2023 Kia Carnival S V6 review

If you're about to buy a three-row SUV, stop.

I'm not arrogant or stupid enough to tell someone what kind of car they need or want. I'm not the one spending the dollars at the end of the day.

However, I have been known to implore some buyers – whose minds might be quite made up – to consider something different.

And let me tell you, the 2023 Kia Carnival is rightly at the pointy end of that list for me.

It's one option of few remaining people movers in the country, and it's the best choice of the lot. And against the likes of a seven-seat or eight-seat SUV, it's a better choice than all of them.

I get why you might not consider it: it's a people mover, some kind of societal kryptonite that many will simply not go near. Instead, they buy something that is more expensive and less practical, with significantly less fit-for-purpose chops. They buy a large SUV.

The simple fact of the matter is that many Australian families will lead a better, happier and more fulfilled life if they drive one of these bad boys.

The mental challenge for people to get over is the stigma attached. What will people think of me? Boring? Not adventurous?

Kurt Cobain drove an old Volvo. Did he care? No. He cared less than zero about that – and that's cool. That Volvo is cool. And if you wire your brain in the right way, this Carnival is the king of cool.

I'll put it another way. I've got an old Land Rover Defender, which is a crap vehicle in many respects. However, it's also impressively good at a narrow field of disciplines. I love that car not because it is attempting to be a jack-of-all-trades, but because it is a master of one: heavily loaded off-roading.

In a similar vein, this Kia Carnival cares not for off-roading ability or sporting pretensions. Instead, it focuses on its single craft of people-moving to near perfection. It's the Land Rover Defender of people movers.

And for those who have seen the light, but want to do it in the most cost-effective way possible, then this is the exact car. It's the 2023 Kia Carnival S equipped with a 3.5-litre petrol V6.

It's priced from $51,690 drive-away, which puts it against the likes of the Hyundai Staria, LDV Mifa and smaller Volkswagen Caddy in terms of price. More expensive options include the HiAce-based Toyota Granvia and Transporter-based Volkswagen Multivan.

While there is undoubted appeal to the top-spec Carnival Platinum at closer to $70,000 drive-away, this base offering still includes all of the advantages that are inherent with this car: unrivalled space and comfort for eight, room for bags and luggage, and high levels of adjustability and convenience.

Standard kit is a little on the sparse side, however, which accounts for the near $20,000 disparity in asking price. This includes turn-key start (no push-button) with no keyless entry, no electrochromatic rear-view mirror, no front parking sensors, no electric tailgate, no electric-folding side mirrors, no LED tail-lights, no puddle lamps and no electric sliding doors.

Inside, there's cloth seat trimming with manual adjustment, smaller 8.0-inch infotainment display and six-speaker sound system, and old-fashioned manual air-conditioning. There are still plenty of cupholders and room for eight on board, but this specification does miss out on some of the extra power outlets found in higher grades.

Just days after filing this review, Kia announced that it would pause orders for the Carnival V6 – meaning that if you want one in place of the diesel alternative, it'll be a case of scouting floor stock at dealers. An update set to arrive next year may see that situation change and is part of the reason why we think the V6 is still worthy of attention.

Bow down before your king. The reason why the Kia Carnival is so good is the sheer amount of space and comfort afforded to all passengers in a versatile and adjustable package. While we are going without the nicer details and finishes of higher specification grades here, there is no doubt the Carnival platform still provides the goods.

Let's start from the back. With the third row folded down for five seats in total, you've got a gigantic 2785L of boot space at the ready. Reference the size of other large SUVs and you'll realise how dominant that figure is.

And the storage shelf on the side is immensely useful, especially for storing parenting essentials like snacks, wipes, and other random accoutrement.

Flip that third row into position to make room for up to eight, and you'll still have 627L of space available. This number is less impressive, but there is visually more space on offer here. Because there is no all-wheel-drive system to worry about, the boot drops down low into the floor and is impressively capacious with all seats employed.

So even when you have a full complement of humans on board, there is room for multiple big suitcases in the boot. And if you get creative with stacking, you could fit perhaps a half dozen in there.

The important thing to note here is because the Carnival doesn't need to accommodate an all-wheel-drive powertrain, the floor can be low and deep, affording the most space possible for the interior (where it's needed in a family-oriented vehicle). Other competitors – who use a commercial van as a starting point and then fit out the interior with seats and cupholders – aren't as good.

Up front, there are two generously sized cupholders that can fit larger insulated cups and a slot for your phone in between. There's no wireless charging pad here, but instead a handy storage nook for bulky wallets and notepads.

Storage in the doors is huge, there are three USB points to fight over up front, and the extra little storage nook in the front passenger footwell will be handy.

However, there are also lots of blank buttons up front reminding you of what this base-spec model misses out on.

The seats, although cloth-trimmed and only manually adjustable, are comfortable enough and can be dialled in well for comfort. You've got tilt and reach steering in the column, which helps.

In the second row, there is loads of space and comfort, and accessibility is profoundly good with the combination sliding doors and a low floor.

Although, some people with us noted that the manual sliding doors can feel a little heavy to operate at times. For me, electric sliding doors of the SLi and Platinum specifications would be hard to go without.

There's good room for three in the middle, but folding down the middle pew gives a nice armrest with cupholders. Or take things to the next level by removing that seat completely. Tug a strap, watch your back, and the seat lifts out quite easily. This allows you to run two baby seats, for example, but still gives easy access (especially with all of that legroom) to the third row.

The third row gets cupholders and air vents in this specification (but no power outlets), and there's plenty of room for two full-sized (or even plus-sized) adults to get road-trip comfortable. There's room for three here, but the middle back seat is more kid-friendly, like the middle second-row seat in most other vehicles.

