Shortly after it was spied in the land of smiles, Thailand became the first country to launch the right-hand-drive all-new fourth-generation Kia Grand Carnival. 

The Kia Grand Carnival in Thailand only comes in an 11-seater configuration. Two variants are available; the base spec SX and the range-topping SXL.

As expected, only the 2.2-litre Smartstream turbodiesel engine made it to our region. The turbodiesel engine is mated to an 8-speed conventional automatic transmission and produces 202 PS and 440 Nm.

The range-topping Carnival SXL also comes equipped with a 12.3-inch touchscreen display, wireless charging pad, Bose speakers along with 360-degree Surround View Camera and Remote One-Touch power sliding door and boot just to name a few.

Safety features include Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Smart Cruise Control, Blind Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Following Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Assist and the all-important Smart Exit Assist (this system will prevent the sliding door from opening if the rear sensors sense an approaching car).

Closer to home, Naza Kia Malaysia only just updated the Kia Grand Carnival to carry a football team of people. Perhaps we can only expect this new larger and better Carnival to arrive in our city in late 2021 or early 2022.