About the Kia Carnival
Roland L purchased this Kia Carnival new with additional options for $66,000 (including all on-road costs). Roland L would buy this car again because: “This car is like the Swiss Army knife of the People Mover category. Can this car occupy eight people and still load up suitcases? Yes. Can it go on big trips to Bunnings/Ikea and comfortably take everything home? Yes. Do you need to worry about kids banging car doors when you’re in shopping centres? Absolutely not! Sliding doors will take care of the lot!”
How reliable has your car been? Tell us about any issues.
Our Kia has been faultless from a mechanical perspective. In terms of actual issues, we have had two in total.
The first issue was in the early batch of Kia Carnivals, there would be times when you turn the car on and the head unit screen wouldn’t turn on. You could press the radio/navigation buttons and it would respond and there would be sounds like normal but the display would simply be black.
This also meant no navigation or ability to select music and the most important point, no access to the car cameras. The only fix at that time was to get a small pin or pen to push the reset button (located under the volume knob). This was later fixed via a firmware update as advised by Kia.
I’ve still seen a black screen a few times since then but it’s quite rare these days.
The second issue was that the seal on the sliding door was sticking out a little bit when the door closed. There is no leak in the car, nor does it impact the way the car drives or how a seal should work, but when the door slides shut there are times when the seal is pushed further up and out between the door/chassis.
Overall, the two issues I have had are fairly minor compared to other stories I have heard so I am still quite satisfied.
What do you think of the ownership experience with your car?
I’ve had this car for just over a year and a half now and for a car that is supposed to haul the family around with the ability to pack almost anything and everything, I would say the ownership experience is quite positive. I knew the Carnival was already a name that dominated the people mover segment and with seven years warranty, we took the plunge and sold our 2018 Audi Q7 for a car that we thought would help us get around easier (note: sliding doors).
I am a car enthusiast at heart and by no means is this a car that gets you excited. The truth is, no one really wants to own a people mover until they’ve actually owned one and needed to use it for exactly what it was designed to do.
Every time our family needs to go to Ikea or Bunnings, we always have a little chuckle to ourselves when the time comes to packing things in the car. It is honestly such a breeze. Thinking about it more… that is probably as exciting as it gets. Packing all your purchases into the car without any struggles.
The Carnival is well known and on various occasions we have had random people come and chat to us about the car. Clearly Kia are doing something right to generate such a crazy interest in the vehicle.
As a family of four (two kids aged four and six), we have removed the second row middle seat and permanently left the third row up so that we have the deep boot to use. This means that if we ever have to take others out with us, we can always accommodate at least three other passengers in the third row. The deep boot also allows us to easily take the kids bikes/scooters out even when we are on a road trip. There is just so much usable space!
How has the purchase and aftercare experience been with your car?
When we were deciding to buy the car, the overall decision making process was quite easy. We love how there are only a few variants and not pages and pages full of options to scour through.
Once decided, my purchase and aftercare experience was quite similar to the stigma you get when you mention the word “dealership”. Lots of talking and only negotiation after a long discussion.
Aftercare experience has been neutral. I have not been “wowed” in any way, shape or form (not that I was expecting that) but it is “as expected”. Very transactional in terms of booking for a service, receiving updates and so forth.
Are you happy with the price and features of your car?
Overall, I am very happy with the price and features of the car. I know that due to demand, many dealerships are not even negotiating on price so having one of the first in Sydney (I picked it up in January 2021) I am over the moon with what we paid/what we have.
What do you think of the performance and economy of your car?
As a car enthusiast, 148kW is not something I’d associate the word Performance with. Our other car is a modified Volkswagen Golf R with over 200kW at the wheels (0-100 in about 3.7).
Having said that, we did not buy this car for performance. While it lacks power, it definitely is balanced in terms of torque to get around town vs the economy of the vehicle. Around town/city driving, we usually get about 8-9.0L/100km. For highway driving, a recent road trip from Sydney down to Canberra saw about 5.9L/100km average for the trip.
Overall a full tank should get you about 750-800km. The higher rating for this score is associated to the economy. I would have liked to see more power in the Carnival but at the same time, being a front-wheel drive car, this is probably enough!
What do you think of the technology in your car?
Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are the absolute best. I think the small things Kia have introduced such as conversation talk, relaxing sounds etc… are much of a much (more of a gimmick in my eyes!)
I know the Honda Odyssey has a conversation mirror that I wished we had in the Carnival. I also know this exists in the Carnivals overseas in the current generation and it was also included in the previous-generation Carnival here so why didn’t we get that here Kia?!
In terms of other technology in the car, the air con vents throughout the car is nothing short of absolutely amazing and the 360-degree camera is next level for a car this size. The quality is amazing and crystal clear. I would not recommend driving a car this size without the 360 cameras unless you want to potentially gutter rash your wheels!
The car also has the usual safety features you’d expect in most cars these days like AEB, lane change assist, steering assist etc… (again – some are gimmicky such as the steering assist. Way too obtrusive if you ask me).
If you don’t feel like the above is enough then how about having an amazing Bose sound system as a luxury inclusive as opposed to another option like in some European cars (Audi/Mercedes – I’m looking at you).
What do you think of the ride comfort and handling of your car?
Ride and comfort can be faultless. It eats speed humps for breakfast. As to the handling, my analogy to this would be a comparison to a boat. There is absolutely no feel or driver engagement.
Imagine you are driving a car and you are turning right. When you turn the steering wheel, the car will turn and you’ll head that way except you will not feel anything. The steering is light and the feedback is non-existent.
Some people may love this as it’s an easy car to drive but I have a preference for driver feedback so this was definitely one of the let downs for me. So much that if there was an alternate option that ticks this box and the rest, I would definitely sell the Carnival straight away!
Do you have any additional comments about your car?
Overall the Kia Carnival is a fantastic all-rounder for anyone that really just wants a family car to get around, to transport people and to always have space available for purchases no matter big or small.
It is the ultimate vehicle on road trips due to economy and space so there is nothing else that can compare within the same price bracket. Good luck to all those waiting 9-12 months. All I can say is it’ll be worth the wait.