Introduction

The Toyota Innova Crysta is the undisputed king in the premium MPV segment with its spacious interiors, comfortable cabin and bulletproof reliability. Its a case study in itself. But, the introduction of the Kia Carnival has brought new meaning to space, comfort and luxury in the MPV segment. Now, although both aren't exactly direct rivals, both are designed to haul passengers and more so, in utmost comfort, while at it. So, let's take a quick look at which of these two offer better space and comfort for its occupants.

Front Cabin Space

The Kia Carnival has a massive presence with its over 5.1-meters length, which also translates into a spacious, yet comfortable interior. Both the MPVs feature ergonomic cabin layouts, but Kia's contemporary dashboard design is easy on the eyes, compared to the Innova Crysta's busy styling. At the front, both the cars are neck to neck when it comes to space, but the Carnival offers marginally better room. The Carnival, however, outclasses the Crysta with its 1,520mm shoulder room, compared to 1,460mm in the latter.

Second-row Cabin Space

Both the MPVs get an option of captain seats in the middle row, but the Innova's chairs are no match to the Carnival's. Not only do the seats in the Carnival are wider, but they are also more supportive, better bolstered and spacious. Then, you also get additional leg rests and more fore and aft movement. The Carnival's seats can also be moved closer or wide apart from each other, and there are also individual entertainment screens in the top-spec versions.

However, the Innova Crysta benefits from individual parcel trays and cup-holders. As far as outright space is concerned, the Carnival offers legroom, headroom and shoulder room of 1,050mm, 940mm and 1,500mm respectively. In comparison, the Toyota Innova Crysta measures 1,010mm, 930mm and 1,460mm respectively. The Kia Carnival provides better ingress with its electrically-sliding doors.

Third-row Cabin Space

Coming to the third row, the Kia Carnival's legroom and shoulder room of 910mm and 1,490mm is way higher than the Innova Crysta's 560mm and 1,210mm leg and shoulder space. However, the Innova's seats offer better under-thigh support, which makes it a tad more comfortable on longer journeys than the Carnival.

Boot Space Capacity

The Kia Carnival has a boot space of 540-litres, which can shame some mid-size sedans. It can easily fit one large suitcase and a couple of medium suitcases with space for duffle bags and other items. On the other hand, the Toyota Innova Crysta offers a cargo area of 300 litres, which is good for two small suitcases and a couple of carry-on bags.

Conclusion

The Kia Carnival is clearly a larger MPV of the two and offers better space management, premium cabin experience and features. It is also far costlier than the Innova Crysta. Nevertheless, the latter isn't bad either for what it offers.

Pictures by Kapil Angane and Kaustubh Gandhi