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2021 Kia Carnival price and specs

Australian pricing and specifications for the new-generation 2021 Kia Carnival have been announced.


  • 2021 Kia Carnival price and specs revealed
  • New-generation people mover offered in four variants
  • Petrol V6 or four-cylinder turbo diesel engines on offer, with improved efficiency
  • Junction AEB, adaptive cruise control, LED headlights, wireless smartphone mirroring standard on all grades

As confirmed earlier this year, four variants of Kia's overhauled eight-seat people mover will be offered to Australian buyers, priced between $50,390 and $69,990 drive-away – up $3190 to $3690 over its predecessor, depending on model.

All Carnival models will be offered with a choice of petrol or diesel power: a 216kW/355Nm 3.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol V6 or, for an additional $2000, a 148kW/440Nm 2.2-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder.

Both engines are mated to eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmissions, and are front-wheel-drive.

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Above: Kia Carnival S petrol

Combined fuel economy is rated at 9.6 litres per 100 kilometres for the petrol V6, down 10 per cent over the outgoing 3.3-litre mill, while the diesel claims to sip 6.5L/100km – a significant reduction over the outgoing diesel engine's 7.6L/100km claim.

Dimensionally, the new model measures in at 5155mm long, 1995mm wide and 1740mm tall, with a 3090mm wheelbase – up 40mm in overall length, 10mm in width and 30mm in wheelbase. Boot space is rated at 627 litres with all three rows in place, increasing to 2785 litres (VDA) with the third row folded.

Opening the range is the Carnival S, priced from $50,390 drive-away with the petrol V6, or $52,390 drive-away with the 2.2-litre turbo diesel – up $3690 and $3190 over the outgoing model.

Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, cloth seat trim, an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, multi-connection Bluetooth, a reversing camera, a 4.2-inch instrument display (between the analog dials), six-speaker sound system, manual air conditioning, keyless entry, rear parking sensors and a tilt/telescopic-adjustable steering wheel.

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Above: Kia Carnival S interior

It also features electrically-adjustable heated side mirrors, six-way driver and four-way passenger manual seat adjustment, roof rails, solar glass windscreen, power windows, five USB ports (three up front, two in the second row), nine cupholders, and a drive mode selector with Normal, Eco, Sport and Smart modes.

A wide array of safety technologies are on offer, including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection and support for intersections, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane following assist, lane change assist, lane-departure warning, driver attention alert, high-beam assist and speed sign recognition (with a speed limiter).

Other standard-fit safety technologies include blind-spot monitoring (capable of detecting and braking for obstacles), rear cross-traffic alert, multi-collision braking, safe exit warning (notifying passengers upon opening the side doors of obstacles in their path), and a plethora of airbags comprising dual front, front side, driver's knee and side curtain airbags for all three rows.

Sitting above the base grade is the mid-tier Si (below), priced from $55,790 drive-away or $57,790 drive-away in petrol or diesel guises respectively.

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Above: Kia Carnival Si exterior and interior

It adds 18-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch infotainment with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, digital radio, eight-speaker sound system, dual-zone front and single-zone rear climate control, a 'premium' steering wheel and shifter, front parking sensors, auto-folding exterior mirrors, LED tail-lights, and auto window defoggers.

Stepping up to the SLi, priced from $60,290 drive-away with a petrol engine or $62,290 drive-away with a diesel motor, adds leatherette seat trim, eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat with electric lumbar support, rear privacy glass, a smart key with push-button start, power-sliding one-touch doors, one-touch electrically-operated tailgate and an auto-dimming rear view-mirror.

Also on offer is acoustic windscreen film, woodgrain-look trim inlays, two third-row USB ports, a 360-degree camera, auto up/down windows, Safe Exit Assist (which prevents the doors from being opened into oncoming cars and obstacles) and rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, the lattermost capable of detecting and braking for hazards (rather than just detection).

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Above: Kia Carnival SLi

Sitting atop the range is the flagship Carnival Platinum, priced from $67,990 drive-away or $69,990 drive-away in petrol V6 or diesel four-cylinder guises.

Equipment additions over lesser grades include 19-inch black alloy wheels, bi-LED projector headlights, LED interior lighting, eight-way power-adjustable driver and passenger seats with ventilation, dual-mode memory and four-way lumbar support, a 12-speaker Bose premium sound system, wireless phone charging, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel.

Platinum models also gain electronic 'shift by wire' (with the traditional gear selector replaced by a rotary dial), paddle shifters, rear occupant alert (notifying front passengers upon exiting the vehicle of passengers left in the rear seats), a dual tilting and sliding sunroof, second and third-row sunshade blinds and puddle lamp projection.

There's also a matte chrome front grille surround, matte chrome front and rear skid plates and chrome-accented exterior door handles.

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Above: Kia Carnival Platinum exterior and interior.

Ceramic Silver, Silky Silver, Astra Blue, Panthera Metal and Snow White Pearl exterior paint colours are available across the range, with additional Deep Chroma Blue and Aurora Black Pearl finishes available on SLi and Platinum grades. All hues bar Ceramic Silver command a $695 premium.

The 2021 Kia Carnival is on sale now.

2021 Kia Carnival Australian pricing

  • Carnival S petrol – $50,390 drive-away
  • Carnival S diesel – $52,390 drive-away
  • Carnival Si petrol – $55,790 drive-away
  • Carnival Si diesel – $57,790 drive-away
  • Carnival SLi petrol – $60,290 drive-away
  • Carnival SLi diesel – $62,290 drive-away
  • Carnival Platinum petrol – $67,990 drive-away
  • Carnival Platinum diesel – $69,990 drive-away
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Alex Misoyannis

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.

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