2023 Kia Carnival 11-Seater CKD now in Malaysia – RM215,228 OTR without insurance; RM199k til Dec 31

Previously on sale in Malaysia as a fully imported (CBU) model, the 2023 Kia Carnival 11-Seater is now available in this market as a locally assembled (CKD) vehicle, and is priced at RM215,228 on-the-road without insurance. The 11-Seater is offered at an introductory price of RM198,500 before on-road costs until December 31, 2023.

Starting offer aside, this makes the 11-Seater pricier than before, as it first went on sale in July last year in CBU form priced at RM199,840.80 on-the-road without insurance, making it RM16k more expensive. The four-row MPV is now assembled in at the Inokom assembly plant in Kulim, Kedah. For comparison, the CKD 7-Seater and 8-Seater variants range from RM233,528,80 to RM261,228.80.

Powertrain for the Carnival in this 11-Seater guise is shared with its 7-Seater and 8-Seater stablemates, and as such continues to be the Smartstream 2.2 litre turbodiesel inline-four-cylinder engine that produces 202 PS and 440 Nm of torque, driving the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Exterior features for the Carnival 11-Seater include the Smart Power sliding doors and the Smart Power tail gate, automatic LED headlamps and DRLs, LED front foglamps and bulb-type rear foglamps. Rolling stock is 18-inch wheels shod in 235/60R18 tyres, with a space-saver 18-inch spare wheel and tyre.

Updates to the interior of the Carnival 11-Seater is the shift to black leather in this CKD guise, from tan leather upholstery in the CBU. Another change is to the powered sliding doors, which now omit the anti-pinch functionality for its windows which were present on the CBU version.

As before, the four-row MPV features a 2-3-3-3 seating configuration, while ISOFIX child seat anchors are found on the two outer seats in the second row. The centre seats in the second and third rows make do with lap belts, and these fold up to allow a path through the centre of the cabin. Both front seats get eight-way power adjustment, with the driver’s seat additional gaining two-way lumbar support adjustment.

For the driver, the analogue instrumentation is joined by a 4.2-inch TFT LCD display, while the leather multifunction steering wheel is adjustable on a tilt and telescopic column. The 12.3-inch capacitive touch screen infotainment with voice recognition supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and is joined by a wireless charging pad. Audio is courtesy of a six-speaker setup, while there are a total of seven USB ports.

For safety kit, the Carnival 11-Seater comes with seven airbags, while advanced active safety includes blind-spot collision warning and rear cross-traffic avoidance assist; AEB remains off the list for this model. Other safety features include ABS, EBD, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control, multi-collision brake control, hill start assist, auto hold, auto door locking and rear occupant alert.

A total of four exterior colours are available for the locally assembled Kia Carnival 11-Seater, and these are Astra Blue, Snow White Pearl, Meteor Grey and Jet Black. Each new purchase is covered by a five-year, 100,000 km manufacturer’s warranty, and comes with a five-year, 100,000 km free maintenance package.

Kia Carnival 11-Seater official images

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