Review of Kia Carnival reveals fashion is not beyond its remit

Traditionally considered an automotive fashion faux pas, the model year 2021 Kia Carnival can change van perceptions

The model year 2021 Kia Carnival Si petrol starts from $56,290 drive-away.

Welcome to the “tracky dacks” genre of vehicles.

Why? Vans are comfortable and fit for just about every purpose … although fashionable is not traditionally among the repertoire.

Families currently riding in SUVs would be better suited to a people-mover due to their space and flexibility. But they just aren’t sexy enough for most.

Kia has done its best to break the stereotype with the fourth generation Carnival.

Larger than any previous iterations we’ve seen over the past two decades, it now comes with a groovier front end and technology which keeps pace with the latest SUVs.

New styling is the hallmark of the 2021 Kia Carnival.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

KEL: Talk about pimp my ride. The Carnival has come a long way from beige and boring.

GRANT: Sharing its underpinnings with the Sorento, one of the best large SUVs around, this new van looks slick. It’s difficult to make a people-mover desirable beyond the cabin space, but I think the designers have done an impressive job on this occasion.

KEL: The front end no longer looks stubby and overall I think it’s moved closer to having a SUV-like silhouette. In profile, I’m getting Range Rover vibes.

GRANT: Luckily for families, it’s a fair distance from Range Rover pricing. Your bare-bones Carnival can be in the driveway for just over $50,000, but that’s primarily rental car buying. We’re in the next model up, the Si petrol which costs about $6k more.

KEL: Despite the flashy 12.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone aircon and nice finishes across the dash, this one still feels at the lower end of the range – I even had to turn the key, that’s a rarity with most cars now push-button start.

GRANT: I’m sure your wrist will recover from the workout. But yes, personally I’d stretch another $4800 and step up one more rung to the SLI, which then includes some luxuries like power tailgate and electric sliding side doors, leather trim as well as the much-needed button that avoids arduous key-turning.

Across the dash and doors is a combination of metal-look and glossy black materials.

THE LIVING SPACE

KEL: Glossy black coverings on doors and the metal-look feature that runs across the dash, it’s a far cry from Taragos from yesteryear.

GRANT: Well designed and brimming with commonsense, there is an amazing amount of real estate inside.

KEL: This has to be the best people-mover around for versatility. With eight seats I love the fact you can push and pull the middle row around to suit your needs.

GRANT: We’ve used previous iterations of the Carnival when travelling to events with the extended family. With six seats in use, there was still space for luggage and a bike box. The centre row is on rails and you can shift them forward to provide additional leg room for those in the back.

KEL: All rows have air vents. Seven USB slots as well, three in the front console and a pair in each row.

GRANT: Surprisingly adults can fit in all rows which makes it a proper people-mover – the third row is far better than the ‘occasional use’ chairs which feature in most seven-seater SUVs.

KEL: Cup holders in each row are good, as well as the bottle holders in the door.

GRANT: The latter did annoy me, as larger water bottles require some muscle to fit them into place (same issue with the Sorento).

More than 5m in length, the MY21 Kia Carnival is bigger than all its predecessors.

THE COMMUTE

KEL: It’s a big unit, but I never felt like it was slow.

GRANT: Providing the motivation is a husky V6 engine. It now feels a little more refined than previous versions, but I still think the diesel is the pick of the drivetrain options on this occasion.

KEL: From standstill it got away without an issue but up hills and when you called for some extra firepower you hear the engine roar.

GRANT: And like the Sorento, I also find the eight-speed automatic lacks cohesiveness with the V6. On occasion it can hold gears too long or hunt for the right cog.

KEL: With a cushioned ride it was awesome on the highway and the radar cruise control is well calibrated.

GRANT: The lane-keeping function can be a bit aggressive, but it’s easy to turn that off if it’s annoying.

Kel and Grant Edwards.

THE SHOPPING

KEL: There were no dramas with the groceries this week.

GRANT: We could have taken an entire aisle from Woolies and still had space. With all seats in use there is more than 600L of cargo area – that’s better than most SUVs.

KEL: When that third row was dropped into the floor it was amazing how much room was available.

GRANT: On one occasion I had a mountain bike in there standing upright.

KEL: Parking can be the only challenge. Front and rear parking sensors certainly help.

GRANT: That’s among the benefits of getting the Si, but another useful function is the 360-degree camera view but that’s only available on the SLi and Platinum models.

Useful storage spots in the MY21 Kia Carnival Si petrol.

THE SUNDAY RUN

KEL: Travelling long distances would be amazing in the Carnival.

GRANT: You would be restricted to the bitumen given it’s front-wheel drive, but it certainly eats up the kilometres with ease. During one highway trip fuel consumption dropped to as low as 6.3L/100km. That’s impressive for a V6 petrol, and even our average over more than 600km was below Kia’s official figure with 8.9L/100km.

Surprinsgly, during our road test the MY21 Kia Carnival Si petrol managed less than nine litres for every 100km according to the trip computer.

THE FAMILY

KEL: This really is as good as it gets for a big brood.

GRANT: You’re spot-on, but even just for those with two kids. Beach trips are a cinch, going for a bike ride together, or avoiding delivery fees from the furniture shop. It’s versatility at its best.

KEL: Storage spots and five tether points for child seats, collectively it mounts a very good case.

GRANT: Kias come with the renowned seven-year unlimited km warranty. That’s beaten by Mitsubishi with 10 years, but restricted to 200,000km.

KEL: How are the running costs?

GRANT: Capped servicing is available for seven years, with the average price $513 at annual or 15,000km intervals. It’s about middle of the row in terms of costs. Safety is five-star, and includes rear cross traffic alert to warn of oncoming vehicles when reversing, speed limit monitoring and autonomous braking which can step in if the driver fails to act fast enough.

VERDICT

KEL: So many people would be far happier in the Carnival than an SUV. The versatility is amazing and the improved looks make the van option more appealing than ever before.

GRANT: Anyone not planning to go off-road should put the Kia people-mover on their consideration list. Strong safety credentials, good infotainment and unrivalled internal flexibility make the Carnival the standout people hauler.

Originally published as Review of Kia Carnival reveals fashion is not beyond its remit