As Australia's top selling people-mover since 1999, the Kia Carnival has long been famous for its price tag.

With the launch of new VQ-series this year, the Kia Carnival has been redesigned and re-engineered for the 21st century and appeared at the recent Australian International Motor Show in Sydney retaining all the qualities that made the original Carnival a favourite.

The new Kia Carnival is smaller than the Kia Grand Carnival, which was launched earlier this year.

Customers buy people movers not because they want to, but because they need to - they need to move more people than the average car can handle and they need to do it on a frequent basis.

The new short-wheelbase Kia Carnival is the alternative to an SUV, vehicles which traditionally have been larger, heavier, harder to drive and park and very thirsty on fuel.

New Carnival is a spacious, stylish, affordable, comfortable, powerful, economical, complete package that's easy to drive and park and offers seating for up to eight people when you need to move a crowd - everything that Australian people-mover buyers are seeking in a fuel-conscious world.

The new Kia VQ-series Carnival offers significant improvements over the outgoing LS Carnival in most categories - design, comfort, performance and safety.

Indeed, the VQ Kia Grand Carnival was the first and only MPV to be awarded a five-star rating in all four crash test categories by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Now, new Kia Carnival continues Carnival's record of safety by offering standard anti-lock brakes (ABS) with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) and emergency brake assist (EBA), dual front SRS airbags and pre-tensioner front seatbelts.

The new Kia Carnival is powered by a version of Kia's 2.7-litre V6, featuring Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT), delivers 136 kW @ 6,000 rpm and 246 Nm @ 4,000 rpm driving through either a five-speed manual transmission or four-speed tiptronic-style automatic transmission.

New Carnival features multiple seating variations to accommodate up to eight people and luggage. Starting with a 2-3-3 configuration, the 2nd and 3rd row seats can individually slide, folded or be removed to provide a large and very useable luggage compartment.

Pricing

New Kia Carnival and its larger brother, the Grand Carnival, offer a high level of standard specification with the option to upgrade to higher levels of equipment if desired.

The starting point for the VQ Carnival range is the Carnival EX 2.7-litre model at a recommended promotional retail price of $32,990 drive-away for the five-speed manual or $34,990 drive-away for the four-speed automatic. An EX-L model is available with front side and curtain airbags; leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift knob; and rain-sensing wipers at a recommended retail price of $36,490 drive-away (automatic only).

The entry-level 3.8-litre VQ Grand Carnival starts at a recommended retail price of $37,990 plus on-road costs and is available only with five-speed automatic transmission. An EX-L model is available with front side and curtain airbags; leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift knob; and rain-sensing wipers for an additional recommended retail price of $1,500.