The wraps have come off the third-generation Kia Carnival in New York – the MPV, also known as the Sedona in selected markets, completes the brand’s design-led transformation for its model lineup, which began in 2009. It replaces the second-gen, which has been around since 2006 and was sold in Malaysia in its original guise as well as the Naza-badged Ria.
The new Carnival features a CUV-like cab-forward design, highlighted by a fully integrated version of Kia’s signature grille and headlamps with LED positioning lights as well as a deeply swept windshield.
Not much in the way of figures, dimensional or otherwise, though the company says that the new vehicle’s wheelbase is 40 mm longer than its predecessor. Also, from a static torsional stiffness point-of-view, the new Carnival is 36% stiffer than its closest segment competitor.
Available in seven- and eight-seater forms, Kia says the new Carnival’s interior provides more front shoulder room, greater leg room in the front, second and third rows and a slightly higher hip-point as far as volumetric scope goes.
Seat configuration options include second-row Slide-n-Stow tracked seating, which slides and folds upright to allow for “on-the-go” cargo hauling while eliminating the hassle that comes with removing heavy and cumbersome middle seats. There’s also the option of second-row “First Class” lounge seating, which can be positioned rearward and features retractable lower leg rests.
The cabin features plenty of soft-touch materials and solid or two-tone colour options for its interior theme, with shade choices being beige, grey and burgundy. Upper specification models are set to get ultra-soft Nappa leather seating surfaces throughout the cabin as standard.
Features include a Surround View Monitor and a hands-free “Smart Tailgate,” which opens the rear lift gate automatically when the key fob is sensed for three seconds – the latter is programmable and can be tailored to the user’s height preference.
Only one engine choice to be found under the hood at point of introduction, and that’s a Lambda GDI 3.3 litre V6 engine, which replaces the 3.5 litre V6 found in the previous generation. The new mill offers 276 hp at 6,000 rpm and 336 Nm of twist at 5,200 rpm. In the Carnival, it’s paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.
The MPV, which rides on 19-inch wheels, gets Amplitude Selected Dampers (ASD), which Kia says offers an optimal balance of ride comfort and handling. As for safety, the stock items list includes electronic stability control, traction control, BA and hill-start assist as well as EBD and ABS.
Also on as standard equipment are cornering brake control and roll over mitigation. On the options front, there’s vehicle stability management (VSM), forward collision warning system (FCWS), smart cruise control, blind spot detection and rear cross traffic alert.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
that’s it, price it around exora bold i’ll buy two. please naza.
Don dream… 3.3 litre v6 same price with exora? This is boleh land la…!!
someone weird happen to me, i started to expect good design from Kia, and their did it.
Ooh my england!
rip english
Better than Sam’s old hilux
Result of Education Ministry policy last 20 years.
The new Naza Ria price should be double price of Exora.
Naza must keep MITI happy, Proton sigh relief, Dr M smile.
Sad. Naza will not bring this one into Malaysia. They will blame it on tax structure instead. This model can easily kill the sale of similar segment car of other brands under their wing. This is a totally new model Carnival laden with latest gadgets. This probably cost rm160-170K otr if they really bring it here by considering Sorento price.
Naza will never bring in this model. Not unless if they come in smaller cc.
3.3ltr road tax will kill the model!
ahahaha, joke of the year!
Even a b-segment 1.6 Cerato is rm100k now, you think a mid-size SUV would be below rm100k? LMAO!!!
Dude, cerato is c segment car.
again, its mpv not suv..dumass
lol …. if cerator b segment, then vios is A segment? XD
I’ll ask my men to price it slightly above Prove Exora but under The new Honda Odyssey. Then every Rakyat will be Happy.
LOLOLOLOL najib now browses paultan.
SHIT JUST GOT REAL GUYS. EXPECT PRICE INCREASES ALLL YEAR LONG
Thank you Naza boss!
rosmah apa kabar?sampaikan salam sayang padanya
Howabout Naza rebadging this mpv as “NAZA ROSMARIA?”
Our VVIP’s wife would be very happy,wouldn’t she?
Oh,I forgot.The Rebadge NAZA logo should incorporate a FAKE DIAMOND ring,shouldn’t it raise eyebrows?
Definitely made my day. Hahahah
Hey, just name it Naza Losimah. Sama2 badan besar macam badak.
Looks very modern,although the center dash below da touch lcd definatly has some bmw dna…exterior looks like some cars from GM or some american cars cant pinpoint which….overall thumbsup…
yup, agree with u Nabill…it has been americanized in a good way. But i thought americans prefer V8 over V6…hmmmm
nice.. kerusi boleh lipat nak angkut barang pun senang.. kalau boleh dapat harga dalam 100-120k pun kira ok..
