2023 Kia Carnival vs 2017 Kia Rondo

What's the difference?

It’s been a week of surprises. I’m not one to usually fangirl over a people mover, as I’ve always found them to look a bit ugly. Yet, the new Kia Carnival Platinum turbo-diesel (which is top-of-the-range) has converted me.

I only have one child but I’ll be damned if I’ll be talked out of considering one for my next car! Jokes, my small family of three doesn’t quite justify the need for one but it has to be one of the better family cars out there.

High praise? If you’re thinking that, you’ve never been in this car. My advice, don’t knock it until you try it. 

It's rare to see a Kia Rondo on the road. Spotting one is like when you get a commemorative 50-cent coin in your change, only not as exciting. Yup of the 219,270 cars sold so far this year 59 of them were Rondos. But the more I've driven the base-spec Rondo S - the more I think 219,211 people may have missed out on something quite good.

So what is a Rondo? Is it a van? Is it a hatch? Is it a wagon? Well, Kia calls it a people mover, but while the top-spec Rondo Si has seven seats, the five-seater Rondo S which arrived late in 2016 only has seating for five. Is that enough people to count as a people mover? 

As for rivals to the Rondo S, well there's the Citroen C4 Picasso, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class and the BMW 2 Series… aaaaaaand that's about it.

So what is it about the Rondo S that makes me think that many of the 220,000 people may have the wrong choice and bought a SUV when what they really needed was a Rondo, but just never knew it? Oh and what is it about the Rondo that dogs really like? And what's bigger about the five-seater Rondo S than the seven-seater Rondo Si?