Kia Carnival KA4 2.2L Diesel SLi (2021-2024)

Great for moving but lots of problems – As a family of 6 the car is great for getting from A to B. However I have a couple of pretty disappointing things to reflect on: - the brakes are very very squeaky which I wouldn’t expect from a 3 year old car. It’s been to the dealership twice in two weeks for squeaky brakes and the verdict is that the brakes are fine but that the car is just… Read more

heavy. I honestly cannot fathom how that is at all reasonable given that the car is not that old.

- the touch panel overheats and does not respond to my touch. I thought maybe this was a design flaw but am starting to think that the unit is faulty (although it has already been replaced once by Kia).

- the genuine floor mats have not stayed in place from day one of purchasing the car. I did try to get that fixed at the initial service but they have never stayed. I’ve taken to folding the small strip along the passenger doors over so that they don’t become a serious tripping hazard.

I called the dealer about my issues and was told that it would be $176 to diagnose the issues if it is found that the problems are not under warranty.

- don’t bother if you have an apple phone unless you like a- buying a new cord every couple of months because it stops registering for CarPlay or b- having your phone calls echo every time you are on a call through car play.

- I recently booked my car in for a major service and when it got dropped off the dealer thought that the car had been booked for a recall which I had never even been informed of!

- other things that have happened: speed warning has not turned off in traffic zones, we had to drive from Canberra to Queensland with a safety beep non stop because a back row buckle was faulty, the back row buckle sinks into the seats which makes it quite hard for one of my kids to buckle their own seatbelt.

Left high and dry- Engine fails at 3 yrs / no car for 3 weeks and no end in sight! – Very disappointed that if your engine fails whilst your Kia is under warranty, Kia don't provide a replacement vehicle! Great car till it broke down dramatically with engine malfunction on 25th June. Took it straight to local Kia dealer where it has been regularly serviced. Still without a car! Kia can't offer us a replacement vehicle even though… Read more

this is a Kia fault under warranty. Car insurance doesn't provide a replacement car because Kia is at fault/ no accident. We have 5 children and have had no car for 3 weeks and told to expect another 2 weeks, while they order a new turbo. Our local Kia staff are very pleasant but seem understaffed and don't have enough loan cars (they have to be booked in advance....please remember this before your turbo fails). Why can't Kia Australia help lesson the inconvenience to customers when their cars fail under warranty? Are we supposed to hire a car or just stay home for 5 weeks? I'm not asking for a new car but you would think providing an old Carnival is a reasonable compromise? If there are none available, perhaps that tells you that more loan cars are required. We are patient people and understand problems come up...but we don't think this is fair and it doesn't reflect well on Kia.

Better than most 7-seat SUVs...and it can carry up to 8 people – Having stepped up the build quality in cars like the Stinger and Sorento from Kias of the past, the new Carnival is no different. Kia packages their cheaper materials far away from your major touchpoints, leaving the nicer leather and softer plastics as your main points of contact. The Carnival isn’t a cheaply built car, however itl is… Read more

cheaper to buy since it’s not adorned in excessive amounts of expensive materials. All of this translates to an adequate level of build quality.The doors are heavy and have a comforting weight when you close them - something Kia is working on to lift the perception of their cars from cheap alternatives to viable competitors. Inside, the Carnival presents the steering wheel, seats and door cards in a leatherette material, which feels plush and pleasant to touch. The way the buttons, latches and levers work in the Carnival are reassuring in their operation, their sound and function all feel extremely sturdy. There is nothing of concern when it comes to the build quality, both inside and out. This minivan is likely to stand the test of time against the ultimate measure of build quality… rambunctious children.

The Carnival I tested was the SLi Diesel, which is priced from $62,790 drive away. The range kicks off at $50,890 with the base model. However, like many of Kia’s products, I always recommended heading as high up on the range as you can afford. Heading higher up in the range will reward you with all the fruits of convenience and comfort that these cars have to offer, rather than missing out on key features like a heads-up display or a fully digital TFT drivers display. The SLi acts as a good middle ground between the model below and the range-topping Platinum. This trim has a great range of features such as the 12.3 inch media display, larger alloy wheels and leather interior, therefore, it’s recommended you get as close as possible to the SLi trim when purchasing a Carnival.

The Carnival comes with Kia’s 7 year/unlimited kilometre warranty and capped price servicing over 7 years or for up to 105,000km. The total cost of servicing over 7 services comes to $3,767, with service intervals being every 12 month or 15,000km.

The Carnival kept quiet even at high speeds. You’d expect a brick like this to generate a fair bit of wind noise, but instead, I found it almost tranquil once up to speed on the highway. The speaker system in the Carnival wasn’t as impressive as the Bose system in the Sorento. Instead, I was met with an audio experience that wasn’t mind-blowing but functional, for music and podcasts.

The braking in the Carnival was seriously impressive, with seemingly ordinary brakes I was impressed with being able to stop two tonnes of metal with ease.

