https://soundcloud.com/db_drivenmedia/kia-grand-carnival-the-right-car-for-the-snow
Let me start with a confession. I am not the sort of person who likes to spend a lot of time neatly packing the boot of a car. The idea that you have to be careful, thoughtful and precise to fit things in does not appear to me.
My old rally partner Fred will pack a boot and find that it doesn’t all fit so he will re-pack it and then even if it fits with a bit of a squeeze – he’ll repack it again to make it work more effectively. I have learnt to leave him to it and not get involved. I can’t even bear to watch.
So what do I take last week when I am going to the snow with three extra adults and one child and all the gear. I borrowed a Kia Grand Carnival people mover. I loved it.
I might not be trendy but I was certainly happy.
Functional cars – let’s talk about them with Brent Davison from the Newcastle Herald and the Illawarra Mercury.
- I like to take a bag that is bigger than what I initially need.
- Seating – the middle row has three seats and you can take the middle one out easily – you can probably take them all out easily for all I know. Leaves two people with window seats and a big space in the middle.
- The Rear seat is 60:40 split. The seats fold into a cavity in the floor.
- Even with the third-row seats up, the rear area is of good size although there is not covering to hide valuable things from people looking in the back.
- Sliding doors with power door feature
- Plenty of storage bins and pockets spaces – gets that lived in feeling which is unusual for a test car
- The second row of seats does place your legs up high.
- I had the V6 petrol engined model. 3.5 litre capacity and a lot of power – 202 kw and 336 nm of torque
- Weighs over two tonne
- 6 speed automatic – worked well but it had to kick down a gear or two on most hills – especially with cruise control. I found it was more comfortable to turn the cruise off as you approached a hill and let the car lose a little bit of speed to save changing done in most situation
- Fuel consumption (L/100km) – Urban 15.6l/100; Extra-urban 8.1; Combined 10.9
- Price is not cheap
- Petrol 3.5 Litre V6
- S $ 39,490.00
- Si 3.5 Litre V6 $ 41,490.00
- SLi 3.5 Litre V6 $ 46,990.00
- Platinum 3.5 Litre V6 $ 52,990.00
- Premium Paint $ 695.00
- Diesel 2.2 Litre
- Si CRDi $ 45,490.00
- SLi CRDi $ 50,990.00
- Platinum CRDi $ 56,990.00
- Premium Paint $ 695.00
- This means it is $4,000 for the diesel
- Easy to drive – sweeping country roads – slow down a bit for everyone’s comfort. It’s not a dynamic performer but who wants it.