In your dream…with a 3.3L engine plus our bizarre tax structure it will surely hit the 200k mark.
eh.. 200k better go for the new honda odyssey which i think the interior is more awesome than this..
great product to compete with alphard, elgrand, etc…
Wow, nice mpv from Kia finally! Price it right and it will beat the Innova, Mazda 5, Serena etc!
U r competing with the wrong target, Innova, mazda 5 & Serena competitor is Rondo (If it even consider a worth while competitor…lol), This Ria2 is compete against Odesey, Estima, Mazda 8 which all 3 will chew & spit this korean junk..wakakaka
estima that s.h.i.t?
only nuubhai like you buy
What??
The Estima/Previa with 2 airbags will kill this mpv???
Joker la u. LOL!!!
I admit this is a very stupid statement by me. In all honesty, Korean cars are at par with Japanese cars. I am just jealous that I cannot own one. So sorry guys.
Naza better bring this stylish MPV if they want to win the MPV market in Malaysia…..I’m considering one if this MPV come in..
I’m concerned about the “smart tailgate” which opens the rear lift gate automatically when the key fob is sensed for three seconds.
Does the key have to be sensed at the back of the car or anywhere? If it’s anywhere near the car, then imagine parking the car at a shopping mall and you stop by the car to look for phone or chat with your friends. The tailgate will pop up and hit the car at the back.
The hoopla is similar like kia optima… Then it just fizzles like flushing your toilet the 2nd time…, 3.3 engine is a non seller in MALAYSIA market… NAZA will definitely strip the car bare and still sell it expensive…
I don’t like the word “KIA” on the steering wheel. It give me cheap feeling. Should rebrand and put a nice logo instead. But don’t put Thundercat or Voltron or He-Man…
Fully agree with you. KIA’s design has improved tremendously over the years, but their logo still has not changed. It still has the old kia image, in my opinion. Kia need to change its logo to a more modern design, something like the “K” logo that we see used on Forte in Malaysia when people swapped the Naza logo when they bought their Forte. Or any new design would be better than the existing KIA logo.
I kinda like the KIA logo.
i think those who need to rebrand and redesign their logo is proton …..
Wow. The interior is so car like and not mpv like. Mpv’s interior are usually boring but this one is an exception. I LOIKE
If only the words on the steering wheel are written TOYOTA or HONDA sure it will sell like hot cakes in Bolehland.
Dont worry,
Protong will do that
look how far has the Korean leapt in bounds when you see their carnival/ria that is still prowling on our roads. compare them and you can see their progress. whereas please compare the suprima s and the wira or even saga. hyundai also used to be the laughing stock of the americans and europeans…now? replaced by proton and perodua.heck,even the dacias’ is much better.
Wow… not a bad car… Exterior is OK and interior is jz superb bar the steering wheel… The steering looks weird and ugly….
If by any means it reaches Malaysia i tink the engine will be a 2.5 v6 priced around 150k++
and perhaps VSM and FCWS will be stripped as well..
Oh well…
no bro, VSM & FCWS will not be stripped, only the engine may be tuned down to achieve competitive pricing. take a look at kia picanto, A segment & they didn’t strip the ESC + VSM even for the base model (manual). kia will not strip safety features unlike T & H, trust me. take a look at picanto, rio, sorento, sportage, all of them have ESC + VSM + 6 airbags. the only thing they may strip is the GPS or reverse camera. but GPS & reverse camera can add-on easily & didn’t cost an arm and a leg. i’m using kia rio right now & very satisfied. i will buy this carnival / ria if it comes to malaysia.
Omg. 3.3L to 3.5L.
Wow, Kia will be able to Double the Price form the Previos generation.
Expensive. Dashboard is not Luxury at all.
please CKD it and bring in Malaysia with 2.0 GDI turbo engine.
Road Tax is damn expensive.
if it was introduced here, expect a smaller engine, maybe the 2.4 petrol Sorento is using? personally i think the 2.2 diesel is a right fit for this car. and it will be awesome if they can sell this carnival with the 2.2 diesel engine!
yup, the 2.2 diesel will be just right for this mpv ….its even have more torque at 440nm from low 2,000rpm than the 3.3V6’s 336nm at high 5,000rpm. yup, the 2.2 diesel will do the job ….
I think it looks quite nice for an MPV. Kia’s designing team deserves a pat on their backs.
