2018 Kia Carnival

Need to carry friends, family or work colleagues from A-to-B?  If you find yourself having to perform this duty often, then it might be time for you to consider getting yourself into a new vehicle suited to carrying passengers.  There are a number of good vehicles designed for carrying passengers, and one of these ‘people movers’ that has excellent room, technology and comfort is the 2018 Kia Carnival.

With plenty of ‘people mover’ options out there in the showrooms, what are the better choices you might like to consider?  Before going into detail on the attributes of the very good brand new Kia Carnival, I will mention that the Honda Odyssey, the Mitsubishi Chariot, the Citroen C4 Pacasso, the Toyota Tarago, Volkswagen’s Multivan, Hyundai’s iMax and Mercedes Benz’s bit more expensive Valente are options on the table.  As you can see, this slice of the car market is heavily fought between rivals.  But I would have to say that the 2018 Kia Carnival with its improved 8-speed automatic transmission, excellent comfort and space, and good ride quality for under $60k make this a genuine eight-seater people-moving winner offering charming cabin ambience.

Let’s start with the new Carnival’s appearance.  To look at the vehicle has a nice blend of chunky lines with elegant detailing.  It’s always hard to design a ‘people mover’ without the chunky lines, yet Kia has what I think is a very modern, flowing and attractive eight-seater wagon design.  The Carnival boasts a strong, bold appearance with an attractive headlamp design and a pretty grille and bumper combination.  The high waistline, fluted rear window and body coloured bumpers keep the Carnival looking smooth and classy.  Touches of chrome around the grille and tinted windows keep the Carnivals presence smart and endearing.  As far as owning an attractive MPV design, the Kia Carnival is a winner.

Step inside the 2018 Kia Carnival, and I’m very impressed with the quality appearance.  Pleasant colours, tones and materials are used to create a warm and attractive cabin ambience.  There is plenty of light streaming into the spacious interior, and the seats are very well designed for comfort.  Looking to the front where the new Kia Carnival has had a freshen up over the dash with new levels of technology gracing the two-tone coloured fascia, the styling is flowing and attractive.  Again, Kia has used some very nice chrome touches to accentuate the Carnival’s luxury feel and sophistication.  Chrome door handles, chrome air vent surrounds, a thin border of chrome defines the touchscreen display in the centre of the dash, and there is even a smooth curvy chrome trim used around the cup holders and gear lever.  The new Kia Carnival’s seating fabric is a modern fabric that is very smart on the eye but also in function.  The material is a stain resistant cloth, perfect for when you have the kids on-board eating ice-creams and drinking juice.  The modern fabric cleans easily, is nice to the touch, but is also hard-wearing.  Sumptuous leather is offered on SLi and Platinum models for those who love ultimate luxury.

You can rest assured that all the seats in the big 2018 Kia Carnival are comfortable for an adult.  Second row seats can be slid forward and back as well as recline.  Easy access to the third row is between the second row seats.  Electronic side doors and rear gate make this a special and practical wagon.  The seats can also be stored flat in a wide variety of patterns for seemingly endless passenger and cargo carrying possibilities.  With the 2nd and 3rd rows folded down, the Carnival has 4,022 litres of cargo space available.  Each of the seats has three point seatbelt safeties, and there are front, side and curtain airbags.

2018 Kia Carnival

2018 Kia Carnival

There is plenty of excellent new technology in the offering for Kia Carnival owners.  In fact, the amount of standard features on-board the new Carnival makes it a real bargain and sets it up as a very well-equipped MPV.  A glovebox with a cooling function, and a driver’s seat that is heated, electronically adjustable and with memory function are available on certain models.  Platinum models get front seats with heated and ventilated comfort settings.  An 8-speaker surround sound system provides delightful audio on Platinum, SLi and Si grades.  With the 8-inch high-resolution touch-screen display there is integrated navigation and a suite of popular apps that all occupants are going to enjoy.  Most of us nowadays never go anywhere without our smartphones, so Kia has provided the 8-inch touchscreen that will keep you connected through the available Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems.  You can now access your text messages, talk to clients, enjoy your own music, be guided by the latest satellite navigation maps and plenty more with instinctual voice commands or dash and steering wheel controls.  Even the driver can use these functions while staying focused on the road.  The multifunction steering wheel has various buttons for controlling audio, cruise control, phone etc.

2018 Kia Carnival

The best safety features are all standard on each Kia Carnival model.  Strong from the inside out, the new Kia Carnival features trusted active and passive safety technology to help protect you and your passengers.  Autonomous Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, blind spot detection, a 360° Camera View system, a rear view camera, parking sensors, Lane Departure Warning, Smart Cruise Control using radar detection, and of course all the strategically placed airbags throughout the cabin are standard.  Electronic stability control, ABS, Hill Start Assist, automatic headlights, and a door open warning system are fitted on each Carnival model.  An Electronic Parking Brake is standard across the range, and this engages the parking brake at the touch of a button. With the auto-hold function, the car is kept stationary even when the brake pedal is released.

Kia Australia have refined and locally tuned the ride and handling of the new Carnival range, making it very suited to our conditions.  To drive, the big ‘people mover’ is very sure-footed and stable.  An electronically controlled 8-speed automatic transmission provides smooth, seamless shifting and improved fuel efficiency.  There is a choice of two engines to power the Carnival; one is a powerful 3.3-litre petrol boasting 206 kW and 336 Nm, while the other is the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel with 147 kW and 440 Nm.  Whichever engine you choose you will have ample power for a fully laden Carnival packed with passengers and cargo.  Naturally the diesel engine is going to be more fuel efficient than the petrol motor.  All models can safely tow a 750 kg un-braked trailer or a 2000 kg braked trailer.

For what I would consider the best people mover on the market – all things considered – the Kia Carnival is the benchmark.

2018 Kia Carnival

The 2018 Kia Carnival model series includes the:

• Kia Carnival S Petrol
• Kia Carnival S Diesel
• Kia Carnival Si Petrol
• Kia Carnival Si Diesel
• Kia Carnival SLi Petrol
• Kia Carnival SLi Diesel
• Kia Carnival Platinum Petrol
• Kia Carnival Platinum Diesel

For any more information on the 2018 Kia Carnival or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Kia dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours.  Private Fleet – car buying made easy!