2007 Kia Grand Carnival 3.8 V6 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A great people-mover, and vastly improved over the earlier models

Faults:

So far, nothing has gone wrong.

DVD player was faulty in the 2nd hand car yard, so the dealer replaced it before we bought it.

General Comments:

After swearing I would NEVER buy another Kia Carnival, I read the reviews, took the later models for a drive and was impressed. So many of the problems that dogged the earlier models (including the engine-eating 1999-2004 Carnival) had been fixed.

The car feels solid (as opposed to tinny), the auto trans is smooth and positive, the steering is also fairly positive, anti-lock brakes and traction control work well, the interior finish is up to a good standard (opposed to the earlier model's interior with bits falling off or plastic fittings snapping). Electric powered sliding rear doors seem a bit gimmicky, but they work! The motor feels good, the 3.8 litre V-6 has plenty of grunt to pull the fully-loaded vehicle (i.e. six adult passengers and luggage) uphill on the freeway at 110kph, controlled by the cruise control.

Lots of nice little touches like the rear seats folding flat into the rear well to produce a good-sized boot, then the middle-row seats fold forward and can be lifted out to produce a huge interior for moving furniture etc, if you need to.

Kia have won me over with this; a massive improvement over the earlier models.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd June, 2013

2006 Kia Grand Carnival 3.8 V6 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Great!!!

General Comments:

This vehicle is absolutely brilliant!!

I'm an a grade mechanic, and have found the Grand Carnival to be reliable, comfortable, yet zippy enough not to feel like you're dragging around a two ton bus. People grimace about economy. Hey, you have to cart around 7 people - do you want to rev the you-know out of a four banger, or get there with some left over. It's a bus - economy comes with 3 less seats!!

Anyone asks - I would buy another! I know they're a rebadged Hyundai Entourage - why do you think I bought it? I did my homework - 3 star safety rating front, side and rear - first ever to pass for a people mover. Great price, great car, plus my wife loves it.

Go buy one, you won't regret it, I promise!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st August, 2007

29th Sep 2011, 06:00

Needing a people mover, we looked around; space and comfort came first, then we looked at style, maneuverability, and driving, then we looked at price. The last thing we looked at was the engine. Now that we have had the Carnival for two months, we are surprised by the power and relative economy of the car.

2006 Kia Grand Carnival 3.8 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Excellent, will stick with Kia

Faults:

Our Grand Carnival has only covered 13,000kms. and nothing has gone wrong with the vehicle. Hopefully it stays that way.

General Comments:

Prior to owning this car, we had a 1999 Kia Carnival, which we bought because it was big enough and comfortable enough to carry around our four teenage kids, and was far more affordable for us than most other new MPV's.

However ours suffered the head gasket problem, twice, which was fixed under warranty, but still seemed to reinforce that the car was cheaply built. Besides these quality issues, the car served us well, considering how hard it had to work.

Anyway, this year it seemed like it was time for an update. I went to our Kia dealer to check out the newer version of the standard Carnival, but saw one of the ex Australian Open Kia Grand Carnivals was for sale as a dealer demo. I was really impressed, it is incredibly spacious inside and the 3.8 V6 produces excellent power, the tiptronic transmission also helps to keep dad entertained on the longer trips.

The car is very comfortable and very luxurious with leather, climate control and electric sliding doors. It also feels much safer and more solid then the smaller Carnival. Ours has ABS, EBD and the 6 airbags.

The car can easily seat 8 adults, and still has heaps of room for luggage, unlike any other MPV on the market, besides perhaps the much more expensive Grand Voyager. The quality also seems to be much improved.

There are not many things I dislike about the car, the only real negative I can think of is the two point seatbelts on the middle seats, but these are rarely used. I was also impressed with the fuel economy, which although higher then the average sedan, has returned the same figures as the smaller engined Carnival, about 13.5km/l.

The Grand Carnival is definitely worth the little bit extra, and it really shows how Kia products have matured. I only hope the engine is a little more reliable then the old model, at least we have a pretty good dealer who helped us with the old one.

Anyway, I highly recommend this car as an affordable and very very comfortable full size MPV.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th September, 2006

12th Dec 2006, 20:54

I think it is very unfortunate that a car designed to carry 8 only has 6 safe seats because of the central 2 point seat belts in the 2nd and 3rd rows. I can only hope that Kia corrects this oversight. The second row comfortably fits 3 people, but can we actually trust the middle seat to be safe in an accident. What a shame.. it is really the only thing that prevents me from buying this car.

5th Mar 2007, 19:12

The lap-only belts are a problem, but they would still be good if you have a child in a child seat. The child seat only needs the lap belt and its anchor point to be secure, and the anchor is on the back of the seat in the middle row of the Grand Carnival. That would be fine until the child grows up, at which point you could trade up to the newer model which would have proper seat belts! I don't have such a solution for the third row, where you can't put a child seat.

26th Jun 2007, 04:24

You could buy a child's harness for the middle seats if you are using them for children.

15th Jan 2008, 23:04

Hi I am currently looking at buying the Grand Carnival, but can't find any info on where exactly the child anchor points are. Can anyone give me details on this? thanks.

28th Jan 2009, 18:09

We have an 06 Carnival and have done 42,000km with it and have found it really great. Little thirsty at times but overall excellent value for money. As far as anchor points go they are just terrific! The anchor points are on the back of the seats themselves and not the floor which is really great as we have lots of kids. :) From memory only the middle back seat does not have an anchor point, but it is a bit thin to be putting a child seat into it anyhow. But the others are very spacious. Love it. Now if only OZ could get a diesel auto version. That would make it perfect.