The Kia Carnival is a family favourite in our household, not only because of the space and amenities on offer for all occupants, but also because it usually means that we will have a roundtrip with friends during the week that I have it.
I was also excited to drive this particular Carnival because it’s the MY25 Hybrid version. This time around with the Carnival was no different, with not one but two trips to places we had never been before. First stop was the famous Big Merino in Goulburn and then on to our favourite café in this historic centre, the Paragon. If you do find yourself dining at the Paragon, make sure you are hungry as the portions are country sized! The second trip of the week took us to the western side of Thirlmere Lakes along a dirt road.
Whether it was highway driving or dirt road adventuring the Carnival was very comfortable for all passengers. Partly because the Hybrid is only available in GT-Line trim, so you get plenty of everything that your family will need to make many great memories in this exceptional people mover.
The front-wheel drive Carnival Hybrid has a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine with 132kW and 265Nm, which is paired to a six-speed automatic gearbox with a Shift-By-Wire (Dial Type) gear selector. The transmission integrates a 54kW/304Nm a Permanent Magnet Synchronous electric motor, so the combined power and torque is 180kW of power and 366Nm of torque. The 1.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack is positioned under the second-row seat on the driver’s side, where the spare tyre would usually be, which means the Hybrid Carnival only comes with a tyre repair kit. The maximum towing capacity for the Hybrid Carnival for an unbraked trailer is 750kg and 1,000kg for a braked trailer, which is half that of diesel- and petrol-powered Carnivals.
There are three drive modes – Eco, Sport, Smart and I spent the week in Eco and I did find the Carnival lacking in any way from doing this. The Carnival drives nicely and there’s ample power available as needed. The powertrain switches between petrol and electric seamlessly and EV mode is available even at highway speeds under certain driving conditions.
The official combined fuel consumption of this Hybrid is 5.8L/100km and I used 6.4L/100km for my time with the Carnival and this included a couple of highway driving road trips. This is better than my average fuel used in the last two diesel-powered Carnival’s of 7.25L/100km and almost half that used in the petrol-powered Carnival, which was 11.1L/100km.
The cabin of the MY25 Carnival has been given a technology refresh and now features the Integrated Display with the 12.3″ Digital Driver Cluster and 12.3″ Touch Screen Infotainment and colour head up display. A cool feature on the dash is the switchable control panel that either allows control of the climate settings or main menu options for the infotainment system. The satellite navigation comes with 10 years traffic information and map updates and you get seven year’s complimentary access to Kia Connect. AI Voice Commands have Natural Voice Recognition and the voice control worked well for me for changing the radio station and making phone calls.
Wired and Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come as standard and the former connected easily and worked well for me. The 12 Speaker BOSE Premium Sound System has an MP3 compatible Audio Player with AM/FM Tuner, DAB Digital Radio, Bluetooth, USB inputs and Sounds of Nature. At the front of the centre console is a large storage cubby with wireless charging for compatible devices, two USB-C ports, and one 12V socket.
The seats are covered with black artificial leather with a Taupe two-tone interior and my least favourite finish in a vehicle, the gloss black centre fascia. Both front seats have powered adjustment for recline, forward/back, and seat height front and rear. On the passenger seat the recline and forward/back can also be adjusted with controls on the driver’s side of the seat, which is handy. The driver’s seat also has 4-way lumbar support and two memory positions and they also get a heated steering wheel. Both front seats are heated and cooled and the cooled feature is quiet to operate.
There’s enough space under the arm rest for a small handbag and the two cup holders in the centre console have grippy sides and a removable rubber mat in their base for easy cleaning. But the drink bottle storage in the front door cubbies are awkwardly shaped and not suitable for larger drink bottles.
The electric sliding doors can be opened/closed from the doors, key fob, and front of the cabin and you can lock the doors as well from here as well if required. The second-row seats offer flexible seating options with each of three seats being able to be moved individually forward/back and recline and they each have both ISOfix and rear tether child seat restraint points. The centre seat is reversible or can be folded down to create a table with drink bottle holders and slots for phones, or can be completely removed. The two outer seats are also heated and there’s manual sunshades on both of the large windows and the windows can be opened as well as the rear sunroof, so there’s plenty of fresh air available for these passengers.
