The Kia Carnival(Sedona) has evolved, and now it’s the fourth-generation. Everything has changed – platform, powertrain, chassis, interior/ exterior design, convenience/ safety features, and the rest. It is carefully crafted for drivers and passengers, strengthening its premium sensibility. Here are the main changes in the fourth-generation Carnival.
3rd-Generation Platform Makes More Comfortable Cabin Space
The fourth-generation Carnival has got good basics. The 3rd-generation platform optimizes structure, maximizing cabin space and driving performance. Thanks to the lower center of gravity and package improvement, the vehicle offers a more relaxed cabin and improved driving stability.
The new Carnival is 5,155mm in length, 1,995mm in width, and 3,090mm in wheelbase, and this is up 40mm, 10mm, and 30mm, respectively, compared to its predecessor. The whole cabin (from the accelerator pedal to the third row), which is an actual space that passengers can recognize, has been extended by 98mm. In particular, the legroom and headroom of all seats have been increased, greatly improving utility. The legroom is increased by 13mm in the first row, 20mm in the second row, and 49mm in the third row. For the headroom, they got 29mm, 5mm, and 1mm longer, respectively (based on a basic 9-seater, regular roof).
Lowering the center of gravity is not as easy as it sounds. This is because you need to not only lowering the center of the body down but also move the bulky and heavy parts to the lower body as much as possible. The fourth-generation Carnival made this happen through the third-generation platform that optimizes the package. The new platform lowers the seat, which makes the passengers feel more stabilized. It also has more crafted suspension and used the best sound absorbers and insulators in its class to reduce vibration and noise coming into the cabin. All these make the fourth-generation Carnival offer stable steering and a quiet, comfortable ride, in any driving environments.
Carnival Came Back with High-tech Convenience Features
One of the main features of the fourth-generation Carnival is that it has applied a large number of state-of-the-art convenience features as a premium family car. First of all, the front seats have changed a lot. It is equipped with a panoramic display that connects two 12.3-inch screens, which offers convenient control and better access to information. Drivers now can use such a large screen to control all these features.
It also provides customized smart functions. The ‘User Personalized Profile’ recognizes the driver and provides personalized settings. The digital key recognizes the driver right in front, and automatically adjusts the seating position and the radio channels that the driver has preferred in the past.
Kia Digital Key opens/locks the door and starts the engine through the application in the driver’s smartphone. The vehicle also houses ‘Kia Pay’, which is a simple payment system. If you put your payment information on the app, you can easily pay for parking or gas through the infotainment screen without getting out of the car.
The ‘Share My Car Location’ feature, which allows you to share the location of your car and the expected arrival time at your destination, would be also useful. For example, if you are on your way to your children’s school to pick them up, the system would send the information to their smartphone about the location of the car and the scheduled arrival time so that they can safely wait for you inside until you arrive.
Carnival is also equipped with the ‘Driver Talk’ feature that helps the driver communicate with the rear seat passengers. If the driver presses the Driver Talk button on the infotainment screen and speaks, the speakers near the back seat would deliver it. The driver now can have a safe conversation with passengers in the rear seats without looking back.
For Both the Driver and the Passengers
The fourth-generation Carnival has been through careful consideration for passengers. The Smart Power Sliding Door would be one example. The feature has evolved from electronic sliding doors that could easily open and close with buttons inside the vehicle. If you stand around a sliding door with a smart key, the door will automatically open with a lamp blinking and an alarm for three seconds. It’s a great help when you are holding something or your child with both hands.
The system also allows the sliding doors and the tailgate to open and close at the same time – Power sliding door and Power Tailgate. Simply press the lock or unlock button for 3 seconds and the sliding doors and tailgate will open or close at the same time. The new Carnival is the first Kia model to house the Power sliding door and Power Tailgate. If you leave your car with both your hands full of something at a camping site, the tailgate automatically gets locked when your car automatically recognizes the smart key is far enough.
The high-tech features of the fourth-generation Carnival maximize the comfort of the back seat, making it a cozy cabin where you want to linger. Premium Relaxation Seat would be one of them. Just press the button on the second-row seat, and the system will adjust the backrest, cushions, and leg support angle for your ultimate rest. It also features wing-out headrests that support the side of your head and your neck.
The high-tech features of the fourth-generation Carnival maximize the comfort of the back seat, making it a cozy cabin where you want to linger. Premium Relaxation Seat would be one of them. Just press the button on the second-row seat, and the system will adjust the backrest, cushions, and leg support angle for your ultimate rest. It also features wing-out headrests that support the side of your head and your neck.
The fourth-generation Carnival’s air purification system pleasantly manages the air quality of all seats. When this real-time feature finds the indoor air quality bad, it puts a sign on the screen and automatically activates the air purification system. The system also circulates the air in the back seats through a filter mounted on the air conditioning, and when air purification is complete, the message is displayed on the infotainment screen.
The vehicle also has features for the safety of rear passengers. The ‘Power Sliding Door Safety Block’ does not open the door when a car approaches the vehicle, even when you press the button to open. The feature also makes a sound to alert the passengers when it detects an object near it. The ‘Courtesy Step Lights Ground Lamp’ is installed at the bottom of the door so that passengers can safely get on and off when the sliding door is open.
After the fourth-generation Carnival thoroughly refined its basic platform, it included more features to take good care of all passengers inside. We hope more customers experience the new Carnival, a true premium family car with a cozy cabin housing variety of advanced features.
* The content introduced in the article may vary depending on the specification of the car.