Glow up: 2024 Kia Carnival gets sleek facelift, starts PHP 2.888M

Kia's popular and stylish MPV has been given a makeover for the 2024 model year. After making its regional debut in Indonesia earlier this year, Kia Philippines distributor ACMobility has officially revealed the refreshed Carnival.

Featuring a more dynamic look both inside & out, the people carrier gets a more discerning appearance along with plenty of new and standard amenities across the range. Starting with the most obvious first, the MPV now gets the Opposites United design philosophy as its stablemates. This gives the 2024 Carnival a unique set of LED headlights & LED daytime running lights and a more prominent grille design.

Also new are the two-tone front & rear bumpers, skid plates, a power tailgate, a dual-pane sunroof (SX variant only), diamond-cut alloy wheels (18-inches for EX, 19-inches for SX), and sharper-looking wraparound LED taillights with an integrated light bar. Size-wise, the Kia Carnival measures 5155mm long, 1995mm wide, 1740mm tall, and has a 3090mm wheelbase.

Open the doors and the 2024 Carnival features a fully digital dashboard. It has a pair of screens that both measure 12.3 inches – one serves as the instrument panel while the center-mounted display is the touchscreen infotainment system. It supports Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, Bluetooth, AM/FM radio, and USB connectivity. Audio is then routed to a 6-speaker sound system.

Both the EX and SX versions of the 2024 Carnival come with leather seats along with seating for 7 people. Like before, the new Kia Carnival has a 2+2+3 seating arrangement – meaning the second row comes with a pair of captain seats. The EX gets manually adjustable captain seats while the top-of-the-line SX gets the more opulent Relaxation Seats which comes with power recline, cushion & leg rests, integrated armrests, and ventilation for extra comfort.

Other key features available inside the 2024 Carnival include; smart keyless entry with remote engine start, 12V power outlets in the front, rear, & luggage area, push-button start, power-adjustable front seats, USB charging ports across all rows of seats, tilt & telescopic steering column, and three-zone climate control.

As before, the 2024 Kia Carnival is powered by the 2.2L Smartstream turbo-diesel engine that makes 202 PS at 3800 rpm along with 440 Nm of torque at 1750 – 2750 rpm. Power is then sent to the front wheels via an 8-speed automatic gearbox. It has several drive modes available including Normal, Eco, Sport, and Smart.

All variants of the 2024 Carnival come with anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, hill-start assist, trailer stability assist, ISOFIX child seat anchors, a reverse camera, parking sensors, parking collision avoidance assist, blind-spot assist, and a host of airbags.

Exclusive only to the SX variant is DriveWise, Kia's suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). This gives the vehicle a wide array of intelligent driver aids like adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, lane-follow assist, forward collision avoidance assist, and rear-cross traffic alert.