How the new Kia Carnival dobs on your kids
This hi-tech family machine takes accountability to new heights, proving a nightmare for sneaky teens looking to bend the rules.
Like any great babysitter, the Kia Carnival won’t keep secrets from mum and dad.
This family-friendly bus has a special app that allows owners to keep tabs on when the car is driven, where it went and how fast it travelled.
It’s a nightmare for sneaky teens – they won’t get any mercy from Big Brother in the garage.
Connected services are part of a running update for a car at the top of its class.
The revised-for-2024 Carnival benefits from a mild facelift that includes new LED running lights that stretch inward from its headlamps.
Every model in the range now has a 12.3-inch infotainment system and a widescreen digital dashboard – there are no analog dials in front of the driver.
Powerful V6 petrol and long-ranged four-cylinder diesel engines have been bolstered by a new hybrid option.
But the best change might be to the suspension, which was carefully revised on Australian roads.
Last year’s model wasn’t quite right – too vague to steer, and too soft in the rear, it felt large on the road and a bit nautical in the back.
Modified suspension performs a rare trick in improving the Carnival experience for both driver and passengers.
Usually it’s one or the other.
With the upcoming hybrid not available to test, we drove existing models and were reminded by their charms.
As before, the V6 petrol version’s 216kW and 355Nm figures make for effortless progress. It’s a smooth unit that sounds sweet, though double digit real world fuel economy is nothing to crow about.
The diesel costs about $2000 more, but it’s a better bet thanks to 6.5L/100km economy backed by 148kW/440Nm power figures that get the job done without fuss.
It’s surprisingly quiet on the road, thanks in part to a turbocharger that keeps revs down.
Both versions only drive the front wheels – an all-wheel-drive option would be a winner for slippery surfaces.
Then again, if a great car is “fit for purpose”, then the Carnival is an Olympic athlete.
Few vehicles nail their intended brief so well as this people mover that – get this – moves people like few other cars on the road.
Having outlasted the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Tarago, Chrysler Voyager and Holden Zafira, the Carnival is back from another training cycle and ready to run at the top of its class for another decade.
Space works in the eight-seater’s favour.
There is more than enough room for adults in all three rows, along with a huge boot that will carry plenty of bags.
There are cup holders and power outlets everywhere you look.
Access to the back seat is far better than what you will find in seven-seat SUVs, and anyone who has left a note on a fellow driver’s windshield to apologise for dinging a door will understand that sliding doors are a winner for kids.
Particularly the power sliding doors found on high-grade models.
The same goes for a digital rear vision camera that allows drivers to keep an eye on the road behind them, even if the van is stacked to the roof with passengers and their gear.
The smart mirror is only available on range-topping GT-Line models, which is also the case for a new head-up display that helps drivers keep their eye on the road.
As ever, there are significant differences between entry-level and high-grade models that start at about $54,500 drive-away and run beyond $80,000 on the road.
The digital dashboard on the standard Carnival is a bit like a basic Kindle compared to the customisable, full-colour iPad of premium versions.
Cheaper models make do with an old-school “T-bar” automatic gearlever, while posh models get a modern rotary controller.
Posh versions justify their asking price with a Bose stereo, faux leather trim, multi-zone climate control, wireless phone charging and heating for the seats and steering wheel.
They also have smarter driving assistance features, including more advanced lane keeping assistance and auto emergency braking systems, as well as a safe exit assist function that can stop kids stepping into the path of traffic.
But the standard car has the basics covered, including eight airbags with side impact protection for all three rows.
It will even call for assistance following a crash, thanks to an “SOS” system intended to help get first responders to the site of an emergency.
Sometimes it’s good to have a car to tell on you.
VERDICT
Better to drive, with fresh tech and revised looks, the Kia Carnival remains the pick for moving people.
4 stars
KIA CARNIVAL
PRICE From about $54,500 drive-away
WARRANTY/SERVICE 7-yr/u’ltd km
ENGINE 3.5-litre V6, 216kW/355Nm
SAFETY 8 airbags, auto emergency braking, active cruise control, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert
THIRST 9.6L/100km
CARGO 627 litres
SPARE Space saver
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