2023 Kia Carnival review: S petrol

Top-of-the-range, diesel-powered people movers are all well and good, but they can be mighty expensive.

Say I need eight seats, a big boot and don’t want a sodding SUV to get to where I want to be.

Let's also say I’m not super-fussy about a sunroof or fake leather seats or any of that nonsense. I need a big van I can get into car parks without wondering if I’ll have a convertible afterwards, or at the very least an aftermarket DIY sunroof.

I’ve got some options, and this is one of them, a good one: the Kia Carnival S petrol.

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JUMP AHEAD

• How much is it, and what do you get?
• How do rivals compare on value?
• Interior comfort, space and storage
• What is it like to drive?
• How is it on fuel?
• How safe is it?
• Warranty and running costs
• VERDICT
• Specifications

How much is it, and what do you get?

While $51,690 (drive-away) isn’t a small amount of money, it’s not a large one, either. For this segment, that is.

Casting your eye over this sparse spec table, though... you can see where all the money goes on the higher-spec Si and Platinum.

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The poor old entry-level model misses out on a few little things like digital radio and front parking sensors. While the latter isn’t a huge problem because there isn’t nearly as much Carnival in front of you as behind, it’s kind of stingy to skip DABbing.

It’s a basic spec, not gonna lie, but one imagines that this is aimed at two fairly distinct buyers – those in the transport sector who don’t need frippery that gets in the way of uptime and families on a budget. I’m sure that’s not all of it, but as I will always remind you, I’m not a product planner.

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How do rivals compare on value?

The tremendous-looking Staria, from the other side of the family, shares the same engine, has a shorter warranty and a whole different vibe.

The Staria kicks off at $52,990 before on-road costs but doesn’t come with quite the same power and torque figures as the Kia, down by about 10 per cent (when rounding up). Trading various features and key dimensions, it’s absolutely worth a look. Even just to look at.

If you want a giant box on wheels, there’s the LDV Mifa. LDV isn’t messing around with this one – there’s one regularly parked outside my home and it’s very hard to miss. Powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol, the range starts at $53,990 and tops out at $72,990, both drive-away. The Mifa errs towards luxury in most grades and you can even go electric if you want to double the entry-level’s asking price.

Honda’s Odyssey is sadly no longer in the Australian market.

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Interior comfort, space and storage

The long doors slide open without much effort and you’re presented with an easy lever pull to reach the third row.

The flat floor makes it even easier and the three back seats slide independently so only one person has to get out if someone needs access to the rear.

With some seat sliding, a 180cm person can sit in the third row in reasonable comfort for the airport run, though three across will be tight. The seats are nicely shaped and aren’t a basic plank bench, which is worthy of praise.

In that third row, you have four cup holders, a storage tray and everything you’ll need for the journey, including two USB-A charging ports.

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The three separate seats in the middle row are quite comfortable, but again three across will be close. The flat floor means less footsies, though, which means a more comfortable position for everyone.

Cup holders for the middle row can be found by folding down the middle seat (provided somebody isn't sitting there), but another pair is provided at the rear of the centre console (if you can reach them) and you can store bottles in the door pockets. Sadly there aren’t Tiguan-style tray tables or things of that nature.

The front seats are excellent for the job and don’t sit too high, so you’re not lord and commander; it feels more like a slightly jacked-up wagon. You have two cup holders, two USB ports for power and you can stow your bottles in the big door pockets.

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Annoyingly, despite the advanced wireless smartphone integration, there’s no wireless charging pad. The tiny screen swims in an ocean of grey plastic, too, so it looks weird. On top of that, all the switches and dials are basic-looking, which kind of heaps on the offence of not having a little luxury like DAB+ digital radio.

Kia Carnival boot space

The 3090mm wheelbase is massive and means that the minimum available boot space, even when you’re eight up, is a healthy 637 litres. Fold away the third row and you’re beholding 2785 litres, both based on the VDA standard. That’s a lot of space.

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What is it like to drive?

Like its diesel counterpart, the petrol-powered S is smooooooth.

In fact, I should put more ooo in there because the 3.5-litre petrol suffers from precisely no lag, just a nice building of power to the 216kW maximum at 6400rpm.

It gets a move on, too, which is handy for a big unit when you want to break into traffic, although spinning wheels need to be accounted for on a greasy surface.

This is the more refined engine of the two and feels more relaxed around town. But you have to – literally – weigh up the benefits. If this car is going to be regularly loaded up, you’ll see a marked degradation in performance as the 355Nm torque figure is a long way down on the diesel’s.

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You’ll also probably find yourself using more fuel, and it will snowball from there.

The base model has smaller wheels than the Platinum I drove a few weeks ago and it’s all the better for it. The ride is more compliant – not that the top-of-the-range car was bad, of course – and it liked bumps a lot more. There was little effect on the handling, so that’s a win if ultimate ride quality matters.

I’m not a fan of the plastic steering wheel and one hopes this will soon be remedied as it has been in the Seltos. That kind of vibe really ruins an otherwise nice enough cabin and if you’re driving professionally it will, yes, last longer but it feels a bit tradie van-cheap to me.

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How is it on fuel?

Kia’s ADR testing run delivered 9.4L/100km on the combined cycle, which is a fairly hard figure to achieve in the real world.

We did spend most of the Carnival’s week in the suburbs, with a few 80km/h runs, but mostly boring errands and the usual testing loop.

The 72-litre tank will save you a bit of time and it can be filled with E10 or 91 RON unleaded. If you take my poor result of 12.3L/100km, you still get 585km between fills but if you behave yourself, you might get closer to 700.

On the freeway, I’d expect a vastly longer range but if it's range you need, maybe spend a few more bucks for the diesel.

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How safe is it?

The five-star ANCAP safety rating for the Kia Carnival results from a pretty decent suite of safety features.

The forward AEB includes pedestrian and cyclist detection and works at high and low speeds. For child seats, ISOFIX points are provided in the middle and back rows of seats and five top tether points are spread across the two rows.

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Warranty and running costs

Kia’s seven-year / unlimited-kilometre warranty applies, matching the LDV Mifa’s but beating the Staria’s.

You get a year of roadside assist, extended every time you service with Kia.

Servicing comes around every 12 months or 15,000km, which is probably a little short for a lazy V6, but here we are. The capped-price servicing program covers the first seven services and, like the diesel, it’s not a bargain.

The first weighs in at $329, then jumps to $604, down to $402, up to $785, down again to $371, another jump to $754 then finishing off with $393.

Over the seven years, that’s a total of $3638, or $520 per year on average. There’s barely a lobster in it per year compared to the diesel, which I find a bit odd given diesels tend to be noticeably more expensive to service.

At least you know what you’re in for, though, so total cost of ownership calculations are easy enough.

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VERDICT

Regular viewers will know that I am a van fan, cheerfully grabbing the keys to anything big and boxy from any manufacturer that cares to make them.

I really like the Carnival, though.

It feels more like a car than any of the rivals I have driven and has a nice easy vibe in the driving and the passengering. It does occasionally feel a little on the stingy side – a lack of reverse AEB is a bit of a punch in the gut on a five-plus metre van – but it will do the job you want it to do.

Just maybe consider the diesel if you need more range or more pep.

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