The 2022 Kia Carnival is now available as a locally-assembled model, and is offered in both seven- and eight-seater variants. And after our experience with the new model on a road trip to Penang, we think that it’s really the best answer to the Vellfire/Alphard duo, in addition to just being a great family MPV!
The biggest change here is the added luxuriousness, particularly on the range-topping seven-seater variant. Gone is the bus-like seating arrangement, now replaced by a pair of “Premium Relaxion” captain seats in the second row of the seven-seater that even comes with a “zero-gravity mode” for the ultimate boss experience.
With only two rows of seats in the rear passenger quarters, legroom has also been improved significantly on the CKD Kia Carnival, even for those seating all the way at the back. And if you need more versatility for your family MPV, the eight-seater variants also still offer manual reclining function in both the second- and third-row seats, in addition to the ability to reconfigure the seats into a meeting-room layout!
ALSO WATCH: 2022 CKD Kia Carnival now in Malaysia, from RM231k
In terms of appearance, not much really has changed here. The CKD Kia Carnival gets the new LED full-width tail lights, but that’s pretty much the only difference on the outside, aside from the smaller wing mirrors.
Also unchanged is the powertrain underneath the bonnet, with the 2.2-litre unit still powering all variants. The turbodiesel mill makes 199 hp and 440 Nm, with power sent to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
