Minivan in a league of its own

KIA CARNIVAL: COMBINATION OF LARGE SUV AND MINIBUS HIGHLIGHTED BY BENEFITS OF BOTH → Powered by 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine producing 148kW and 440Nm.

Asuburban family owning what they call a minivan seems part and parcel of American culture. Yet in South Africa, a minivan is a rare sight. And I’m not referring to those Suzuki thingies we saw in the 1990s which looked like props from Honey, I shrunk the kids. More like a proper-sized something that looks like a combination between a minibus and a large SUV, offering the unique benefits of both.

Technically the ones that had short stints locally were called MPVs (multipurpose vehicles), like the Chrysler Grand Voyager. But these days that moniker is largely restricted to budget seven-seater people movers.

One manufacturer that has persevered locally with a proper minivan akin to American suburbia is Kia. In the late 1990s, the Korean carmaker rolled out the Carnival locally. Over time it became the Sedona, and then the Grand Sedona until recently. Now the Mzansi minivan has gone full circle by changing back to the Kia Carnival moniker. And in the process, it became the first local Kia to break through the seven-digit price barrier as the flagship SXL is stickered at R1 024 995.

We recently had the opportunity to test the limited-edition SX Limited, which is priced at R999 995.

Based on the same N3 platform as the new Kia Sorento and Hyundai Tucson, the Carnival is 40mm longer, 10mm wider and 35 higher than the outgoing Grand Sedona.

While the base EX and EX+ models feature an eight-seat configuration with two three-seater rows in the back, the SX Limited is a seven-seater utilising two captain’s chairs in the second row.

There is plenty of legroom and headroom in the rear to seat five adults in comfort for long journeys, with the added benefits of leather trim, seven USB ports, dual tilt and slide sunroofs, rear adjustable climate control and rear sunshade blinds and combination LED lamps.

Electric sliding doors – which complements the electric tailgate – also ease entry into the back.

With all the seats in place, there is a ginormous 1 139 litres of boot space on offer. With the third row cleverly folding into the lower bootspace to create a level floor, and the second row removed, space in offer is a panelvan-like 4 110 litres.

Which brings me to my next point. These dimensions make the vehicle a prime candidate to be converted as a hearse and is not surprisingly a popular choice for local undertakers.

Up front in the cabin, the seats are electrically adjusted with lumbar support, while being ventilated and heated; a wired phone charger; around view monitor and 12.3-inch touchscreen for infotainment with smartphone connectivity.

To keep you safe, SX Limited features Advanced Driver Assistance Systems like Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Blindspot Collision Avoidance Assist.

The Kia Carnival is powered by the same Smartstream 2.2-litre CRDi turbodiesel engine that serves on the Sorento.

The mill produces 148kW of power and 440Nm of torque, which is sent to the front wheels via eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission. It has a braked towing capacity of 1 500kg.

During our week in the Carnival, we achieved a fuel consumption of 10.1l/100km over 380km of city driving without attempting to drive it economically, a number we thought was more than just decent for such a big and versatile car.

The Kia Carnival comes standard with a five-year warranty and a six-year/90 000km maintenance plan.