2022 Kia Grand Carnival

2022 Kia Carnival Review

On November 1, 2022, the KIA brand revived under Dinamikjaya Motors Sdn Bhd opened its booking books for the much anticipated fourth-generation Kia Carnival.

Initially only available as an 11-seater, the fully imported fourth-generation Carnival boasts a design evolution that now brings SUV-inspired design elements giving it a stronger, more stylish presence in the mid-sized MPV segment.

KIA calls it a 'Grand Utility Vehicle', a wholly made-up term but one that at least describes the Carnival quite accurately, especially given that it is the automaker's flagship MPV.

While the exterior design exudes a handsome silhouette, the interior's classy design gives the Carnival another level of sophistication. 

Because it had 11 seats, it technically allowed Kia Malaysia to register it as a commercial vehicle, giving the fourth-generation Kia Carnival an attractive price tag. Ironically however, that attractive price was cancelled out when the locally assembled models arrived.

On July 28, 2022, Dinamikjaya launched the locally assembled Kia Carnival, offering them in either a seven or eight-seater configuration. However, because it doesn't have 11 seats, it was priced as a passenger vehicle which saw a bump in price.

It isn't all bad news, as the CKD Kia Carnival offered higher levels of equipment, including the luxurious and comfortable "Relaxion" seats and a host of advanced active safety features.

2022 Kia Carnival Specifications

To date, Kia Malaysia offers four variants of the Kia Carnival:

-2.2D 11-seater

-2.2D 8-seater Mid

-2.2D 8-seater High

-2.2D 7-seater High

All Kia Carnivals in Malaysia come with KIA's venerable 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. The engine produces 199 horsepower at 3,800 RPM and 440 Nm of torque from just 1,750 – 2,750 RPM. 

All variants also come with a host of power-assisted doors and functionality, including Smart Power Sliding Doors, Smart Power Liftgate, and Smart Key with one-button open/close functionality for rear sliding doors and liftgate.

No distinguishable exterior features set them apart as all of them apart from colour choice, are the same.

The 11-seater is offered in Astra Blue, Silky Silver, Panthera Metal, Aurora Black Pearl, Snow White Pearl and Flare Red.

The 7/8-seater can be had in Astra Blue, Sonic Silver, Meteor Gray, Jet Black and Snowflake White Pearl.

Exterior of the 2022 Kia Carnival

The Carnival now features a shorter front overhang and bonnet that's been slightly extended thanks to the A-pillar having moved more rearward, giving it a slightly more SUV-like profile. This is a very intentional design choice, of course, given the popularity of anything SUV these days.

There's also the 'floating roof' effect happening with the 2022 Carnival thanks to some black finished vertical pillar surrounds emulating an uninterrupted glasshouse. Towards the rear, the silver-accented chrome fin that adorns the C-pillar is inspired by the new Sorento and is definitely an eye-catching piece of design.

Perhaps the most eye-catching ornament of this 2022 Carnival is that front grille. This is yet another variation of their 'tiger nose' grille design. The daytime running lights are also attractive with their angular straight lines.

Another interesting design is the location of the high-beam lamps, as they are integrated into the corner of the tiger-nose grille, with the low-beam lamps sitting separately at the outer edges of the front of the car. Finally, the DRLs that wrap around the Carnival's turn signal lamps and then plunges downwards are also another new exciting bit of design for the 2022 Carnival.

At the rear, the Carnival boasts a wide, distinctive new design emphasized by the sleek combination lamps integrated into a full-width light bar. Above the light bar is a chrome line, which starts at the base of the new signature C-pillar and wraps around the base of the rear screen. Further enhancing its SUV-inspired design, the Carnival is finished off with a metallic lower skid plate, similar to what is offered at the front.

The CKD models added an LED lightbar across the taillights and now feature a complete LED setup at the rear as opposed to the halogen setup found on the CBU 11-seater model.  