The Kia Carnival S gets an 8.0-inch infotainment system, which is the only grade to miss out on the larger 12.3-inch system in other grades. Space is otherwise taken up by buttons and dials, which are placed lower down on higher specification grades.

And although it's a fair bit smaller and less impressive to look at, the truth is the operating system is still fine. You're stuck with a more basic six-speaker sound system here, as well as missing out on digital radio and native navigation.

But pair your phone for wireless Apple CarPlay or plug in for access to Android Auto and sacrifice some data to circumvent those shortcomings.

In front of the driver is a 4.2-inch multifunction display that is shared across the Carnival range. It's decent enough, has a digital speed readout, and is flanked by an analogue speedometer and tachometer.

The 2023 Kia Carnival gets a five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done by ANCAP in Australia back in 2020.

Individual scores are good as well. There is a 90 per cent rating for adult occupants and 88 per cent for child occupants. Vulnerable road users (pedestrians) don't fare so well with a 68 per cent score, while the safety assistance features get an 82 per cent rating.

Despite being base specification, Kia has kept (almost) all of the available safety equipment for the Carnival S.

This includes autonomous emergency braking (with pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection), lane-departure warning, lane-keep assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and smart speed-limit assistance.

Although, the last point uses GPS-sourced traffic sign information instead of reading traffic signs with a camera.

Stuff this base specification misses out on includes front parking sensors, more powerful dual LED headlights, fog lights, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, safe exit assistance and a 360-degree camera.

Three years of maintenance costs $1335 per year under Kia's capped-price schedule, which works out to be $445 per year on average. Over five years the average service cost rises slightly to $498.20, which is about par for the course in this part of the world.

This works out to be around $200 (approximately) cheaper than the diesel-powered model when you compare year-on-year costs. However, you could get a few unaccounted costs thrown in for both vehicles depending on your driving habits.

Annual comprehensive insurance for a base-spec Carnival costs $1285.73 based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Fuel economy for us averaged about 9.5 litres per 100 kilometres, with a temporary reading in the eights possible in the best circumstances. I’d say over 10L/100km is entirely feasible – if not inevitable – if you spend your time on lower-speed trafficked roads.

Compared to the diesel, this petrol mill isn't too far off the pace. If you're doing mostly highway driving, perhaps the petrol engine is the clear winner in terms of economy. But heavier town driving will likely see the diesel engine as being the better choice.

Urban consumption for the Carnival with the 3.5-litre V6 is claimed at 13.2L/100km, whereas the diesel gets away with a leaner 7.8L/100km claim.

With a 3.5-litre petrol V6 under the bonnet, you’ve got a nice 216kW and 355Nm available, which gives the Carnival some surprisingly sprightly performance. More horsepower than an i30 N is promising, and pushing that pedal down a long way can unleash a nice revving nature.

We noted that the car won’t necessarily run out to that 6400rpm redline unless forced to or having its neck completely wrung in Sport mode. 

While I’m a fan of the torquey 2.2-litre turbo diesel, this petrol V6 doesn’t feel terribly underdone in the lower and middle rev ranges. It’s responsive and smooth, giving good progress without needing to downshift and rev out too much.

It generally sits around 1500rpm for general driving, and starts to feel a little more lively around 2000–2500rpm. 

The transmission slots into eighth gear at 80km/h, which means you’re using all of your gears for most driving, and it helps to keep economy in check as much as possible.

It’s certainly not as strong in the mid-range as the diesel option, but it’s also not bad. Partly, this comes from the well-mannered eight-speed automatic gearbox, which is a smooth and smart torque converter unit. 

The power can be too much for the front wheels to handle at times, which can squeal and squirm as they search for grip under heavy acceleration (along with a flashing traction-control light on the dashboard). But if you’re a little more judicious in your throttle application, it’s a good, smooth engine that is powerful enough when you need it to be.

The ride quality of the Carnival is – typical for many of the current crop of Kias – very good. It’s comfortable and well controlled over bumps, making life behind the wheel (and in other seats) stress-free. 

There’s no trick suspension or adaptive dampers here, but the sheer length of the wheelbase means you don’t get rollicked around inside much.

And with the pragmatic 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in chunky 235/65 rubber, you’ve got plenty of sidewall available to soak up potholes, speed bumps and kerbs.

Once again, you’re not going to be king of the carpark with this wheel and tyre combination. But jeez, it makes a lot of sense for a car like this. 

Yes. If you're able to overcome that mental hurdle so many Australians seem to struggle with, you will be met on the other side with a car that is impressively adept at nailing its core brief.

The interior is practical, versatile, spacious and comfortable, all the way from tip to tail. And the driving experience (save for perhaps getting used to that long wheelbase) is a cinch.

The interior space is something you'll appreciate everyday, and you'll find it hard to live without once you've gone to the dark and enlightened side of people-moving glory.

Our base Carnival S offering was impressive, but I'd tell buyers to consider a higher specification grade that can really amplify the experience. Particularly, something with electric sliding doors and a larger infotainment display is great. If you can afford it, of course.

Diesel-powered examples of the Carnival are in good supply, with Kia quoting around four weeks for a placed order to turn into a built vehicle. Add in another couple of months for delivery (pending delays, of course), and you might have your new diesel Carnival in around three months.

Petrol-powered models are a different story, however, with Kia pausing orders on some specifications as it works to clear a growing backlog of customers. Some specs are still available to order, but don't be surprised if more grades get paused in the near future.

The next steps on the purchase journey are to check the Kia website for stock of your preferred Carnival variant. You can also find Kias for sale at Drive.com.au/cars-for-sale.

We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Find your nearest Kia dealer via this link.

If you want to stay updated with everything that's happened to this car since our review, you'll find all the latest news here.