[PetrolHead2272]

For 75+ Lacs OTR, I wouldn’t consider the Carnival. I would rather buy two 30-40 lac cars for that much money.
Let’s face it, all sub 50 lac cars offer what luxury brands do, anything extra you pay is just for the badge. If I can get almost the same kit as a 70 lac Q5 in a 35 Lac Hycross ZX, then i’m just paying 35 lacs more for the badge right.
Honestly, at 75 lacs Carnival doesn’t even boast of a premium badge like a BMW or Merc. I’d rather spend that much money buying a combination of something like a Hycross + Scorpio N 4WD.

[Geo_Ipe]

Kia with the new Carnival had made the Fortuner look VFM, prima facie!

I'm not in the market for a premium van, but if I were, I would choose the Kodiaq or even the Hycross from a segment below.

[Bhodrolok]

Absolutely if I am completely chauffeur driven, can't imagine self driving this on our roads!

[SuperGirl_Dad]

I would like to see another option in the poll,

Should Kia have launched Telluride at 75L on road.

Telluride and Carnival are 7 seaters, similar size and both use similar engines (albeit Telluride is considered a SUV and offers AWD). It will also be a logical upgrade for Fortuner owners who dont want German marque.

[gtr_amg22]

I may be a part of the minority, but the Carnival is a very VFM pick. Compared to the Germans (Q5, X3,GLC), it commands loads of space and it's usp of course, the third row of seats. Also the boot is humongous! So if you have the budget, this gives a bang for the buck

[Hells Bells]

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

Actually this question can be answered by looking at Customer Segmentation. Its not a general question where you ask will you buy a Carnival today at 70L on Road ?

A customer who is looking for a comfortable 7 Seater in 30 to 40L range has multiple options - Innova HyCross, Meridian and many others. May be even stretch up and get fortuner.

I dont agree to the thought that we have multiple "comfortable" 7 seaters. I have seen Meridian, Kodiaq, and Gloster. None of them are comfortable for all 7 folks. Meridian has horrible rear seats, Kodiaq is mildly better but not comfortable. Hycross is reasonable but not luxuriously comfortable. Which is why I think the question on this thread is not framed universally. If I am genuinely looking for a comfortable 7 seater then I actually do not have many options and Carnival fits the bill as potential cheapest/2nd most cheapest (after Hycross) option. Everything else is bigger and more expensive than Carnival.

[Sensible_Speed]

My two cents... The Carnival is what it is because of sales strategy. Kia will eventually localize assembly of this soon, imo. They're importing restrictive quantities to shore up interest in the car and sustain it. People will start talking about it more if it's a rarity. This also works in Kia's justification of the obscene price tag.

[Mystic]

I voted Carnival.

In fact it was considered 3 years back when I bought one of the last Crysta diesel Z automatic ever sold before Toyota retired it. Carnival was affordable at that time for me. It may not be affordable to me personally now but there are a lot of people out there who are waiting in queue to get it. I missed the opportunity at that time because of Kia badge when compared to Toyota badge. I for some unknown reason has a view that Kia are copy cats and produce cheap cars (may be this perception I had being in USA for a long period).

The image of Kia abroad and India are different as I realised later. Kia is very careful with their strategy wrt India and are hugely successful for others to follow.

People may not agree with me but I personally do not remember (rather try to forget) the amount I write on the cheque when buying a new car. Car buying is always an emotion to an enthusiast and I do not want to spoil the enthusiasm by reminding the sticker price even after some years. Over the years, the sticker price which might have pinched at one point is overwritten with a lot of good memories with the car.

[inwester]

This is one of the best minivans you can buy worldwide, let alone in India. However, the car is ambitiously priced and hence will see few takers.

If you compare the prices of two cars available in India, e.g. Toyota Fortuner and Kia Carnival, they are similarly priced in Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, etc. However, in India Kia is almost selling at 40-50% premium due to CBU and pricing. The car still comes with the same noisy diesel engine, but with a new aluminum block. They should have launched the new 2025 hybrid here at this price.

If Kia had priced it reasonably well, say Rs. 45-50 lakhs ex-showroom, that would have made sense. However, at 64 lakhs, it is not just ambitious, it's borderline absurd.

[kika]

I do have plans to get a Kia Carnival for my Family in the next few years but I won't be spending 75 lakhs on it. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the local production to start soon.

[Voodooblaster]

Talked with a 1st Gen Kia Carnival acquaintance

He is an enthusiast with a Porsche and a Ducati for the fun night outings.

The Carnival with chauffeur does duty for all intercity trips. In fact on a purely running cost basis , the carnival is cheaper than 2AC/ Vande Bharat rail fare with 3 or more pax

He categorically states that his Carnival is a steal compared to the current price.

In fact he jokingly says that he would rather buy a Force Urbania 10 seater and modify it for more comfort as the Urbania has more interior space at almost the same dimensions.