- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru Fr He Ar
2020 Kia Carnival Minivan. 4th generation
The Kia Carnival is an 8- or 7-seater 5-door front wheel drive minivan manufactured by Hyundai-Kia. In 2020, the manufacturer introduced the fourth generation, which is sold in Israel with diesel (2.2 liters) or petrol (3.5 liters) engines. Let’s find out more about its new features.
Exterior
The fourth generation Carnival debuted in June 2020. It is built on the new Hyundai-Kia mid-size platform, featuring a 40 mm longer body and 30 mm longer wheelbase, which makes the interior and the trunk roomier. The exterior of the minivan is designed in compliance with the corporate style, which makes all the Kia models very similar. The color scheme consists of five shades from black to white (including silver, gray and dark gray).
After carefully examining the exterior of the 2020/2021 Kia Carnival, we still do not understand why the Koreans call this huge car a cross-van. Is it because of the ‘Dirt plus Snow’ 235/60 R18 tires? Due to unpainted plastic protection surface around the entire perimeter or the declared ground clearance of 182 mm? Well, these seemingly solid figures disappear against the background of a three-meter wheelbase and low height of this car. The minivan body is 5,155 mm long, 1,995 mm wide and 1,785 mm high.
Interior
The interior is the most interesting and important thing for minivans. Here the new Kia Carnival is good. In Israel, the car comes as a 7-seater version, although other markets can offer an 8-seater option. The side sliding doors and the rear one are equipped with an electric drive and can be opened with remote control buttons, with the car keys or even automatically, for which you need to approach your car and wait. The interior is roomy and offers a separate climate unit for the second row and separate modes at the front.
The driver has two large displays (12.3-inch) connected into one digital space: the dashboard and the central one, which displays, for example, a video recorded by the interior camera, at the same time you cannot only admire your traveling companions, but also talk on intercom. The gearshift lever has been replaced by a special plate. The second row consists of two comfortable seats, plus you can even move the front passenger seat with an electric drive, the buttons of which are located on the back. You can also move your seats, tilt the backrests and turn them 180 degrees. The third row seats, designed for three people, move back and forth. There are sockets and cup holders for passengers.
Powertrains
Let’s start with the fact that the 2021/2022 Kia Carnival comes with a now rare hydraulic-mechanical automatic transmission! The eight-stage unit is a deliberate choice of the manufacturer that has decided that this option is optimal for a heavy vehicle and its conservative buyers. And it’s a fair point. There are two engines: a 3.5-liter V6 petrol engine producing 249 hp and a 2.2-liter 4-cylinder diesel CRDi engine with an aluminum unit (199 hp). Only the front-wheel drive version is available. The car is very dynamic, although it weighs about 2,100 kg. Thus, the diesel version accelerates to 100 km/h in 10.7 seconds, whereas the petrol version does it in 8.5 seconds. At the same time, fuel consumption is 7.8 liters in the city and 5.7 liters on the highway for a diesel engine, while the petrol engine is more gluten for fuel: 14.6/7.8 liters per 100 km. The car features a MacPherson strut suspension at the front and a multi-link suspension at the rear. There are disc brakes, with the front ones being ventilated.
Trim levels
Israeli buyers can choose between EX and Premium version of the new Kia Carnival. Each has two engines, so there are 4 versions in total. The entry-level version offers a full interior transformation, LED reflex headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels, two air conditioners (for the front and rear parts of the passenger compartment), cruise control, rear view camera and good safety level. It comes with 7 airbags, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring system (the Premium version displays these zones on the central panel through outer cameras). There is automatic braking and lane keeping assist, identification of pedestrians and other obstacles. The Premium version also includes two large sunroofs.
