. The clearance is not the only issue but the long-wheelbase is. All in all, the Carnival loves to kiss tall speed breakers and you have to slow the pace on bad roads.
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Lack of Service reach
Kia Motors India is working on its reach across the length and breadth of India. But still, the service stations of Kia Motors India are scarce in Tier II and Tier III cities and there is some time left to increase the bandwidth. If you like in a Tier II or a Tier III city where you don't have access to Kia service station and have bad roads, MPVs like the Innova Crysta and Mahindra Marazzo will suit your needs better.
So here are the Pros and Cons of the Kia Carnival and if you have any more to share, drop them in comments. Also, become a part of interesting automotive discussions by clicking here
