New look for people mover

Kia’s Carnival has been given a refresh for model year 2025 and the people mover now boasts a new look, a fresh interior, leading-edge technology and a new hybrid powertrain option.

Kia says the new model fuses SUV-inspired forms and surfaces and its appearance is complemented with a range of futuristic-looking alloy wheel options, from 17-inches to 19-inches, depending on the variant selected.

It comes in four variants, with the EX, Deluxe and Premium options powered by a 2.2-litre Smartstream turbo-diesel with an eight-speed automatic transmission that delivers fuel consumption figures of 7.5l per 100km.

The HEV Water variant has 1.6l Smartstream turbo-petrol engine with parallel hybrid system and offers fuel efficiency of 6.4l per 100km respectively.

Maximum power and torque from the turbo-diesel engine is 148kW and 440Nm, while combined figures for the smaller capacity turbo-petrol engine plus electric motor are 180kW and 367Nm.

Towing capacity is 2,000kg braked or 750kg unbraked for the turbo-diesel models and 1,000kg braked and 750kg unbraked for the HEV Water.

Todd McDonald, Kia New Zealand managing director, says: “The new Kia Carnival is reshaping expectations when it comes to transporting people in elegance and sophistication, as well as impressing with power and all-round performance.

“It’s a remarkable vehicle which features many of the best attributes of Kia’s award-winning SUV models and repackages them into a technology-rich and impressively luxurious vehicle offering seating for up to eight people.

“It is big on style, big on technology and huge on comfort.  It is the most refined, roomy and capable Carnival.”

The interior offers a split-screen panoramic display consisting of a 12.3-inch full colour TFT-LCD instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment system.  

The EX model features a 4.2-inch colour LCD and 12.3-inch Infotainment System.

The higher specification Premium and HEV Water also feature a full colour heads-up display as standard, which projects information in the driver’s field of view, such as vehicle speed, navigation instructions and alerts from the car’s driver assistance technologies.

A dual sunroof, with front and rear tilt plus sliding, is also an option on the Premium model while the HEV Water offers a digital rear-view function.

Seating configurations can be grouped according to requirements, such as two up front, a seven-person set up with “spare space” in the middle of the vehicle or a full complement of eight people.

There are dual power-sliding rear doors on each side of the vehicle, and the Deluxe, Premium and HEV Water models have a one-touch open/close feature operated via the key fob.

The higher-specification models also have front row heated and ventilated seats, as well as second row outer heated seats.

Dual-zone climate control is standard on all but the EX, with separate controls for the driver and front passenger as well as second-row passengers to help regulate the temperature for everyone in the car.

From a load-carrying perspective, the Kia Carnival offers 2,827-litres of cargo space when the second and third rows are folded down.

The vehicle has a suite of advanced safety technologies and airbags throughout.

Safety features available on all model grades as standard include forward collision avoidance assist, advanced smart cruise control and lane following assist.

A surround-view monitor available on the Deluxe, Premium and HEV Water vehicles helps make parking easier and activates when reverse gear is selected, providing a 360-degree view around the vehicle.  

The new-look Kia Carnival is available in four gloss colours, including snow white pearl, panthera metal, aurora black and ceramic silver.

Pricing starts from $62,990 plus on-road costs.