New Kia Carnival officially revealed

The fourth-generation Kia Carnival has been officially revealed ahead of its Australian release in November and following a series of teaser releases and spy pics.

Hence there are no big surprises for the 2020 Kia Carnival, which brings a striking new “SUV-inspired” design and also borrows many of the technologies seen recently in the new Kia Sorento large SUV due on sale here next month.

Indeed the big news for the redesigned version of Australia’s favourite people-mover is its “spacious, comfortable and futuristic interior”, which brings a dual 12.3-inch panoramic screen dashboard layout, up to four rows of seats and best-in-class cargo space.

Aussie versions of the new people-mover will be packaged with the traditional eight-seat layout Carnival currently offers but in  some markets there are four-row, 11-seat configurations and also three-row seven-seat layouts.

The latter feature a pair of ‘premium relaxation’ seats that offer one-touch recline and 180-degree rotation ‘lounge-room’ functionality.

Known as the Sedona in some markets, Kia's new flagship people-mover is based on the Korean car-maker’s new mid-size platform and dubbed a ‘Grand Utility Vehicle’ or GUV.

Bigger in all directions, the new Kia Carnival has a 30mm longer wheelbase (now 3090mm) and its body is 10mm wider (1995mm) and 40mm longer (5155mm).

Compared to the outgoing model, it also has a shorter front overhang, longer bonnet, bolder wheel-arches, a single character line along the length of the car, a new ‘island roof’ design with blacked-out A- and B-pillars beneath a body-coloured roof and a chromed-fin C-pillar signature

Up front, a new ‘tiger-nose’ grille with integrated headlights and LED daytime running lights (DRLs) make the new Kia Carnival more aggressive, while a sculpted bumper and lower air intake with metallic trim and black lower section link the big MPV with Kia’s latest SUV design.

At the rear are more SUV-inspired design elements, including a full-width light bar and metallic lower skid plate.

Up to eight exterior paint colours will be offered, alongside alloy wheels measuring 17, 18 or 19 inches in diameter depending on the variant.

Inside, Kia says a 30mm longer rear overhang delivers class-leading cargo space, with a maximum 2905 litres of space when only the front seats are occupied. With eight seats across three rows in place, there is still 627 litres of cargo space -- more than many large SUVs.

Australians won't see the 11-seat, four-row version but the 2020 Kia Carnival will continue to offer powered side doors and an electric tailgate, which can operated remotely and hands-free.

Inside the classy new cockpit, the driver and front passenger are met with a pair of 12.3-inch LCD screens that live behind one long glass panel and deliver a digital instrument panel for the driver along with the latest infotainment system, complete with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

There’s also a communication system that allows front-seat occupants to talk to (and see) rear-seat passenger, meaning busy parents won’t have to turn around to check on their misbehaving kids.

Kia also offers a voice-control system for middle-row passengers, so they can change the music and so forth.

The new Kia Carnival comes with a full suite of safety tech, including the usuals such as seven airbags, stability control and autonomous emergency braking with car, cyclist and pedestrian detection.

The big GUV also comes with autonomous acceleration, braking and steering via smart cruise control and lane keep assist respectively. The Carnival will also adjust the speed of the vehicle via sat-nav and speed limit road sign detection.

A blind-spot detection and collision-avoidance assistant is offered along with side cameras that reveal blind spots on the digital instrument cluster. Kia has lane following and highway driving assistants designed to deliver Level 2 autonomous driving and there are plenty of parking aids including a surround-view monitor, rear-facing camera and parking sensors fore and aft.

The big Korean bus also comes with a safe exit assistant that “prevents the power-sliding rear doors from opening – and young passengers exiting the vehicle – if the system detects a car approaching from behind on either side”.

Two engines wills be available with the Kia Carnival in Australia. The first is an upgraded and more powerful 3.5-litre petrol V6 (216kW/355Nm) that replaces the 3.3-litre V6 (206kW/336Nm).

Featuring both multi-point and direct injection, the new V6 promises “greater fuel economy” than before.

There's also a less advanced multi-point injection 3.5-litre petrol V6 (200kW/332Nm) but this engine is unlikely to be offered in Australia.

Kia will also offer its new ‘Smartstream’ 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine (148kW/440Nm) which has the same power and torque as previously, but is expected to offer reduced fuel consumption. It gets a new aluminium engine block that saves 20kg along with new high-pressure injectors, balancer shafts and other upgrades.

All engines will be matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard.

The Korean car-maker reckons the new Carnival is smoother and quieter than before thanks to a range of suspension improvements.

Pricing has not yet been announced for the new Kia Carnival but, as a guide, the current model is priced between $43,190 and $63,490 plus on-road costs.