Interior of the 2022 Kia Carnival

While the exterior design exudes a handsome silhouette, the interior's classy design gives the Carnival another level of sophistication. The centre fascia laced with a high-gloss black surface is paired with chrome garnishes that run the dash's length to create a sense of space and openness in the cabin. In addition, the slim metal air vents blend well with the design ethos and give the MPV a modern design.

Other interior features include a whoppingly extensive 12.3-inch high-resolution LCD Touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Wireless smartphone charging, multi-Bluetooth connectivity, and up to seven USB ports round up the Carnival's convenience features.

All models except for the 2.2D 8-seater Mid come with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, as the 8-seater Mid variant only comes with a 4.2-inch LCD screen flanked by analogue gauges. 

The most significant difference between the four variants is of course, the seating configuration. All Carnivals except for the 7-seater come with leatherette seats, but the 11-seater comes with jump seats in the second and third row which can be flipped sideways for better access to the other rear seats.

The 8-seater feature 40:20:40 seats, which are detachable in the second row. The 8-seaters are perhaps the most versatile of Carnivals, as the seats can be flipped horizontally so that the second and third rows can face each other. Because they are detachable, you could also expand the cargo space up to 4,000 litres, turning it into a cargo-carrying monster. All variants feature sinking seats at the very rear, which can be tucked away into the floor.

The 7-seater is probably the most luxurious out of the four variants as it features Kia's Premium Relaxion Seats. The second-row Relaxion seats give passengers a first-class experience where the seats' back reclines, the front base tilts up, and the leg support lifts and extends. The variant is also the only vehicle to come with leather and ventilated seats in the first and second rows. 

All variants except for the 11-seater get the premium 12-speaker Bose setup.

2022 Kia Carnival Safety Features

All Carnivals come with passive safety features such as ABS, EBD, ESC and TCS. Where they differ is when it comes to advanced safety features.

The 8-seater Mid has the least amount of safety features as it has no advanced safety features at all. The 11-seater has a couple, including Blind Spot Collision Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist.

The rest all get a substantial amount of advanced safety features, including:

-High Beam Assist

-Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist

-Rear Cross Traffic Alert

-Lane Keeping Assist

-Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist

-Lane Following Assist

-Smart Cruise Control

2022 Kia Carnival Pros and Cons

After introducing the 7/8-seater Carnival, we assume that the 11-seater will probably be at the bottom of the list in terms of demand as it is the most cramped Carnival out of all the variants. Therefore, its target market will probably shift towards the service industry, where there is demand for an MPV with 11 seats. 

For the most versatility, the 8-seater Carnivals are the ones to go for as their seating arrangements can be configured in many ways, appealing to those looking for a family vehicle that can do it all. The 7-seater is perhaps the most inflexible out of the lot, but it is the most premium and luxurious Carnival you can buy. 

The Carnival's main strength is still its exterior SUV-like design as well as the powerful yet frugal diesel engine, which is one of the most refined diesel engines you can buy. 

2022 Kia Carnival Price In Malaysia

All prices include everything you need to get it on the road without insurance.

• Kia Carnival 2.2D 11-Seater - RM196,340
• Kia Carnival 2.2D 8-Seater - RM231,228
• Kia Carnival 2.2D 8-Seater (High) - RM247,228
• Kia Carnival 2.2D 7-Seater (High) - RM261,228

The price includes a five-year warranty and five years/100,000km free maintenance, including labour, parts and lubricants.

Key Features of the 2022 Kia Carnival

All variants except for the 11-seater come with the same LED lighting package, including dual front headlights, daytime running lights, rear combination taillights, and front fog lights. However, only the rear fog lights and reverse lights are using bulbs.

All models are also fitted with the same 18-inch alloy wheels (234/60 R18) wrapped in Goodyear rubbers with a spare 17-inch wheel for emergencies. Hiding behind those are ventilated discs with MacPherson struts handling the front and solid discs mounted at the rear with a multi-link suspension setup.

The top speed is set at 190km/h, but more importantly, the new Kia Carnival has a fuel efficiency of only 6.5L/100km, which is also the same for all variants. Quite a way to go when paired with its 72-litre fuel tank capacity.