The Kia Carnival has been given a refresh in India, now getting a new top-spec variant, the Limousine Plus. With the Carnival getting a variant rejig, the Innova-rivalling people-mover also offers more standard equipment on the lower trims, along with a whopping Rs. 2 lakh price drop on the Limousine variant!
The Kia Carnival has always been a handsome looking car – something that one may not associate with most MPVs on the road currently. And despite the facelifted fourth-gen Carnival being revealed globally, this car in its current generation continues to turn heads! Kia hasn’t messed around with the Carnival’s design. Apart from the addition of the new Kia logo on the Carnival, you now get 18-inch crystal-cut alloy wheels as standard on all the variants, as opposed to the 18’s being available earlier only the earlier top-spec Limousine variant.
The interiors of the Carnival remain unchanged from before. It is still a comfortable cabin to be in, be it behind the wheel or in the backseat. Due to changes in the variant lineup, the Limousine variant of the Carnival now slots between the lower Prestige trim and the newly-launched Limousine Plus. Consequently, the pared-down Limousine variant gets an 8-inch touchscreen for infotainment along with a single 10.1-inch rear seat entertainment package at a much more accessible price point. The new top-spec Limousine Plus trim of the Carnival gets all the kit that the Limousine variant got before the downgrade with an 8-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat with ventilation, tyre pressure monitoring and two 10.1-inch screens at the rear for entertainment. The Carnival retains its 7, 8 and 9-seater configurations.
The Carnival remains mechanically unchanged, with Kia continuing to offer the MPV solely with a 2.2-litre diesel engine, mated to an eight-speed torque converter automatic, that makes 187bhp and 440Nm of torque. As we mentioned earlier in our drive review of the Kia Carnival, it continues to be a refined people-mover, transporting its occupants in luxury.
The starting price for the Kia Carnival remains unchanged, at Rs. 24.95 lakh for the base-spec seven-seater version. A big change is the pared-down Limousine variant, receiving a price drop of Rs. 2 lakh, while the new Limousine Plus is Rs 33.99 lakh which is on par with what the top-end was before the update. The variant rejig just might make the Kia Carnival more appealing, considering that the popular Limousine variant is now more affordable than ever before!