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By
EWAN KENNEDY
29 January 2007
After teasing us with the introduction of the long-wheelbase
Grand Carnival at the start of 2006, Kia has finally given us the
standard wheelbase version of that model.
The latest Kia Carnival, now tagged the VQ series, brings the
popular people mover up to date in style. Its predecessor, which
was frequently number one seller in its class in Australia,
certainly offered spaciousness and value, but it was getting
somewhat old and dowdy in its shape.
Now we have a new Carnival that has a semi-Euro shape without
forgetting its Korean looks. The sleek (well, sleek-ish!) looks
work nicely and the modern family should be happy to be seen in a
car like this.
Interior styling is good, with a large central section that’s,
again, reminiscent of the Europeans in its design theme. The
speedometer is large and easy to read and the driving position is
comfortable.
There's seating for eight within the new Carnival, set out in a
two-three-three layout. All eight can transport adults of average
size. Unfortunately, the centre-centre seat (that’s the one in
the middle of the second row) doesn’t have a lap-sash safety
belt. Which is a real pity because in some ways this is our
favourite passenger seat in the Carnival, because you can stretch
your feet well forward between the front seats for plenty of
comfort.
The three individual seats in the centre row double-fold
forwards to further increase load space. However, the rearmost row
of seats only has a central split, so folding down one side means
you lose the use of two seats, not just one. All the seats behind
the driving compartment can slide back and forward and can be
removed completely without too much of a hassle.
However, the rearmost seat doesn’t fold flat into the floor
the way it does in the Grand Carnival. A shame, because it’s
such an excellent feature of that car. Looks as though shortening
the wheelbase simply didn’t leave space in the underfloor area
for the disappearing seat.
Naturally, there's less luggage room in this new model than in
the Grand Carnival, but this is offset by the shorter vehicle
being easier to park. When we tested the Grand last year we found
it could be a struggle to get into tighter spots as it’s similar
in length to the large Ford LTD and Holden Caprice sedans.
This standard Kia Carnival is simple enough to drive. You
wouldn’t call it a rocket, but the engine has decent torque and
should provide enough get up and go to suit the typical buyer.
Pricing starts at a very low $32,990 for the Kia Carnival with
a 2.7-litre V6 engine and five-speed manual gearbox. Most owners
are likely to opt for the convenience of a four-speed automatic
transmission, that adds a further $2000 to the price.
Kia is currently selling the Carnival on ‘driveaway’ deals,
meaning you don’t have to add any on-road costs to these prices.
What you see on the sticker is what you write on the cheque.
Paying another $1500 buys you the added safety of side and
curtain airbags, as well as the convenience of automatic
windscreen wipers and the luxury of a leather-wrapped steering
wheel and gearshift knob.
The Kia Grand Carnival is still on the market alongside the
Carnival, it uses a big 3.8-litre V6 engine as well as a
five-speed automatic and comes in at $37,990 plus on-road costs.
This new Kia Carnival really is the sort of vehicle that should
be displacing many large 4WDs in the Australian market. As we
become increasingly aware of climate change, there's simply no
need for huge 4WDs that are being bought as people movers, not
4WDs. A Carnival provides better interior space because it doesn’t
have the clutter of 4WD transmission components underneath, it
uses significantly less fuel as it is lighter, and is cheaper to
buy and run.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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