Kia Carnival - compromise minivan

For the first time in its history minivan Kia Carnival was introduced to the public in 1999 at the next auto show in Chicago. There is an opinion that the car was clearly copied from Ford Windstar, and the prerequisites for such assumptions are quite obvious. However, the new generation of minivans is quite similar to the independent creation of Korean designers, and the creation, it must be said, successful - the car looks harmonious and recognizable in the "crowd".

Kia Carnival received impressive dimensions and, as a consequence, a comfortable spacious interior. Classical proportions, a combination of large light devices and strict lines - all this is good to hide the dimensions, and from a distance the car looks much more compact than its real sizes.

The first thing you pay attention to is the abundance of free space. By the cabin of the car you can walk, almost without bending down. We draw attention to the rather good quality of the interior. Perhaps for a modern car design and simple, but the materials, fitting the panels, the ergonomics of the driver's seat - everything is at a fairly high level. As it should be in cars of this class, the Kia Carnival salon is filled with various pockets, cup holders, shelves and folding tables.

On the way to the passenger compartment is a massive sliding door, which opens surprisingly easily. For the middle-range passengers, there are individual air outlets, as well as access to the management of the climate system settings. But the elementary comfortable armrests in the carpet of the Korean automaker did not seem to be included. All five passenger seats of Kia Carnival are separate from the second and third rows and are adjusted by the inclination of the backrest, and also by a small forward / backward stock. Fold them in a flat floor, unfortunately, will not succeed, that in modern minivans now is already a necessity, rather than a fashionable "chip." The manufacturer claims that all this is easily dismantled. But here again there are questions: first, the chairs are bulky and heavy, and secondly, where to put them, leave on the street? It seems that these questions will remain rhetorical.

As for the driving habits of Kia Carnival, the responses of the owners of the minivan are unambiguous - the suspension of the car is energy-intensive, and the course is smooth. First of all, the car owes its American origin. At a decent level is and noise insulation of the cabin.

The car is completed with one of two possible variants of power units: petrol (2,7 l, 165 hp) and turbocharged diesel engine (2,9 l, 126 hp).

Basic equipment Carnival is quite rich. Here are: ABS, airbags, air conditioning, alloy wheels, electric drives for the hatch and folding mirrors.

General impressions of the car: a pretty decent car, comfortable, with good technical characteristics and without any significant flaws. The main disadvantage of Kia Carnival is the price of cars. For some reason, it costs more than more bright and attractive European minivans. In the rest, the car deserved its solid 4.