2025 Kia Carnival HEV Water Review

I’d read somewhere that the Kia Carnival was the best of the MPVs available at present and hadn’t given it much thought. Not surprising given I don’t have six kids. 

But if I did I might have taken more notice. Because this latest version is quite something. It goes quietly about doing everything competently, in an understated and refined way.

This has room to burn, for eight people and all their gear. Many of the seven-seater SUVs have next to no space left when all seats are occupied. Not this machine; there’s a 627L cave-like space behind the third-row seats that seems to extend almost down to ground level. Grab the handles on the back of the third-row seats, pull them back and then lie them flat. There’s over 2000L of luggage space then. If you slide the middle row seats forward and fold them over, figure on 2827L to fill it up. Truly, a van-like space. 

If you’re a bit serious about towing, perhaps best not to go for the HEV example you see here; it’s rated to tow braked trailers of only 1000kg. The turbodiesel variants can haul up to two tonnes of braked goodness.

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And there are three diesel grades on offer, kicking off at $62,990 for the EX, $72,990 for the Deluxe and $78,990 for the Kia Carnival Premium.

Ours, however, is the HEV Water model. It’s the most expensive at $81,990 but then it has plenty fitted as standard. The cabin centerpiece is the curved widescreen set-up, incorporating digital instruments and a 12.3-inch IFT screen with integrated sat-nav. We like the separate controls for the dual-zone air system too.

Front seat occupants have ingress and egress that’s hard to beat. For the rear seat occupants, it’s even easier as the side doors automatically slide open. You can then activate the lever on the outside middle-row seat and it slides forward, facilitating third-row access. No problem for an adult to pop back there either. The trio of second-row seats are on sliders so everyone can have the right amount of legroom. It’s all so user-friendly for the occupants. 

Like every modern vehicle with a central touchscreen, there’s a little learning involved before you’re au fait with silencing the safety arsenal. You might want to turn off the audible overspeed warning, and the lane keeping. We had no issues with the distraction system at all. Safety should be good too; the diesel versions are five-star cars, though the HEV is yet to be rated.

The actual drive is very straightforward. There’s a pushbutton to start, a rotary controller for Drive and Reverse and you’re underway silently in EV mode.

This is a parallel hybrid system, featuring a 132kW/265Nm 1.6 turbopetrol mated to a 54kW/305Nm transmission-mounted motor. Together, they’re good for 180kW and 367Nm. The motor draws power from a 1.5kWh lithium-ion battery, and the claimed combined fuel consumption figure is 6.4L/100km (rightcar agrees). Without question, this uses less fuel in stop/start traffic and urban environs where we often saw figures of 5.8-6.2L/100km. I believe the worst we saw was 7.7L/100km.

With a 72L fuel tank, this has a theoretical range of around 1125km. And remember, there’s no external charging to do here; it is a self-charging hybrid.

That’s really surprising economy for something of this size. It’s just over 5.1m long and almost 2m wide, weighing in at 2288kg. The turning circle, by the by, is just under 12m so it’s not so difficult to park, aided by a 360-degree parking camera. Just finding a big enough space is the trick.

With both power sources going full bore you can get to 100 in under 9sec. That’s quite un-van-like. Full engine torque is on tap from 1500rpm so up to 2000rpm is just fine for in town, aided by the motor when you start off. Out of town 2500-3500rpm has you keeping up with anyone else. It’s refined too, the engine largely in the background. You can tell when it’s EVing because the revs go to nil, and a green EV light illuminates. There are no engine modes to muss with, just three towing options depending on how much you’re lugging. 

And on modes, you can adjust the energy recuperation using paddles behind the wheel. There are four levels, low, medium, high and off. So brakes you don’t need to rely on that much, if you don’t want to. They’re strong and tactile when needed.

What you really want in an MPV is room and ride. So you’d not really expect much on the handling front. And yet, this does a more than passable job with fully independent suspension and 235/55R19 rubber. It’s certainly not corner shy. 

Rounding it all off is a new look following a mid-life refresh, incorporating aspects of the ‘Opposites United’ design language. 

I’d opt for this Kia Carnival over a seven-seat SUV, especially with its seven-year/150,000km warranty. Most wouldn’t, of course, but your passengers will thank you for it. Go diesel if you need to tow. All too much? A base HEV model is under consideration for the local market.  

Kia Carnival HEV Water
$81,990  /  6.4L/100km  /  147g/km
0-100 km/h 8.6s
Engine  1598cc, 132kW / 265Nm
Motor  54kW / 304Nm
Hybrid output  180kW / 367Nm
Transmission  6-speed auto / FWD
Weight (claimed)  2288kg