Kia’s Carnival already stands out from its minivan contemporaries because it’s the only one designed to look like an SUV. But that design dates back to the 2021 model year so Kia will introduce a revised Carnival before the end of this year in time for the start of the 2025 season.
The Korean automaker hasn’t released official images of the updated MPV yet, but the new Carnival was forced to venture outside without disguise so that Kia’s marketing team could produce ad material, and as well know, there’s no escape from the sharp eyes of car enthusiasts and their smartphones when that happens.
Kia is getting bolder and bolder with its designs, so the refreshed Carnival was always going to be more impactful than the minivan it replaced. It looks like the fenders and hood have been carried over, but some clever tweaking of the grille, bumpers and lights make the facelift look even more extensive than it is.
The Carnival’s face is a mash-up of different cues, and includes influences from the new EV9 electric SUV and newly facelifted Sorento combustion SUV, whose lights seem to have inspired the lamps on the minivan. And maybe it’s just us, but there’s even a hint of Cadillac Lyriq about the way the DRLs extend horizontally and vertically. But there’s almost something retro about the grille, which is again reminiscent from the one on the facelifted Sorento, and also seems to riff on the cooling openings used by Kia in the 2010s.
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The rear end also gets a new look, its DRLs mirroring the bi-directional layout of the front LEDs, and the Kia badge has been moved from the middle of the light bar to the center of the rear hatch, which in turn pushes the license plate further down towards the bumper.
There’ll be interior changes to improve the infotainment system and connectivity, but one of the most useful rumored upgrades is the adoption of a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder hybrid powertrain. If Kia transplants the PHEV system from the Sorento that would give the Carnival its first hybrid engine and a total of 261 hp (265 PS) plus around 30 miles (48 km) of electric range.