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07/08/2011
REVIEW by EWAN KENNEDY
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Grand Carnival is hardly the most glamorous vehicle in the ever sleeker Kia range of vehicles, but those who appreciate its practicality and value are more interested in how the Grand Carnival works than in pretty visuals.
Now the Kia Grand Carnival is getting a major revamp, with new features, more power and the introduction of a fuel efficient six-speed automatic transmission in every variant.
The long running standard wheelbase Kia Carnival wasn’t selling in large numbers so has been dropped. Those looking for an entry level price can now buy a 2012 model year Grand Carnival S for $38,990. This model will have the 3.5-litre V6 engine in place of the 2.7-litre unit used in the smaller and lighter Carnival S. As it’s operating at the lower-cost end of the market, there’s no turbo-diesel option in the Grand Carnival S.
Diesel engines are available other variants in the Grand Carnival range, that is the Si, SLi and Platinum. The 2.2-litre, four-cylinder diesel is a new Kia design that produces 143 kW of power and a huge 429 Newton metres of torque. The latter should make driving a fully loaded Grand Carnival up steep hills very easy. All the more so with the extra ratio being offered in the auto.
Petrol power continues to be offered on all models, and the 3.5-litre puts out a silky 202 kilowatts of power.
Feature upgrades see the Grand Carnival getting Bluetooth connectivity, and audio controls on the steering wheel.
Grand Carnival Si now comes with alloy wheels, roof rails and rear-seat controls for the air conditioning. These features are also installed on the Grand Carnival SLi and the topline Platinum.
Kia Grand Carnival people mover is a large vehicle with lots of space inside. There’s seating for eight adults, two in front bucket seats; three in the second row, each in their own bucket seat; and a further three in a bench seat at the rear. All the seats have good legroom and are of a reasonable width, although passengers in the rearmost seats will find themselves sitting with their knees up as the floor is rather high.
Access to the rearmost seats isn’t too difficult for the young and agile, but others may find it a hassle.
Luggage space is excellent, even with all the seats in use and the boot is very deep, partly because of the location of a small temporary spare tyre underneath the vehicle, at the right-centre of the cabin floor. A full sized flat tyre can’t be stored in that area, but Kia supplies a plastic bag in which to store the flat.
When you are not using the rear seats of the Grand Carnival they fold down into that deep recess in the base of the boot, leaving a neat flat floor. The three seats in the centre row double-fold forwards to further increase load space and can even be removed completely to create even more room.
The sheer length of the Grand Carnival can cause problems when parking at the kerb-side, but isn’t likely to be a problem in off-street carparks that have sufficient length. Height is seldom a problem as the Kia Grand Carnival is lower than most 4WDs.
Ride comfort in the big Kia is good on most road surfaces, but big bumps and corrugations do trouble it at times. Handling at slow to moderate speeds is fine but at anything higher it verges on being sloppy. Strong understeer scrubs off speed and puts the Grand Carnival back on line if you are over ambitious when cornering.
The complete 2012 model year Kia Grand Carnival range, with prices (excluding government and dealer charges) is:
Grand Carnival S 3.5-litre petrol people mover: $38,990 (automatic)
Grand Carnival Si 3.5-litre petrol people mover: $40,990 (automatic)
Grand Carnival SLli 3.5-litre petrol people mover: $46,190 (automatic)
Grand Carnival Platinum 3.5-litre petrol people mover: $52,190 (automatic)
Grand Carnival Si 2.2-litre turbo-diesel people mover: $44,990 (automatic)
Grand Carnival SLli 2.2-litre turbo-diesel people mover: $50,190 (automatic)
Grand Carnival Platinum 2.2-litre turbo-diesel people mover: $56,190 (automatic) |
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