2025 Kia Carnival interior previewed ahead of global launch

Kia Motors Corporation has officially unveiled the interior of the updated Carnival minivan, which will be released initially in South Korea in the coming weeks. The company shared pictures of the revamped interior via its South Korean-focused social media pages. 

A peek inside the updated Kia Carnival

The interior reveal comes days after initially showing off its updated exterior design, and just like on the outside, most recognizable shapes were kept albeit with some added improvements. 

One example is that a dial-type gear selector replaced the lever gear shifter creating a more open feel for the center console. The automatic air-conditioning (AC) system controls, meanwhile, were changed to a more streamlined single row of tactile touch buttons. 

In comparison, the pre-facelift Carnival that’s currently available locally uses three rows of physical buttons for its AC which takes a lot of space up on the dash. Plus, the fan speed and temperature controls on the update were also changed to knobs instead of the toggle buttons on the pre-facelift model. The new knobs will presumably make the AC easier to control while on the go. 

For the displays, the South Korean carmaker opted to make the updated Carnival fully digital. Specifically, its dashboard now houses a sleek panoramic curved display consisting of a 12.3-inch central touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The rear cabin was also improved thanks to the addition of two 14.6-inch monitors mounted on the rear of the front seats. 

Its new interior is much sleeker compared to the older one.

Of note, the Philippine-spec pre-updated Carnival currently uses a smaller eight-inch central touchscreen with sizable bezels. It also utilizes a pair of analog gauges straddling a small digital driver’s display. 

Other new features confirmed for the upcoming Korean-spec Carnival are USB-C ports instead of USB-A ports, a new digital rear-view mirror, fingerprint authentication, a built-in dashcam, as well as an “ergo motion” driver’s seat. This type of seat uses pockets of air to provide an optimally comfortable seat while keeping the seat itself thin and neatly packaged. 

The Korean car company further enhanced the ease of use of the updated minivan with the addition of its Digital Key 2 system. This allows for vehicle control via smartphone, specifically remote starting locking, and unlocking. 

On the safety side, the company says the update also provides vast improvements like new advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) via Kia’s Highway Driving Assist 2 system. No specifics for this, however, were mentioned, but on other global Kia models, this is capable of semi-autonomous driving thanks to its adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality and lane-centering assist. 

The 2025 Kia Carnival

For now, the company is also mum when it comes to the updated Carnival’s mechanicals. It was previously shared though, that it might be getting a new 1.6-liter hybrid turbo gasoline and diesel powertrains. As a reference, the Sportage Hybrid for the global market utilizes a similarly sized hybrid mill that can churn out 226 horsepower and 349 Nm of torque.

The updated 2025 Kia Carnival will be officially launched in the coming weeks initially in its home market of South Korea. More details will be shared about the minivan by then, so stay tuned here on Philkotse.