Juniper
Road Test Review Kia Carnival 2.2D 7-Seater by Dr Long SP
Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) is a rather interesting breed. When you need one for the family as a people mover, you would probably look up to one as God sent: well catered for an expanding extended Asian family with your own parents and/or in-laws, a domestic maid in tow, a few kids and other what nots.
My last review for a big MPV was for a very popular online automotive blog in 2009. Which incidentally was another Korean offering: the Hyundai Starex 11-seater. Imagine my glee when I was slotted in for the latest Kia Carnival 2.2D 7-seater, by newly-minted Kia Sales Malaysia (KSM). Going full circle, some would say.
This is almost the same Kia wagon-like MPV that was offered to me in Melbourne during my family vacation there, a pre-facelift or last gen model in 8-seater configuration. A tempting preposition which I didn’t avail for fear of that very “fined” city driving down under. Also, this very same Kia Carnival was very much the default hospitality vehicle of mass transportation by the tourism industry folks in Vietnam way back circa 2023. More popular than the default Toyota equivalents as seen on the roads in Ho Chi Minh City. So there must be something good going on? Yes indeed.
With an attractive mid-life facelift in late 2025, the frontal visage is more akin to an SUV now, the rear lights also refreshed to mirror the front headlamps inverted L-shaped design. Even the wing mirrors were swapped for something more cars- or SUV-like!
Stepping inside, the Carnival’s dashboard greets you with a design that is a refreshing change from the ubiquitous and all-generic Chinese cars interior nowadays. Interestingly, for me at least, the sculpted dashboard profile and chunky leather steering wheel, full-leather seats gave off that premium vibe and a nice smell reminiscent of Audis from the 2010’s…remnants of Peter Schreyer’s legacy? Hard plastics on dash top, yet its textured and micro-grained surface successfully exude that top-grade finish feeling. Not the same can be said of the smooth, lighter shade hard plastic at the pulling ledge of Carnival’s door trim.
The instrument cluster is fully digital now, along with a sleeker housing sweeping over to another 12.3” infotainment display.
Housed below the middle air-cond vents is a very crisp horizontal LCD panel with very-near-surface display fonts – which doubles up as a switchable control panel between A/C controls versus Audio volume and audio track/radio station presets selection, supported by left-and-right physical rotary dials. Very cool, neat and yet functionally intuitive.
With softly sprung suspension which works better when fully seated with passengers in the second and third row, the Carnival irons out bad roads with nary a protest. Should you want to push the torquey 2.2L turbo-diesel (maximum twist of 440Nm), the whisper of the engine while cruising belies the fact that it’s an oil burner under the short, angular hood in front.
Even though at a lengthy 5.15 metre, the Carnival is easy to handle with confidence-inspiring stability at national highway speeds. At certain steering angles, just be gentle with the throttle – on initial drive-off – to ward off torque steer and that occasional wheel spin. Yes, this giant MPV is front wheel driven, through an excellent 8-speed automatic gearbox.
The high-definition heads-up display and full suite of ADAS are also worth a mention, while the BOSE 12-speakers sound reproduction is immersive, well-staged and very clear – easy on your ears, as well as for casual verbal conversation. So much so, it reminded me of the similar high-quality BOSE audio set-up in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 sampled over two years ago. Simple joy afforded by the Carnival’s standard OE sound system.
Second row captain-seats are a nice premium addition to this flagship Carnival 7-seater (2-2-3 seating configuration). However, these two middle row chairs don’t seem as comfortable as the driver’s and the front passenger seat. Still a little tight in dimensions possibly? Both are extendable for calves support but somehow on longer journeys, this still doesn’t cut the slack.
In the last decade or so, six- or seven-seater SUVs have become more desirable as rugged, tall and trendy people movers. Nonetheless, full-sized MPV like the 2026 Kia Carnival continue to hold its fort with larger space, headroom and airy comfort, especially at the last row – three seated abreast comfortably – full adults, not just young children, accosted in a nicely appointed interior.
The latest 2026 Kia Carnival 2.2D is a great MPV with car-like driving qualities and a clever blind-spot monitor displayed by camera feeds on the central screen – following the turn signal stalk activation – be it left or right.
Sadly, this premium MPV, a top-of-the-range automobile offered by KIA at RM248,888 is marred by high diesel prices. Likely, even corporate clients considering it as their top executives shuttle may find such expensive fuel hard to swallow. At the time of writing, due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, Euro-5 diesel prices breached an all-time high of almost RM7 per litre. As such, perhaps Kia Sales Malaysia should be fast-tracking their Kia Carnival 1.6T petrol-hybrid as a replacement model soon or at least as another viable option…yes?
Kuala Lumpur-based Dr. Long See Pin is a certified car enthusiast who has previously spent some two decades testing and writing about new cars. He is currently motoring correspondent at Junipers Journal and can be found online @drlongspcars on Insta, FB and TikTok.
He was also a former member of the Malaysia Car of the Year (COTY) judging panel. As a medical doctor, he specialises in skin & aesthetics @drlongskinclinic.com