They really know how to make your typical boring MPV stand out somehow!
what is this? looks like a big piece of ugly thing…. please go back to learn more about design and benchmark with Toyota product.
Eh.. toyota having the 2nd largest recall in history ok? Nothing to benchmark with the ‘big T’ .. in fact toyota should improve their strategy instead, but unfortunately akio toyoda and his so called designers are ‘bodoh sombong’.
A Kia MPV that looked good. Finally Kia had get it together.
how about fc? yes u cant compare with kancil fc but for malaysian u cant denied that people still looking at fc in their consideration before buying a new car
2.2 turbo diesel can’t fit in kah?
I believe it is possible, but the powertrain just doesn’t fit into the American market.
Americans like big V6 or V8 petrol engine. Diesel is just not to their taste. That’s why you see beasts like the Lexus LX570, Infiniti QX, Mercedes Benz ML with huge engines to sell very well.
looks good, if sell here, my concern is 3.3L, make it expensive not just for price also road tax and fuel consumption which for higher income and so exclusive.
Now, is rarely to see Naza Ria on the road, i think due to high maintenance.
i hope if this model rebadge here will eliminate all previous bad reputation of Naza Ria. believe me driving Naza Ria is awesome.
Bring in Kia pro_cee’d pleaseeeeeeee…
Perfect choice for me and my family..put me in the waiting list
Well guys, KIA wont bring the 3.3v6 or 3.8 v6 to Malaysia, their new engines will subside the bigger one…..the new gamma 1.6 turbo will replace 2.0cvvl engine soon and 2.4 mpi will be replaced by 2.0 LPT which USA currently having, but for the new mpv…wil be 2.4 turbo 205bhp or 2.2crdi turbo but not euro5 aah….you know lah….why.
Any KIA Reps here in this column? Anyone can cofirm if this MPV is coming in Malaysia shore? I’m planning to buy an MPV next year and this shall be in my wish list (hopefully).
I’m still wonder the previous model owner think about these so problematic mpv….lot of them sold or replace all the engine bay with nissan or toyota engine…even some with their mitsu turbo…..these car only sellable with 5 year n unlimited mileage…like hyundai starex warranty !….diesel commonrail tech should get these big mpv so you all can sing all along to genting !
it will come anyway…since we got KIA Carnival nearly 5000 units in boleh land so far, so the market share will be great…anyway peter had design the van more lighter and a fuel saver….believe me the new mpv will be diagnosed with Malaysia spec…all plastic interior and cheap seat materials….except the CBU UNITS…so better check with KIA.COM.KR since there are very good in responding customer needs….for asia pacific sales.
is it true the KIA SEDONA 2015 will be coming to Malaysia if it yes I will be very happy for it :)
By year end you will see some marketing magic for this mpv in KL KIA RED cube….and expect the unexpected news….
If it can come in at 170-180K CKD with KIA/Hyundai’s 2.0L turbo GDI.
Why not.
This thing only goes for about 30ish K USD. Or about the same as a top spec K5/Sonata.
Remember, this is to go heads to heads against the New Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna (which got it refreshed for 2010). And both the Odyssey (and the old stock Estima) goes for mid 200K. I’ve driven the 2010 Sienna for 2 full weeks putting on some 2500 miles and if this is any better, it would be a pretty decent MPV.
This would be so much better than a recond Estima.
well the wish list is good but, I don’t think so…since 2.0 Turbo GDI is belongs to Mitsubishi/Daimler Corp, so they have some kind of special condition for export sales, but the 2.4 GDI TURBO would be the precise engine for the new mpv..but there is a catch here, boleh land just signed up EEV stuff, so we cant see this turbo will fall under the scheme, unless NAZA make some tricks,anyway we still have a battle with petrol quality in Malaysia…so for a test run they brought kia k7 2.4 turbo gdi for test run….in Malaysia and yet to be finalized by Government agencies. well hope you wishlist is fulfil my friend.
the better stuff is KIA OPTIMA the final life span will be comes as 1.6 turbo GDI with mid performance and high performance 168bhp and 201bhp,but most probably 2.4 and 2.0 gdi will be under the sack of other manufacturer, they will be considering to down sizing engine capacity like Europe does..well im not very sure whether the world market will focusing more to korea now,but jap’s are coming with some sweet turbo engines..to wack Europeans and Koreans….
whrere’s the kia carens o naza kia?
Anyone knows if this new carnival will enters malaysia market?
this junk will not be able to compete with the new coming Innova
Look at how bad the Ria is, bad FC, bad RV and bad reliability.
Nobody wants to ferry their family and the car break down half way like a 7-speed-dry-clutch DSG equipped VW.