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2024 Kia Carnival : Observations after a day of driving

Even when the road gets twisty, the Carnival responds well for the type of vehicle it is. Body roll is very well controlled through corners for a car (or should I say van) of this size and weight.

Driving the Kia Carnival 2.2L Diesel AT

The 2.2-litre diesel engine produces 190 BHP and 441 Nm. It's mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission:

The Carnival is powered by a 2.2L, 4-cylinder Smartstream D2.2 turbo-diesel engine. This makes it less powerful but more torquey than the outgoing car. Kia has shifted from cast iron to an aluminium block for the new Carnival. Kia claims that the changes made to the engine make it more fuel-efficient and less polluting. The engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox with a rotary shifter. The way this engine-gearbox combo has been tuned is impressive.

In the city, the engine has enough pep & the torque converter ensures that there is a good bottom end. Driveability is very good. Drive with a light foot & it will result in a smooth & refined experience. The car's occupants won't even notice the changing gears.

You can quickly close the gaps in traffic and even keep up with it easily. Putting down your right foot hard sees the gearbox drop a gear or two and the car lunges forward. With the tall seating position & clear visibility, driving in the city is not difficult. However, one must keep in mind that this is a long vehicle and darting in and out of traffic or parking will not be easy.

On the open road, the engine & gearbox ensure that the Carnival is a strong performer. During the media drive, never once did I feel that this heavy MPV was underpowered. It can easily keep up with other cars and pass them if necessary. Kia claims that the MPV can do the 0-100 km/h sprint in 10.7 seconds and 80-120 km/h in 8.2 seconds. These are pretty good numbers for a car as big and heavy as the Carnival. What we found a little disappointing was that the engine revs till just 4,000 rpm (4,100 rpm on some occasions) before shifting up. Still, there is enough performance available to satisfy most users.

In terms of cruisability, the Carnival's diesel engine spins at ~1,600 rpm while doing 100 km/h in 8th gear. This is an extremely relaxed and competent long-distance cruiser with a very silent and vibration-free cabin.

The Carnival gets drive modes that basically alter the throttle response as well as the behaviour of the engine. There are 4 drive modes: Normal, Eco, Sport and Smart

The Normal mode is the default mode which is in the middle of Eco and Sport modes. It works well in town and on the highway and offers a good balance between efficiency and performance. In fact, you really don't need to change it unless you're driving uphill or want to overtake a vehicle quickly on an undivided highway.

In Eco mode, the throttle response is the dullest and fuel economy is the highest. In the city, this mode is the smoothest to use because of the relaxed power delivery. Even on the highway, it is quite useable thanks to the amount of power and torque that the engine provides. Only when you need to overtake a slower vehicle very quickly you will find a need to change to another drive mode.

In Sport mode, the throttle response is the sharpest and the transmission holds on to a gear longer than the other modes. On undivided highways, this is the mode to use to pull off safe overtakes. Don't use this mode in the city as power delivery can get a little spiky.

The Smart mode alters the power delivery according to the driving pattern of the user.

As mentioned earlier, the 8-speed gearbox is smooth in operation and very well-tuned. It responds pretty quickly to throttle inputs and doesn't get confused easily. It also comes with paddles behind the steering wheel for the driver to change gears manually. You'll like the engine braking on offer.

Insulation under the bonnet:

Clear markings on the fuel flap and diesel filler cap indicate the car's diet. You can also see the AdBlue filler next to it:

Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH)

Just like the outgoing car, the NVH levels of the 4th-gen Carnival are top-notch. There is no significant body shake on start-up or shut down and there are no vibrations felt anywhere. The engine is barely audible inside the cabin except when revved hard. Even then, it's never intrusive.

Wind and road noise at 100 km/h or even higher speeds is well-controlled. One never needs to raise his voice while talking to fellow occupants.

Mileage & Fuel economy

The ARAI-certified FE figure of the 4th-gen Carnival is 14.85 km/l. However, don't expect too much in the fuel efficiency department. Considering the weight, power and AT, we expect single-digit figures in the city (depending on driving style). On the highway, we got an average of just ~10 km/l. This included a 50% mix of redlining as well as relaxed cruising. The tall 8th gear helps improve efficiency, and some of you might be able to extract another couple of km/l if you drive calmly.

Suspension

Ride Comfort

The Carnival sports a McPherson strut suspension with coil springs at the front and a multi-link setup at the rear. Urban ride quality is soft and compliant. Owners will be satisfied. There is no excessive side-to-side swaying that body-on-frame UVs suffer from on bad roads. Low-speed ride comfort is definitely impressive. The highway ride is comfortable as well. Smaller bumps are flattened quite easily. While larger bumps do come in, they do not cause any discomfort.

Handling & Dynamics

Straight-line stability is very good at triple-digit speeds. Unlike the previous-gen car, we didn't find the suspension too soft at high speeds. The car doesn't lose composure over undulations on the road.

Even when the road gets twisty, the Carnival responds well for the type of vehicle it is. Body roll is very well controlled through corners for a car (or should I say van) of this size and weight. Of course, it's not a corner carver, but it does inspire some amount of confidence in a driver while tackling curves at speeds. Credit must also be given to the 235/60 Continental CrossContact tyres that come with the car. Never once did they squeal or feel like losing grip while hard cornering.

Steering

The Carnival gets electric power steering that is well-calibrated. It feels one-finger light at parking and slow speeds and gets heavier as the speed goes up. This along with the healthy rake and reach adjustment, makes the Carnival easy to steer. That said, the steering could do with more feedback. 

Braking

The Carnival gets disc brakes at the front and rear. Its stopping power is good and we have no complaints at all. The braking system gets "auto hold" which helps in traffic as you don’t have to continuously keep the B-pedal pressed while waiting.

Continue reading the discussion on the 2024 Kia Carnival on our forum.

 
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