Kia Carnival 2018 review: Platinum petrol

Let’s get straight to the point because that’s why we’re all here -  the space! The Kia Carnival is an 8-seater that actually fits eight adults comfortably - unlike most seven-seater SUVs where you wouldn’t particularly want to volunteer to ride in the back.

It’s comfortable in all three rows with so much leg space and head space that you won’t feel like you might develop pins and needles in your limbs after a long road trip if you're stuck at the back.

Yes, all the rows can fit full-size adults comfortably.

The front and back windscreens are huge which contribute to the open feeling. And while you might be put off by the size on first glance, you’ll appreciate the feeling of luxury the space gives while driving. 

My children thought it was fantastic, and wanted to immediately try out the back. I was able to easily access the third row by putting the second row down and climbing in.

The windscreen is huge which contributes to the open feeling.

Unexpectedly, the boot is rather large. Even with all three rows up, it’s much bigger than most SUVs because it’s deep. Sure, luggage will have to sit on top of one another, but you can’t really argue with 960 litres. The third row folds flat, so if you only have five passengers but need a spot the size of a small lounge room to fit your drum kit, the 2220 litres of space lets you do that. 

You can’t really argue with 960 litres.

Weirdly, every time I went to leave the house, there was almost a feeling of relief that I would be driving the Carnival. I’m not sure what I can put this down to, besides the fact that it is such an easy, reliable drive.

I knew there’d be enough room. I knew the children were happy in it. I knew that I’d be safe. I knew that it was probably the most practical car I’ve ever driven.

I always knew that there'd be enough room and the kids would be happy in it.

There are 10 - count ‘em - 10 cupholders. Two in the front, four in the middle, four in the back. There are air vents in every row and tri-zone climate control with strong air coming out of the vents for second and third row passengers - great because the windows don’t open in the back row so the air vents are vital.

There are ten cupholders!

Storage is a big feature in the Carnival, with a deep centre storage bin, extra storage at the front passenger’s legs, a double glovebox - one of which is cooling - pockets on the back of the seats plus large storage in the four doors for bottles and anything else the kids want to throw in there. 

The back doors slide open with a holding down of a button on the key, or there are two buttons inside the car which also open them, another feature the girls loved and it really helps with what probably are heavy doors. The boot closes with a touch of a button too. 

So, here’s the clincher. Despite it being a fantastic drive, super practical and having oodles of space, it’s still a van, innit? And even though it’s a sporty looking van, with a tapered front and sides, it still looks like a van. You really can’t escape it on the outside.

It's a sporty looking van, but still a van.

Inside is treated the way you’d expect a van to be treated. Lots of practicality, without any flash. The dash looks good and the centre console does have some shine to it, but it’s all fairly standard with a whole load of buttons cluttering up the centre. 

There are perforated leather appointed seats which are heated and cooling. The steering wheel has a wood-look, leather-look finish which also heats up if it’s freezing outside.

Leather seats have heating and cooling modes, the wood-look steering wheel heats up, too.

It comes with a 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen but no Apple Carplay or Android Auto. There’s also no digital radio. It is easy enough to use however because there are a whole bunch of buttons underneath the screen which actually control most things, and that’s what you end up using. 

The 7.0-inch touchscreen has no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

The sound is quite good and I could happily turn up the volume and forget that I was a mum for one second in my busy week, even though I was driving the biggest mum-car ever, and little things like the doors being able to open automatically and closing the boot with a button really help when you’ve got your hands full. 

At $58,790, the Kia Carnival Platinum is less than most top-spec seven seater SUVs. Fuel consumption is a bit on the high side, as you’d expect having such a big engine, with Kia claiming 11.6L/100km on the combined cycle. It comes with Kia’s seven year/unlimited km warranty.