Kia Grand Carnival 2006 review: snapshot

Most cars have some kind of gimmick to make them stand out. The Grand Carnival has a few – the electric sliding doors and seating for eight people.

A big brother to Kia's Carnival, the Grand takes people-moving to a bigger, better level. It has a larger, stronger engine – a 3.8-litre V6 with more power (increased to 184kW from 132kW). In girl torque, that just means it didn't miss a beat driving in the city or on a two-hour open-road trip to Moonta Bay.

It has enough grunt to get you there safely with oodles in reserve for overtaking the endless stream of cars towing boats and caravans. But it comes at a price – a few more stops at petrol stations.

Sitting high gives great visibility but there is no top-heavy feeling as with some taller people movers.

Cruise control is a breeze to use – once you find the "on" switch behind the other cruising buttons on the steering wheel.

The Grand comes with a five-speed auto plus manual shift options. But it handles the road smoothly and with such ease that there was no need to use it. Besides, it's probably a boy thing. The all-important seating options send the Grand to the top of the class.

There is room for eight adults with two people up front plus two rows of three seats. All have plenty of leg and head room, and all come with their own airconditioning vents and separate temperature and air-flow controls for the rear section.

Rear passengers have window vents they can open – as long as they can put up with road noise and fumes. For a long haul with just four people, the back seats fold into the floor to allow for luggage – 2.3cu m. That equates to a huge Esky, four bags of clothes, fishing rods, buckets and tackle boxes, food for a week – and then some.

The Grand seems to have all requirements covered. And there is no need to sacrifice good looks for practicality. It's a nice-looking car inside and out.

The dash is classy (apart from the fake woodgrain), the sound system is impressive and all gadgets are easy to operate. Given the extra room though, it's a great example of where radio controls on the steering wheel are warranted.

The upshot: it moved me.

Love it leave it

Kia Grand Carnival

Love it

Remote-control sliding doors.

Individual airconditioning controls front and back.

Eight cup holders plus eight more for bottles in the doors.

Leave it

Fake wood-grain panels.

Centre console is not strong enough – it folds down like in Honda CRV but collapses under weight of four drinks if you hit a bump in the road.

Parallel parking takes practise.