Photo: Kia Motors Corporation
Kia Motors Corporation has not given up – yet – on the idea that some buyers might still want the added roominess benefits of owning a proper minivan. So, the fourth generation Sedona / Carnival is here – momentarily in KDM (Korean domestic market) form. And the automaker is also inventing a new niche for it – the ‘Grand Utility Vehicle.’
Yes, the old trope ‘don’t call it this or that’ - this time around Kia is trying to get rid of the ‘soccer mom’ minivan stigma. There are many reasons why a proper, serious MPV is sometimes better than an SUV – especially for families with kids. It could be that minivans don’t eat up space in the luggage compartment with AWD, or the fact that you’ll always enter and exit a car better when the doors simply slide backwards (electrically, if you’re lucky enough).
But popular culture – and not the SUV craze – has virtually killed the segment for anyone that’s socially sane. No matter, because Kia has found a workaround – and if that ‘Grand Utility Vehicle’ (we’ll just call it GUV) phantasma works to give peace of mind to prospective buyers, then job well done.
What we have here – the Sedona / Carnival – is Kia’s flagship minivan, so all is fair in war and the automotive industry. Now in its fourth generation, the Sedona / Carnival will be first on sale later during the third quarter at home in South Korea.
The automaker seems to be constantly looking to experiment new styling directions with its vehicles – and while the sane move would have been to follow up from the new K5 / Optima – the new Sedona / Carnival tosses all that to the bin and goes down its own road. Well, we appreciated those who boldly go where no one has gone before... hmm, you get the point.
Design-wise, the 2021 Sedona / Carnival doesn’t come with many SUV characteristics – if you ignore the small patches of lower-body plastic cladding or the front and rear metallic lower skid plates. There’s a remarkably interesting short-overhang front end, with a new take on the corporate grille and LED headlights that partially eat-up into it.
The A and B pillars have been blacked out and the side gets a boomerang-shaped diamond-pattern flourish that seems to be inspired by the new Sorento SUV. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for Kia to release the Sedona / Carnival at home or present the global versions to find out at least some of the technical specifications, which are currently very much ‘MIA’ (missing in action).
But popular culture – and not the SUV craze – has virtually killed the segment for anyone that’s socially sane. No matter, because Kia has found a workaround – and if that ‘Grand Utility Vehicle’ (we’ll just call it GUV) phantasma works to give peace of mind to prospective buyers, then job well done.
What we have here – the Sedona / Carnival – is Kia’s flagship minivan, so all is fair in war and the automotive industry. Now in its fourth generation, the Sedona / Carnival will be first on sale later during the third quarter at home in South Korea.
The automaker seems to be constantly looking to experiment new styling directions with its vehicles – and while the sane move would have been to follow up from the new K5 / Optima – the new Sedona / Carnival tosses all that to the bin and goes down its own road. Well, we appreciated those who boldly go where no one has gone before... hmm, you get the point.
Design-wise, the 2021 Sedona / Carnival doesn’t come with many SUV characteristics – if you ignore the small patches of lower-body plastic cladding or the front and rear metallic lower skid plates. There’s a remarkably interesting short-overhang front end, with a new take on the corporate grille and LED headlights that partially eat-up into it.
The A and B pillars have been blacked out and the side gets a boomerang-shaped diamond-pattern flourish that seems to be inspired by the new Sorento SUV. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for Kia to release the Sedona / Carnival at home or present the global versions to find out at least some of the technical specifications, which are currently very much ‘MIA’ (missing in action).
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