Witness the All-New 2025 Kia Carnival: A Stunning Design Unveiled at Local Dealerships

On September 16, 2024, Kia quietly launched an upgraded version of its large MPV, the Carnival, in the Vietnamese market. Soon after, the 2025 Kia Carnival was available at dealerships across the country.

As previously reported, the 2025 Kia Carnival in Vietnam comes in four versions: Luxury 8-seater, Premium 8-seater, Premium 7-seater, and Signature 7-seater. The price of this MPV ranges from 1.299 billion to 1.589 billion VND, a significant increase compared to the previous version. However, the 2025 Kia Carnival has been considerably improved in terms of both design and features.

On the outside, the vehicle features the new Opposites United design language, similar to other Kia models such as the Sorento, Seltos, and EV9. The distinctive LED lighting system, inspired by constellations, enhances the car’s recognition. The vertically segmented headlamp clusters improve lighting performance.

The iconic tiger-nose grille has been redesigned, now broader and featuring a hexagonal chrome pattern paired with LED daytime running lights. On the sides, the Kia Carnival 2025 sports new 19-inch alloy wheels with a 3D geometric design, reflecting a futuristic trend. The electric sliding doors, equipped with anti-jam and auto-stop functions when encountering obstacles, remain a convenient feature on both sides of the vehicle.

Inside, the Kia Carnival continues to offer two seating configurations: 2+2+3 (7-seater) and 2+3+3 (8-seater). In the 8-seater versions, the middle row can slide forward or backward, providing easy access to the third row or creating a conference-style seating arrangement when rotated 180 degrees. The middle seat in the second row can be folded into an armrest or removed to create a walkway, and it is also designed to accommodate child seats. The 7-seater version features two executive seats in the middle row, offering power adjustment, heating, cooling, a relaxation mode that simulates a zero-gravity reclining position, and a one-touch recline function.

The third-row seats can be adjusted to a 120-degree recline or folded flat to increase cargo space. Even with all seats in use, the Carnival offers an impressive 1,139 liters of luggage capacity. When the third row is folded flat and the second row is removed, the maximum cargo volume expands to an impressive 4,110 liters.

The driver is greeted by a new curved display that combines a fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster with a 12.3-inch AVN infotainment screen. The center touchscreen boasts Full HD resolution and supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Additionally, users can now control various vehicle functions through the AVN touchscreen, a convenient improvement over the previous model’s steering wheel button controls.

The 2025 Kia Carnival also boasts perforated leather seats, a 12-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory for two positions, a 6-way power-adjustable passenger seat, a 12-speaker Bose surround sound system, and an interior ambient LED lighting system with 64 customizable colors.

Other notable features include sunshades, a dual-panel sunroof that operates independently, fast-charging USB Type-C ports throughout the cabin, remote engine start, an electrochromic rearview mirror, and a new touch-sensitive control panel for the tri-zone automatic climate control system, replacing the previous mechanical buttons.

Unfortunately, the new Carnival no longer offers the 3.5L gasoline engine. Under the hood, you’ll find a 2.2L Smartstream 4-cylinder DOHC diesel engine, carrying over the same specifications as its predecessor, producing 199 horsepower and 441 Nm of torque. This engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. In the future, Kia may introduce a hybrid powertrain option, shared with the Sorento.

The 2025 Kia Carnival also introduces new safety features, including eight airbags, front/rear/side parking sensors, forward collision-avoidance assist, blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, safe exit assist, and rear occupant alert.

Photos: Hoài Nam