Kia Grand Carnival: 5 things to know

Bigger than the Innova Crysta

The Kia MPV is quite a bit bigger than India’s most popular MPV, the Toyota Innova Crysta. At 5,115mm long, 1,985mm wide and 1,755mm in height, the Grand Carnival is 380mm longer, 155mm wider, yet 40mm shorter in height than the Toyota. All this, along the 3,060mm long wheelbase (making it 310mm longer than the Innova Crysta), put it in a niche above the Toyota.

There’s no hiding that MPV-like design, especially from the rear and sides. It doesn’t look ungainly, though, especially with the larger, 19-inch alloy wheels. There are also smaller 17- and 18-inchers available. The highlight of the Grand Carnival's exterior is sliding rear doors – something that will be unique in this market segment.

Two engines internationally

Internationally, the MPV is sold with a 3.3-litre V6 petrol engine and a 2.2-litre, four-cylinder, diesel motor, both of which come mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The former puts out 270hp/318Nm, while the latter makes 200hp and 441Nm of peak torque. The diesel engine makes more sense for the Indian market.

There’s an 11-seat configuration on offer

Another USP of the Kia MPV is that along with the standard seven- and eight-seat configurations, the Grand Carnival is also offer with an 11-seat format. The brand claims that even the fourth row of seats gets 685mm of legroom, 902mm of headroom and 1,266mm hip room. The second row of seats also folds forward completely, making for easier ingress and egress for the third row of passengers. This type of flexibility could help sales – particularly in the tourist vehicle segment which is currently ruled by the Innova Crysta.

Loaded with equipment

While it isn’t known which features will make it to the India-spec model, the Grand Carnival is a well-kitted offering sporting features like steering-mounted audio controls, an audio system with Aux, USB input and Apple smartphone compatibility, cruise control, push-button start, a 7.0-inch colour instrument cluster, a 12-way, power adjustable driver’s seat with memory function, three-zone automatic climate control, multiple USB charging points, two sunroofs, a sensor-controlled tailgate, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

In terms of safety features, the MPV gets front and curtain airbags, rear cross-traffic alert, a blind-spot detection system, hill-start assist and ESC.

May be part of Kia’s five-model onslaught

Kia is currently evaluating the Grand Carnival for the Indian market. It could be one of the five launches that the Korean brand has planned for India in 18 months after the introduction of the production-spec SP concept, (which may be called the Trazor). Based on its size and expected equipment list, if the MPV arrives in India, expect it to cost a premium over the diesel trims of the Toyota Innova Crysta, which are priced between Rs 15.46 lakh and Rs 21.57 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).