Kia Carnival Engine & Performance
The Kia Carnival is powered by a BS VI compliant 2.2 litre four cylinder turbo diesel engine that makes 200 horsepower at 3,800 rpm and 440 Nm of torque coming up between 1,500 to 2,750 rpm. Power is sent to the front wheels via an 8-speed automatic gearbox. Those are impressive numbers on paper that translate to an easy driving experience on the road. The acceleration is linear and shifts from the auto box are quick and smooth. Power builds up well and you have nice mid-range. The motor is very refined and NVH levels are top notch. It does feel strained at the top end of the rev band and the only time the gearbox feels slow is when you tap it hard for a kick down. The light steering is a joy to use and overall you don’t feel the size of the MPV when driving. Driving on the Outer Ring Road of Hyderabad was a relaxed affair and the Carnival seems tailor made for those long highway trips.
Kia Carnival Ride & Handling
The Carnival comes with Macpherson struts up front with coil springs and and a Multilink setup at the rear. According to Kia, the suspension has been tuned for Indian road conditions and it shows. Ride quality is great and the undulations from the filtered out easily. It gets flatter as you go faster and all said and done, the Carnival does what it’s meant to do, and does that well. Transport people in supreme comfort. I wont get to the handling part of it because a two tonne plus MPV is not what you would go hard cornering in. That said, grip from the tyres is great and braking is very strong. High speed stability is fantastic as well.
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