Advice needed: Buy the Kia Carnival or wait for the Innova Hycross?

The heart says Tucson, the family says Carnival and the mind says Innova Hycross.

BHPian aadiaksh recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have already booked Toyota Hyryder and waiting for a test drive of the same.

I am in the market for an SUV/MUV with around 40 lacs in hand.

Requirement: Initially before the price reveal of Tucson, I was planning to book the same but for me, it feels around 5 lacs more than what it should be. That pushed my budget from 35 to 40 lacs as the car is striking and the diesel AWD is competent.

That led me into a rabbit hole of car reviews on here and decided to have a look at KIA Carnival Luxury Plus. The family liked the car very much. We need a comfortable 5 seater and it ticks the boxes for the whole family. Luxury, Engine, comfort and the wow factor that comes with a loaded car. It can comfortably sit 6 is an added plus which we have sorely missed in all of our previous cars.

Sometime around all this, the Innova diesel booking was stopped. And coincidently I took a relatives Innova Crysta for a 1200kms round trip with 5 people and 1 child with loads of luggage and found it to be very practical offering. That led to Hycross coming into the fold of shortlisted cars.

The heart says Tucson, the family says Carnival and the mind says Hycross.

I want to know what your suggestions might be on the subject as the process of booking the car has to start ASAP if it's not the Hycross that is finalized.

Note: Also looked at the Carens as well but removed from consideration due to safety concerns.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

If you have 40-lakhs in hand, don't go for the Hyryder. Pick a superior vehicle and hold onto it for longer.

It can comfortably sit 6 is an added plus which we have sorely missed in all of our previous cars.

This single point pushes me into recommending the Carnival over the Tucson to you. Both are top-class cars. For your usage, the Carnival will offer a lot more luxury than the Innova Crysta.

Here's what BHPian GreasyCarb55 had to say on the matter:

While the KIA Carnival is a brilliant option. Great engine/transmission combo, boot bigger than a Honda City even with all 3 rows up and it's uber comfortable, only disadvantage is that the one we get in India is a last gen model and were only country that gets this model. Every other country where KIA sells the Carnival has got the latest gen model that debuted in North America in 2021.

The newly launched Tuscon is a great option too but do opt for the Diesel model, the petrol model is just "meh" to drive.

As for the Hycross I'd wait for it to be launched first, now yes it's a Toyota and their highest selling model at that, no seriously. The Innova (6036 units) sold twice as much as it's bigger brother the Fortuner (2581 units) in August 2022 and the next highest seller (regular Urban Cruiser) sold 3131 units. If you can wait for it to come out then I would wait, you can never be too sure.

I would also consider the following options:

1. Skoda Kodiaq - Since you're not necessarily looking for a 5 seater and not a 7 seater the Kodiaq is a great choice. Only disadvantage I can see is that we've now lost the 2.0 TDI diesel and it's now petrol only. So your wallet might take a beating if your usage is high. Approximate on road prices for Vapi, Gujarat are (41.35 Lakh Style, 42.44 Lakh Sportline, 44.1 Lakh L&K).

2. Citroen C5 Aircross - Now yes the recent price hike is unjustified but it's still a damn good car. The suspension and 170hp 2.0L Diesel combo is killer. Approximate on road prices for Vapi, Gujarat are (41 Lakh, Shine Dual Tone).

Here's what BHPian bijims had to say on the matter:

The Kia Carnival and Hyundai Tucson are both incredible offerings in their respective segments. The Carnival is one of the best people-movers you could get, whereas the Tucson is a modern, feature loaded SUV.

The Carnival is huge in size with 5115 mm of length, 1985 mm of width, 1755 mm of height, wheelbase of 3060 mm and a ground clearance of 180 mm. Whereas the Tucson is much more maneuverable with smaller dimensions.

The Tucson on sale in India has been recently updated whereas India is the only market where the previous generation Carnival is still on sale while other markets have gotten the facelifted version quite a while ago.

It is too early to comment on the Toyota Innova Hycross, and I would recommend you to wait till the launch and price reveal to get a clearer picture.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.