Today, Kia has unveiled a mid-life update to their popular Carnival people-mover, bringing improved styling and safety technologies.
The exterior of the 2018 Carnival gets a number of upgrades, including a cleaner tiger-nose grille inspired by the Sorento SUV, sleeker headlights and an ‘upper tension line’ across the bumper. The lower grille and fog light design have been revised on all models – the Platinum gets a sporty sweeping design while cheaper models like the SLi get more basic appearances. At the rear, the area below the tailgate has been redesigned accompanied by a new light design.
Inside, the updates continue. The infotainment has recieved the biggest overhaul of all – the 5-inch basic radio unit used by base S models has been replaced by a full-colour touchscreen 7-inch system, while upper grade Si, SLi and Platinum variants get an 8-inch screens and an 8-speaker JBL premium sound system. Both models get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration.
Safety has been greatly upgraded for the 2018 Carnival. All models now get autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning, smart cruise control, an electronic parking brake and the usual suite of assists (ABS, stability control etc). The top-spec Platinum gains blind-spot detection, lane change assist (which detects people in neigbouring lanes), high beam headlight assist and rear cross-traffic alert.
Engine and powertrain options are mostly unchanged – buyers still have the choice of a 3.3L naturally aspirated V6 producing 206kW of power and 336Nm of torque, or a 2.2L four-cylinder turbo diesel producing 147kW of power and 440Nm of torque. However, the old car’s six-speed automatic has been swapped for an eight-speed one (likely taken from the Stinger) which improves fuel economy while still maintaining decent performance.
The updated 2018 Kia Carnival is on sale now. It is available in six colours: Clear White, Deep Chroma Blue, Panthera Metal, Silky Silver, Aurora Black and Snow White Pearl. A full price guide can be seen below.
2018 Kia Carnival pricing (all prices exclude on-road costs):
- S V6 petrol – $42,490
- S diesel – $44,990
- Si V6 petrol – $47,990
- Si diesel – $50,490
- SLi V6 petrol – $52,490
- SLi diesel – $54,990
- Platinum V6 petrol – $60,290
- Platinum diesel – $62,790
Redline 