Kia Carnival

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The Kia Carnival is a minivan produced by Kia Motors. It is known in the British Isles and North America as the Kia Sedona. It had a base price starting at around US$20,000, which was lower than most competing minivans, but now the Mazda Mazda5 has a lower price than most competing minivans. It is available in the United States with a 3.5 L DOHC V6 engine producing 195 hp SAE (145 kW), and many other countries with a 2.9 L DOHC turbo diesel, with 144 PS (142 hp SAE/106 kW). A 2.5 L V6 is available in some markets. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard for the smaller engines, with a 4-speed automatic transmission available as an optional. A 5-speed automatic is the only transmission in the American market.

In the United States, it is available in a base LX model and a top of the line EX model. Leather upholstery and a power sunroof are available options.

The Sedona/Carnival is rebadged and sold as the Naza Ria in Malaysia. This allows the van to qualify for National Car incentives within Malaysia.

The Carnival is produced for the Chinese market by the Dongfeng Yueda Kia Automobile Company, a joint venture with Kia.

First generation (1999-2005)

The Kia Sedona was a new model from Kia to compete with the minivan segment of Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, and the Chrysler minivans. It had a 3.5 L V6 engine making 195 hp (145 kW). It was mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. The Sedona lacked features that other minivans had such as power sliding doors and liftgate, a fold flat third row seat navigation system, rear-view camera, and backup sensors. The Sedona also had subpar fuel economy, rated at 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway, the lowest of any front wheel drive minivan.

In Australia, the Kia Carnival went on sale in 1999, with a standard 5-speed manual and 2.5 L V6 producing 177 hp (132 kW). A 4-speed automatic was optional. In 2001, it managed to outsell the Toyota Tarago, becoming the top-selling minivan in the country. It was sales leader again in 2004 and 2005, when sales peaked at 5,259 units, which in itself was a record for any minivan. Much of its success is due to its low pricing: at A$29,990 it is about $10-$15,000 cheaper than most rivals.

Second generation (2006-present)

In autumn 2005 for the 2006 model year, Kia introduced a redesigned Sedona offering features such as a 60/40 fold flat seat, power sliding doors and liftgate, second row power windows, backup sensors, and a navigation system (in Korean models). The new Sedona has a 3.8 L V6 making 244 hp (182 kW). Although its predecessor was often criticized for its 4800 lb (2177 kg) weight, which was far greater than its competitors, the new Kia van is more than 400 lb (180 kg) lighter.

The new Sedona went on sale in Australia in January 2006 as the Grand Carnival. It continues to be sold alongside the old model. The new model features a 3.8 L V6 engine, standard seating for 8, and a 5-speed automatic with manual shift mode. It is priced almost 25% higher than the existing Carnival, which continues with a 2.5 L V6. Sedona now boasts more room for seven and added cargo capacity.

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