2021 Kia Carnival Platinum diesel review

Counting showroom segments with four or more active vehicles, the Kia Carnival enjoys a market dominance that is second only to the Toyota Camry.

The fourth-generation version of the perennially popular people-mover, introduced at the start of 2021, has only served to emphasise the model’s pseudo-monopoly.

The success of the original 1999 Carnival was based on delivering the average family a seven-seater vehicle from a ridiculously low $29,990 (or from $32,990 for auto over manual).

Today’s Carnival builds even more boldly on the styling revolution of 2015’s third-generation, which ditched the frumpiness of the previous models for a fusion of SUV and van body styles. Sports Utility Van? It also went up a notch or two in interior presentation, as well as price.

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The 2021 Kia Carnival starts higher again – from $46,880 – and the range-topping Platinum costs from $64,680 before on-road costs for a petrol V6.

We’re reviewing the most expensive version here, the Platinum diesel that costs from $66,680 – or essentially $70,000 ($69,990) driveaway.

It’s a lot of money for the average (big) family, but the Carnival is also a lot of car.

This 5.1-metre-long, eight-seater Kia not only offers an extra seat over the throng of seven-seater SUVs but trumps them for space in the boot and third row.

The new Toyota Kluger, Mazda’s CX-9 and CX-8, Hyundai’s Palisade (which is available as an eight-seater) or even Kia’s own large SUV, the Sorento, are all well beaten for both luggage capacity when all seats are in use and for adult space in the third row.

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Carnival’s 627-litre boot behind the rearmost seats is super-deep and super-wide. This makes it effective as an airport shuttle but will also allow a family of seven or eight to go on a week’s driving holiday without even needing a roof pod.

The boot’s ability to comfortably take a wheelchair will also be important for families with less mobile grandparents.

Kia quotes 2785 litres for cargo volume with the rear seats flattened. Alternatively, just one side of the 60/40 rear seats can be folded into the floor.

A hands-free auto tailgate is standard on the SLi and Platinum model grades.

We’re reviewing the most expensive version here, the Platinum diesel that costs essentially $70,000 driveway. It’s a lot of money for the average family, but the Carnival is also a lot of car.

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Sliding side doors are again a Carnival feature, with SLi and Platinum adding one-pull electric operation. Their convenience can never be underestimated, especially when you find yourself in the middle of the common car park sandwich.

There’s no clever one-touch button operation for the second-row tilt-slide function as in the Sorento; instead, the operation is performed manually via a seat lever. Third-row passengers can’t pull the second-row seat back into place as with some seven-seater SUVs, either – this is done by pulling another lever under the second-row seat base.

If you’re feeling cruel, you could squeeze three adults into the third row (with the middle serviced by a ceiling seatbelt). Two adults of above average height, however, have an amount of legroom and toe space more than acceptable for longer journeys.

Or parents have the option of fitting child seats. The outer seats feature both top tether and ISOFIX points – a very uncommon combination in the world of people-movers and multi-seater SUVs.

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While the Sorento also features ISOFIX points for its two third-row seats, the SUV’s curtain airbags only cover up to the glass area where the Carnival’s extends to the entire row.

A USB port plus storage section with moulded bottle holder are positioned on either side, while air vents are overhead. Third-row occupants in the Carnival Platinum get extra treats: their own speakers (linked to the Platinum’s Bose audio), LED reading lights, and side shades.

The Carnival’s middle cabin is more spacious, naturally, with limousine-style legroom if the sliding (split) seats don’t need to be positioned far forward to help taller third-row occupants.

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Those seats also recline. And while captain’s chairs are not available, the second row can be customised in a few ways via the middle row’s centre seat: it can be flipped 180 degrees to allow for eye-to-eye chats with the third-row passengers; it can be folded down to become a centre tray with cupholders and smartphone slots for the outboard occupants; and it can be slid forward to bring a younger child closer to the parents in the front seats.

Coat hooks and a bag hook are also included in the second row, as are vents – with full climate control for all but the entry-level Carnival. There are more USB ports here too.

Platinum also adds shades for the side windows, plus dual sunroofs – both of which open electrically: tilt/slide front and slide rear.

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All grades feature a system that warns occupants before they’re about to open the door into oncoming traffic; SLi and Platinum add an extra function that disables the sliding doors in the same instance.

And Platinum will also prompt the driver to check the rear seats – in the hopefully unlikely case a parent forgets about their kids!

Speaking of which, there are top tethers for all three middle-row seats plus ISOFIX points for the outboard seats – combining with the rear anchors to give parents the ultimate child-seat versatility.

