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.

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!!!

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.