Kia Carnival: Old vs. new

The Kia Carnival is one of the brand’s entries in the local minivan segment. The nameplate recently received a refresh and gained sport utility vehicle styling, which made it more appealing to a wider variety of car buyers.

Here’s how the new Kia Carnival stacks up against the old one.

Exterior

The Kia Grand Carnival looked like your traditional minivan with a short and chunky nose, a long and beefy body, and the typical sliding doors.

It sports a cluster of front lights with circular and squarish panels complemented by rounded front fog lamps. It also has a similarly wide grille with horizontal bars and a front skid plate.

The rear end of the vehicle is equipped with a pair of large taillamps, a roof-mounted spoiler with a third brake lamp, reflectors on each side of its lower rear bumper, and a rear diffuser.

As for the newer model, it gets larger and more aggressive looks thanks to a longer hood, sleeker lights, and a more prominent grille. Noticeably, it also now wears the latest iteration of the brand’s logo.

To its rear are thinner lights and a light bar that connects the taillamps on both ends. It also has a slim spoiler-integrated high-mount stop lamp and reflectors on each side of the lower bumper.

Overall, the looks of the new Kia Carnival are more modern compared to its predecessor.

Interior

The cabin of both minivans also sings to the same tune. The dashboard of the Kia Grand Carnival for example, looks a lot busier with buttons and gauges scattered everywhere. The instrument cluster, for instance, comes with obviously large housings for the two analog gauges. Likewise, the infotainment system of the minivan also has thick bezels.

Its seats are finished in a mix of fabric and leather while the steering wheel, the gear shifter, and center armrest are swathed in leather material.

The new Kia Carnival, on the other hand, features a cleaner layout with two large digital screens, which make the dash look more seamless.

Similarly, the seats, steering wheel, and center armrest of the new Kia Carnival are covered in plush leather material.

The interior of the new Kia Carnival looks better than the old one overall. The modern cabin atmosphere make the minivan a better ride, especially during long journeys.

Engine

Under the hood of the old version of Kia's minivan is a 2.2-liter inline four-cylinder diesel engine that puts out as much as 197 horses with 441 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque. It is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Similarly, the new Kia Carnival packs a 2.2-liter diesel mill mated to the eight-speed Smartstream automatic transmission. The setup produces approximately 199 horsepower with 440Nm of pulling power.

Overall, the new Kia Carnival makes a little more power than its predecessor.

Verdict

The all-new Kia Carnival definitely has more to offer than the previous model. Not only does it look better but it also boasts slightly better power making it more appealing should car buyers be left with choosing between the two.

Currently, the Kia Carnival is offered in four variants with prices ranging from P2.640 million-P3.098 million.

Photos from Kia Philippines 

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