Second row passengers have two roof vents and roof-mounted digital climate controls for temp, air speed, and mode that are located on the driver’s side of the vehicle. Or you can adjust or lock the climate controls from the front of the vehicle as well. Their USB-C ports are located on the side of the front seats and there’s one hook on the back of the passenger seat and one 12V socket located on the rear of the centre console. Between the front seats there are two cup holders with removable rubber mats in their base for easy cleaning and one phone slot and additional drink bottle storage low down in the sliding doors.
To access the third row you manually slide either of the two outer second row seats forward using the lower lever on the side of the seats. The gap that opens is large enough for an adult to step through and the third-row seats are acceptable for adults, but taller individuals will find it tight and I felt that my knees were sitting up high. The third row seats have manual recline adjustment and the outer seats have ISOfix and rear tether points. The fixed rear windows have manual blinds, there are roof mounted air vents, two rigid drink bottle holders moulded into the wheel arches and one USB-C port on each side.
The Hybrid Carnival has a powered tailgate with an open/close button located under the tailgate, on the key fob, and in the cabin. With the third-row seats up there is a large deep boot space that is great for luggage or grocery shopping for a big family. The boot space has multiple hooks around it, with a handy cubby in the side cut out with the tyre repair kit located in the base of this cubby, plus one 12V socket, but no tie down points. When you manually stow the third-row seats into this deep space there is a very large flat cargo area.
The hybrid-powered Kia Carnival has not been assessed by ANCAP and is currently unrated. Airbags are fitted for the driver and front passenger, on the front sides, centre side, and curtains on the first, second and third rows and for the driver’s knee. Active safety features include Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist with Lane Following Assist, Highway Drive Assist 2 with Lane Change Assist, Advanced Smart Cruise Control, Autonomous Emergency Brake – Car, Pedestrian, Cyclist and Junction Turning, Autonomous Emergency Braking – Junction Crossing and Direct/Oncoming Lane Change Detection, Safe Exit Warning, and Safe Exit Assist.
The reversing camera has a 360-degree display with 3D walkaround view, combined with a multi-view second camera, with front and rear parking sensors and this Kia has a digital rear view mirror that provides an unobstructed view of what is happening behind the vehicle. The headlights have automatic sensors for turning on and off and high beam assist, and this Carnival also has rain-sensing wipers and both of these features are displayed on the driver’s dash when you change them, so you know when you are in auto mode or not.
All new Kias come with a 7-Year Unlimited Kilometre Warranty and one year of complimentary Roadside Assist. Kia Australia provides a 7-year/150,000km warranty, whichever occurs first, against defects arising in materials or manufacture for High Voltage Electrical Vehicle Systems Components which include but are not limited to: On Board Charger, Traction Motor, Electric Power Control Unit (EPCU & HPCU), and the High Voltage (HV) Battery System.
Owners can renew their Roadside Assistance package yearly, for up to eight years, by simply returning their vehicle to an Authorised Kia Dealer for its annual scheduled services. Membership will remain valid for one year following your scheduled service, and will be renewed if an Authorised Kia Dealer completes the vehicle’s next scheduled serviced within one year. For the Carnival Diesel, service intervals are once a year or 15,000km, whichever comes first, and the total service costs for the first seven services for this Carnival is capped at $4,597.
The Kia MY25 Carnival GT-Line Hybrid costs $76,210 plus on-road costs and with premium paint costing an extra $695, this colour is Astra Blue. You can Build & Price your Kia Carnival Hybrid online or visit your preferred Kia dealer for more information.
| Pros | Cons |
| The fuel-efficient hybrid engine | Maximum braked towing capacity halved |
| The spacious, well-appointed cabin | Spare tyre has been replaced with a tyre repair kit |
| Updated technology | Awkward shaped drink bottle storage cubbies in the front doors |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.