With the arrival of the 11-seater Kia Carnival in Malaysia, the sales for the MPV spiked to the point that Kia Malaysia struggled to secure enough units to satisfy the market. In order to fulfill the orders, Kia Malaysia started locally assembling 3 more different variants of the Kia Carnival to allow those customers who didn’t want to wait for the 11-seater variant an alternate option to choose from. Adding on to the 11-seater variant, the additional 3 variants consist of the 8-seater Mid, 8-seater High, and the 7-seater High. And recently, I required a large MPV to ferry my family members around to attend a family event, and it would also be the best time to put the new Kia Carnival 8-seater High through a real world test.
Just like its 11-seater sibling, the Kia Carnival is still a very handsome looking MPV that stands out from a sea of Alphards and Vellfires. According to Malaysian law, the 7-seater and 8-seater Carnival are considered passenger vehicles, which prompted Kia Malaysia to change some of the exterior parts to make it look more premium from the outside. The easiest way to spot the difference is to look at the wing mirrors, where the locally assembled models now come with smaller wing mirrors to make it look sleeker. Apart from that, the locally assembled Carnival also comes with full LED tail lights that stretched across the whole rear of the MPV, giving it a more upmarket look.
As for the interior, Kia Malaysia also updated the equipment level in the highest spec Carnival to provide better creature comfort for the occupants inside the vehicle. Starting with the instrument cluster, the analogue instrument cluster has been swapped out for a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster to make the interior look more upmarket. Beside the instrument cluster, the same 12.3-inch infotainment system that was seen on the 11-seater Carnival also made it on to the 8-seater Carnival. But inside the 8-seater Carnival, the infotainment system is hooked up to a more premium 12-speaker Bose premium sound system. The Bose sound system sounded crisp with strong bass, which enhanced the in car entertainment experience when traveling in the Carnival. 
To brighten up the interior, the full spec Carnival will also come with 2 sunroofs located on top of the front and 2nd row seats. On the front and rear door panels, the full spec Carnival also comes with white ambient lighting to give the interior a touch of class. Just like the 11-seater Carnival, the main color theme inside the 8-seater Carnival is beige with gray color inserts. While this color also made the interior look larger, most Malaysians would hope that the interior is black in color so it doesn’t look dirty easily. Personally, I also think MPVs should come with a darker interior to make it look elegant and luxurious. 
In terms of the front seats, the seat design is as comfortable as the one found on the 11-seater Carnival. For the full spec Carnival, the front seats add on heated and ventilated function to keep the driver and front passenger in a pleasant mood. For the 8-seater variant Carnival, the 2nd row of the MPV comes with a bench seat with the ability to slide and recline the seats individually. The 2nd row seat passengers get ample amount of legroom and headroom, and the MPV is wide enough to allow 3 adults seated in the 2nd row side by side. During my review period, I fitted a child seat in the center and 2 adults still can sit very comfortably at both sides of the child seat. The 2nd row is also very flexible, where all the seats can be totally removed or flipped for different purposes. By flipping the 2nd row seats, the owner can turn their 8-seater Carnival into a moving conference room for meeting purposes on the go. 
And in the 3rd row seats, Kia has intended to allow 3 occupants to seat at the back there. But if all the 3 occupants are on the bigger size, the 3rd row seats can be a little tight if 3 people were to squeeze into the 3rd row seats. And to keep the whole cabin cooled, the rear passengers get individual AC vents on top of the 2nd and 3rd row seats with rear AC controls for them to choose their temperature and fan speed. In terms of boot space, the Carnival’s boot has ample space to carry all the luggage that 8 people will bring along. But with the 3rd row stowed away and the 2nd row removed, the Carnival will turn into a huge cargo carrying compartment to carry as many items as possible. 
As the locally assembled Kia Carnival comes with the same powertrain as the fully imported Kia Carnival, you can check out the drive review on the video below. Just for a quick recap, the Kia Carnival uses a 2.2L turbo diesel CRDI engine with the Smartstream technology built into it. This engine has the ability to produce 199hp at 3,800rpm and a peak torque of 440Nm from 1,750rpm to 2,750rpm. This engine continues to send the engine power to the front wheels through the 8-speed automatic transmission.
With the top of the line Kia Carnival, Kia Malaysia has given the 8-seater high Carnival a full list of safety and driver assistance systems. This allows the 8-seater High Carnival to achieve a level 2 semi-autonomous driving MPV. The safety systems available on the 8-seater High Carnival include 7 Airbags, Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Multi-Collision Brake Control (MCB), Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC), Auto Hold Function, Rear Occupant Alert (ROA), and Safe Exit Assist (SEA). 
As for the driver assistance systems, the 8-seater High Carnival is equipped with High Beam Assist (HBA), Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Driver Attention Warning (DAW), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), Lane Following Assist (LFA), and Smart Cruise Control (SCC).
With a price tag of RM 249,528.80, the Kia Carnival did a good job ferrying my family around during the weekend I had the MPV. I really like the flexibility that the 8-seater Carnival provides. If I need a MPV in my family, the 8-seater will be at the top of my list, as it’s the most usable version of it among the different Carnival variants.
Check out full photo album here. 