The Carnival was fitted with Kia’s universally implemented 2.2L four-cylinder diesel engine, producing 148kW at 3800rpm and 440Nm at 1,750-2,750rpm. Diesels aren’t the best motors when it comes to outright performance or urban fuel economy. However, Kia has appeared to refine this 2.2L diesel to the point where it’s effortless to move not just around town, but also out on the open road. It’s most certainly not a gutless motor; with 440 Nm, there’s plenty of torque - there’s even enough to tow a braked trailer of up to 2 tonnes.

The 8-speed is buttery smooth; there’s no need for manual shifting. Whether it’s going up an incline, or needing to suddenly overtake, the gearbox will be ready to handle anything you throw at it.

People-movers generally have better handling than SUVs. The hierarchy of family wagons and their handling ability starts with the station wagon at the top, followed by people-movers, and then SUVs at the bottom. Thanks to recent trends in SUV design, manufacturers have been cooking up SUVs that can now out-corner sports cars that were considered top-tier a few decades ago. What you can’t engineer your way out of is a low centre of gravity, which the Carnival has. Keeping the weight low means that steering feels more direct, even in a bus like this. Mid-corner body roll on the Carnival is significantly reduced compared to cars with their weight higher off the ground. Kia claims a combined fuel consumption figure of 6.5L/100km. I managed to return a figure as high as 13.6L/100km in the city. However, after mixing up my driving a bit, , I returned a far more conservative figure of 8.1L/100km towards the end of my week with the Carnival.

With a total available space of up to 2785L, you better believe the Carnival is spacious.

It's a good looking, practical, easy-to-life-with minivan with a great warranty period. My only gripe is the lack of AWD which would help broaden this van's appeal. It's more car-like than ever, and for many, this should be considered over large 7-seat SUVs that often compromise on interior space for the sake of mediocre ground clearance.

*Disclaimer - I work for ProductReview as their independent car and motorbike expert. I borrow new cars and motorbikes from manufacturers and owners to review. I am not paid or incentivised by these brands to post reviews. I write and create content to provide insight and information about any new or used vehicle I can get my hands on.

Great car but not without it's issues – This is a great car as far as its got loads of capacity for a large family, plenty of power for towing, smooth to drive and efficient to run getting close to 860km's to the tank. However it's not been trouble free motoring. I have had to bring the car back to my local dealership for the same sliding door issue 5 times soon to be a 6th within the… Read more

last 2 years of owning the car. When pushing the electronic open button the motor will run but the catch mechanism won't activate and the door doesn't open, or the door catch doesn't release from the pillar and a loud bang occurs. When door is open and the button is pressed the locking mechanism on the lower door runner doesn't release and the motor strains against the lock until a loud bang occurs (assuming the catch mechanism on the drive cable lets go) and the door fails to close at which point you need to push the close button again and hope for a better result. So far this is only happening on the right hand sliding door the left operates flawlessly. The dealership just clean and grease the catches each time I go back to have it fixed, which works for a couple weeks (maybe) then same thing. Additionally the rear row passenger seatbelt warning sound doesn't shut off once the seatbelt has been clipped in resulting in an extremely annoying ding sound, I have unplugged the cables for my sanity, Dealership couldn't make the issue occur so have done nothing to resolve. Everything else about the car is fantastic but the constant back and forth to the dealership is extremely frustrating.

Great all round family car – I've owned my Kia Carnival KA4 SLI for 6 months and have been so impressed. As well as looking amazing, the function is great! It has amazing space with room for 6 child restraints and ability to access the third row with restraints in the second row. The restraint anchorage points are located on the seat backs so they don't get in the way. There… Read more

are 5 anchorage points, one for each of the middle row seats and the outer third row seats, but you can fit a third restraint in the back row if it is un tethered, or if you get an extra point installed. We keep one of the side seats folded forward to allow access to the third row, but leave the removable (heavy and awkward) centre middle row seat in situ as it gives us more spare adult size seats. The seat folding leavers and straps are a little heavy and awkward to use, but improve with familiarity. Ventilation is great to all rows.

The boot with all three rows of seats up is still bigger than most SUVs or wagons, and with the third row folded it's massive! The car is amazingly comfortable in all seating positions with adult size space all round. Electric sliding doors and boot mean my young kids are able to safely use the doors and don't risk being squished when parked on hills.

Driver assistance features are fantastic, including surround view cameras, adaptive cruise control, lane centering and AEB - it practically drives itself. Parking is helped by the cameras as it is a big car.

The 2.2L turbo diesel has good power and torque without being exceptional, however the economy is amazing - 5.8L/100km in the country and 8L/100km in the city with short trips. I tow a triple bunk caravan weighing almost 2 tonnes loaded (Adria 552PK Sport) and still get 11-12L/100km. Traction whilst towing hasn't been the issue I expected, and it is a very stable tow car. The width of the carnival means the caravan seems smaller behind the car too! The transmission is generally decisive, although the torque converter seems designed to slip a bit in 1st and second which can result in the engine reving more than intended.

I don't love the satnav - its a bit tricky to input the destination, but the 12.3inch screen is great and gives the option of split screen. You can get around the satnav by using apple carplay though.

Servicing is capped price and seems cheap enough considering the size and complexity of the car.