By Jennifer Geiger
Racing with: Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna
Looks like: Business (SUV) in the front, (minivan) in the rear
Powertrain: Kia has announced 3 engines, but it is unclear which of them, if any, will make it to the American model. Global market features come with a pair of 3. 5-liter V6s, as well as a smaller 2. 2-liter diesel engine; an eight-speed automatic transmission is standard.
Dealers: The Carnival is on sale now in South Korea, with availability “in many Kia global markets” starting in 2020, the automaker said.
Kia has overhauled its Sedona minivan for 2019, but it looks like a new edition is on the way, and even a new call to match. The automaker has released the highlights of its Carnival minivan, which is what it calls Sedona, in global markets. The new minivan has rugged SUV-like styling, a host of tech enhancements and the ability to bring a veritable carnival of other people with an available fourth row, though it’s unclear if that feature will make it to the US market.
Related: Refuel, Minivan Buyers! New generation Kia Sedona unveiled at Korean carnival
The Carnival’s new exterior is furthered throughout SUVs, with a short front overhang, a more chiseled profile, a steel lowering skid plate, and giant wheel arches. The front exterior combines the headlight design and an edition of the manufacturer’s “tiger nose” grille. The van also sports what Kia calls an “island roof” design, with blacked-out A and B-pillars and a body-colored roof; Also striking is the new C-pillar design which resembles a chrome fin. At the rear, the Carnival is block-shaped with full-width taillights.
The Carnival is longer and wider than the outgoing model, which translates to more space for occupants than the existing Sedona and what Kia claims to be the best luggage volume in its class. Kia calls the Carnival a “great application vehicle. ” and backs it up with a host of new features that increase the van’s app.
First, the automaker says there will be a fourth row available, expanding the seating capacity to 11 occupants. However, it is not yet clear which markets will benefit from this feature. The existing Sedona in the United States has 3 rows of seats, adding a moment row bench seat, with a total capacity of 8 (some styles had moment row captain seats, which reduced the capacity to seven, but Kia eliminated this for Style Year 2021). At least in its 3-row layout, the new edition will offer those configurations too.
The Carnival will use the latest edition of Kia’s multimedia formula and will feature two 12. 3-inch screens in the cabin; The driver’s virtual tool panel is connected to the multimedia touchscreen formula under a non-stop piece of glass. Kia said Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay will be available in select markets.
Another new technological feature is the rear passenger display and the verbal exchange formula. The camera-based formula for the front seat occupants to see the rear seat occupants; it also amplifies the voice of the front seat occupant. It looks like the CabinWatch formula from the Honda Odyssey.
The Carnival adds features like one-button open and close to force the sliding-look doors and tailgate, as well as a proximity feature that can open the tailgate when it detects the key fob.
A trio of engines will be featured at the World Carnival, but it is unclear what the US edition will get. Options come with a pair of 268 and 290 horsepower 3. 5-liter V-6s, respectively, as well as a smaller 2. 2-liter diesel engine that is unlikely to be successful here. All engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The current Sedona combines a 276-horsepower 3. 3-liter V6 engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The Carnival will offer a number of protection and power assist features, once again Kia may not say what features will make it the American model. Safety features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with stop and start, lane keep assist, automatic lane centering, blind spot detection with brake and control intervention, as well as alert and intervention rear cross traffic. Since they are popular in Kia’s other wonderful engine, the Telluride, we hope they are popular in the Sedona as well.
Carnival will also offer a new feature, also popular at Telluride: The Safe Exit Assist formula uses radar to bump into oncoming traffic and can prevent a tailgate from opening if an approaching vehicle or bicycle. is stumbled.
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Kia’s fourth-generation minivans will now go on sale as Carnival in Korea; Kia spokesman James Hope told Cars. com that he couldn’t say whether the Sedona would be Carnival, but said the Sedona played a vital role in the automaker’s lineup. However, Kia has a history of call changes: it announced in June that the next edition of its Optima sedan will use the model’s global call: K5.
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