Astra blue SX with Tuscan umber interior

Congrats on the new Carnival! This is the exact config I'm leaning towards and anymore pictures you can provide, especially of the interior would be much much appreciated.

Also, how do you like the screens in the 2nd row? We've never had screens before and did not think we needed them but looks like it's included in the SX trim anyway. So curious to hear how useful you find them to be.

akasina said:

Congrats on the new Carnival! This is the exact config I'm leaning towards and anymore pictures you can provide, especially of the interior would be much much appreciated.

Also, how do you like the screens in the 2nd row? We've never had screens before and did not think we needed them but looks like it's included in the SX trim anyway. So curious to hear how useful you find them to be.

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Thank you. I will sure upload more pics today. My original preference was white followed by red. I was skeptical about this Astra blue color but after checking in person I liked it and went ahead as I couldn’t get a white one available or with price close to msrp. I got more likes for the interior orange or Tuscan umber color.

regarding the screens, my daughter is enjoying watching on them as they have some pre loaded baby shark videos etc. I also tried Roku with the hdmi input and it worked fine. It’s a personal choice and you may not need them if no kids or with grown up kids. I think one issue is you need to connect to WiFi every time unlike Roku which remembers the WiFi credentials. I am now trying to set them up with the Verizon hotspot which I found out only yesterday that the latest carnivals coming with built in modem that can be used as a Verizon hotspot.

Haha, the reason i said "leaning" towards the Astra blue is because my first preference was also for the WHITE. I still can't pick between the two conclusively but I was just wondering if the orange interior goes a little better with the astra blue vs the white mainly because it won't seem as bright as would on the white.

Very interesting on the Verison hotspot, i had no idea about this. We do have young kids and it would probably come in handy on long trips.

Did you ever consider the EX trim?

akasina said:

Haha, the reason i said "leaning" towards the Astra blue is because my first preference was also for the WHITE. I still can't pick between the two conclusively but I was just wondering if the orange interior goes a little better with the astra blue vs the white mainly because it won't seem as bright as would on the white.

Very interesting on the Verison hotspot, i had no idea about this. We do have young kids and it would probably come in handy on long trips.

Did you ever consider the EX trim?

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I reserved an EX white originally before I went with the Blue SX one. I also did a custom order for white sx but as you know it’s taking forever. My main complaints with EX is lack of power options for the front passenger seat. Also for $3500 more we are getting ventilated seats (I suppose it helps in Texas 😀), roof rails, power folding mirrors (that helps in a tight garage), different front grill that looks lot better, two 110v outlets, ability to move the front passenger side from the drivers seat or from 2nd row and obviously the screens which themselves cost $1500 as a stand alone option. It’s a no brainer to go with sx if you need the screens. Another upgrade with sx I think is better noise insulation over ex as I see something mentioned in the specs for SX. I see many posts with lot of road noise over 50mph especially for EX. I hope it’s just a one off thing for some vehicles and not the whole EX trim.

One word of caution..if fuel efficiency is a deciding factor this may not be worth as I am barely getting 17-18 on local driving..it was not for me and so no regrets..my Murano also doesn’t give more than that and so no issues as carnival being a bigger vehicle. I am hoping to see the electric version in another five years or so for me to upgrade at that time 😀.

Hah... looks like we had similar thoughts on this. Yeah my ideal combination would be ALL of those features that come with the SX minus the screens for $1,500 lower . We have a 2016 Subaru outback and it averages about 25-26 MPG with mixed driving, so a drop to 17 -18 would be quite significant but I'm really hoping with our mix the carnival would get around 21-22 which is more than acceptable for the size.

Thanks for the extra pics too btw!

😀😀 It seems you can actually take out the screens if you are good with tools or have a mechanic do it for you and then may be sell them to other EX or lower trim owners (for less than the $1500 price tag) who don’t have them..just an idea 😀 if you like everything the SX offers minus the screens..yes the combined mileage will be definitely more than 20 I just didn’t make that much of a long trip to get accurate numbers..

My 2 cents after doing tons of research on carnival trims..if you are on budget and don’t care for some of those fancy features, go for LXS. If you prefer 19’ wheels and a nicer and bigger display and with more power options for the driver seat along with rear climate control option go with EX..if you need fully loaded but bench 2nd row seats and don’t care for sunroof / moonroof go for SX..SX prestige if you like the dual sun roofs and bucket seats..LXS might be best value overall if you can live with the basic options..

irvingGuy said:

😀😀 It seems you can actually take out the screens if you are good with tools or have a mechanic do it for you and then may be sell them to other EX or lower trim owners (for less than the $1500 price tag) who don’t have them..just an idea 😀 if you like everything the SX offers minus the screens..yes the combined mileage will be definitely more than 20 I just didn’t make that much of a long trip to get accurate numbers..

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I am mechanically inclined, but taking out the screens was not a difficult task in any sense. A longer #1 Phillips screw driver is all you need. For those not mechanically inclined, the #1 is the smaller head Phillips screwdriver. The plastic cover comes up easily, virtually no force required. Taking 2 screens out may take 30min if you take your time.

Thanks a lot for both your input. I think i'm pretty much convinced about going with the SX trim since we definitely need the bench seat in the middle row and like having all the power options it comes with above the EX. Just have to decide on the color between White and Astra blue... Would be a whole lot easier if we can see them in person on the lot but the carnivals are just so rare to even spot on the road

TheMealOnWheels said:

I am mechanically inclined, but taking out the screens was not a difficult task in any sense. A longer #1 Phillips screw driver is all you need. For those not mechanically inclined, the #1 is the smaller head Phillips screwdriver. The plastic cover comes up easily, virtually no force required. Taking 2 screens out may take 30min if you take your time.

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When the screens are removed do the seats look different that the seats would if no screens were installed?

IrvingTXGuy said:

I got mine two weeks back and really liking it so far..would be glad to answer any questions..

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I am waiting for my preorder build for exact build from Kia Plano.
May i know the out the door price for your car and dealer markup. Kia Plano charging me $3000 mark up.