Meet the Kia Carnival. It becomes not only the second offering from Kia Motors India but also the second personal vehicle that can seat up to nine people. But, it is the first product of its type which is available in a four-row configuration as well. Prices for the MPV start at Rs 24.95 lakh and go all the way up to Rs 33.95 lakh, before taxes. It arrives in India with just one, BS6-compliant (Bharat Stage 6) powertrain. However, there are three trim levels to choose from – Premium, Prestige and Limousine. Here’s the complete price list:

Under the hood is a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine that produces 197bhp/440Nm. An 8-speed automatic transmission harnesses all that oomph and feeds it to the front wheels. That should be plenty for most consumers. The Carnival’s real charm lies in its list of features which, as you’d expect, varies with trim levels.

As standard, the Kia Carnival comes with features such as a rear-view camera, three-zone climate control, an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 18-inch alloy wheels, push-button start/stop and one-touch power sliding doors. The next-in-line trim level ropes in stuff like LED projector headlamps, dual-electric sunroof, power-folding ORVMs, six airbags, a 220-volt laptop charging point and electronic stability control with hill assist.

If you choose the Carnival in Limousine spec, Kia Motors will fit gizmos such as an 8-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, UVO connected-car features with free three-year subscription, two 10.1-inch rear-seat entertainment displays, 10-way electrically-adjustable driver’s seat with ventilation, wireless mobile charger, an air purifier and VIP seats with leg support in the second row.

For the Carnival, Kia Motors India has kept the list of colour options rather short. There are only three available – silver, white and black. The company claims that it has already received more than 3,500 bookings for the Carnival, and over 70 per cent out of those are for the top-end variant. In India, the Carnival’s closest rival is the Toyota Innova Crysta. Suddenly, Toyota’s MPV doesn’t seem all that expensive! Plus it has nothing to prove. The Carnival, on the other hand, is not only considerably more powerful but also roomier than the Japanese counterpart.