The Carnival’s generous cabin width ensures three child seats can be placed across the centre cabin, though this complicates access to the third row if it’s needed.

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That width is emphasised up front with a huge console box, which features a one-piece lid doubling as an armrest for the driver and front passenger.

Its leatherette lid matches with the mid door trims, which with their lighter colour contribute to a multi-tone interior that helps create more of an upmarket vibe. (Kia can often be guilty of using an excessive amount of black in its cabins, which can have the opposite effect.)

SLi and Platinum models take this further with ‘Premium’ seats – artificial rather than real leather, instead of the cloth of S and Si – plus wood-effect dash inserts. Platinum also features customisable ambient lighting in front and rear door panels.

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Front occupants in the Platinum are pampered with heated/ventilated seats, while the driver gets a heating function for the steering wheel.

Door pockets aren’t particularly high, though bottle holders (and a smartphone slot) feature at the rear of the centre console box and two cupholders are found on the centre console.

The Platinum’s centre console looks slightly different to other grades – looking even more sophisticated with its rotary gear selector that’s enabled by the model’s exclusive-to-range shift-by-wire transmission.

While the Carnival S makes do with an 8.0-inch touchscreen, all other models are fitted with Kia’s impressively wide and slick 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

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The base grade at least compensates for its smaller screen and lack of factory navigation with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, where the more expensive models require smartphones to be plugged into USB sockets.

Wireless smartphone charging is included on the Platinum only, which will disappoint many buyers. All windows should have one-touch operation, too, but the Platinum has this on the driver’s window alone and the fully digital instrument display found in the Sorento won’t be available on the top-spec Carnival until later in 2021.

Instead, the driver gets conventional dials plus a small centre TFT display for various bits of information.

So terrific is the Carnival’s cabin versatility and functionality that, for many buyers, the way the Kia drives will be almost irrelevant.

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It’s a bonus, then, that the Carnival drives very nicely.

There’s a relaxed nature to the suspension that makes the Carnival a soothing conveyance without becoming excessively bouncy across uneven roads. The Platinum rolls along on its 19-inch wheels with less fussiness than the Sorento GT-Line on same-size rims.

The steering is smooth, too, though it’s also slow – making the people-mover feel less wieldy when negotiating roundabouts or country roads than its seven-seater-SUV cousin and the Carnival’s turning circle is a touch wider than the Sorento’s, but still decent for a big vehicle.

On freeways, the steering can feel particularly vague around the straight-ahead position.

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The driving position is more bus-like than the Sorento’s, with the seating feeling more upright. It’s still comfortable, though some extra cushion length or cushion extenders for the front seats would be welcome.

All-round vision isn’t perfect, either, with blind spots over both shoulders but blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and the good-quality 360-degree camera view all help ensure the Carnival doesn’t feel intimidating to drive.

A couple of clever, speaker-based features are available via the infotainment screen: Passenger Talk amplifies the driver’s voice to rear passengers; Quiet Mode directs music to the front seats only to help avoid waking sleeping kids.

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Buyers have two engine options, a petrol V6 or a turbo diesel four-cylinder driving the front wheels via an eight-speed auto.

It’s a case of what engine flavour is preferred or assessing the importance of fuel economy to the family.

The V6 is smooth, strong and sounds pleasant, but it consumes about 50 per cent more fuel every 100km with official consumption of 9.6 litres per 100km versus 6.5L/100km.

The diesel has some characteristic clatter even on a light throttle and feels a touch more sluggish from very low revs, but it then offers more pulling power in its mid-range. The more passengers you have on board, the more that extra torque – 440Nm versus the V6’s 355Nm – becomes useful.

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Our Platinum diesel test car returned an indicated 6.9L/100km after about 150km of driving that incorporated an even mix of suburban and freeway running.

Capped-price servicing costs are based on either 12-month or 15,000km intervals and vary from a reasonable $349 per visit to a relatively costly $798 depending on the age and mileage of the Carnival. Owners are looking at not far off $4000 over seven years.

For all that period, though, there’s the brilliant assurance of Kia’s industry-leading warranty.

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As bold as the Carnival’s styling is for a people-mover, many buyers will still prefer the design of a SUV.

But while there may be plenty of big seven-seater SUVs that may be more appealing in the way they look or steer, the Carnival is easy and comfortable to drive while offering interior and passenger room that is largely unrivalled.

And while the Platinum variant offers plenty of goodies to tempt families who can afford it, that convenience of space is standard with all Carnivals.

Editor's note: Some images in this review gallery feature the V6 petrol model, but appearance and trim grade is otherwise identical across the petrol and diesel models.

2021 Kia Carnival Platinum diesel specifications