Production Models

It's long, wide and a tad tall at 5,115 by 1,985 by 1,740 millimeters.

It comes with a looong wheel-base at 3060 millimeters.

It is the Grand Carnival, Kia's large minivan.

The Kia Grand Carnival looks stately and strong, conservative and handsome, with well-proportioned lines and external features.

Locally, it comes in three trim levels, two of which are 11-seaters, and the third - the top-of-line variant so to speak - a seven-seater.

This Car Review checks out the Kia Grand Carnival 2.2 EX Automatic 7-Seater.

It comes with a projector type halogen headlamps and LED position lamps, projector type front fog lamps, LED rear combination lamps, body-colored front and rear bumpers, body-colored rear view mirrors that power adjust and fold, and feature integrated turn signals.

At a time when mesh grilles are vogue, the Grand Carnival sticks to bar type grille.

Still, the Carnival is not immune to trends. There's the fin-type antenna, rear spoiler that comes with integrated high mount stop lamp, as well as 18-inch alloy wheels that are wrapped by 235/60 R18 tires.

Other exterior features include front and rear mudguards, chrome rear garnish, intermittent front windshield wipers.

Getting into the Grand Carnival EX 7-seater is almost effortless. You've got the wide front doors and Smart Keyless Entry. The humongous rear sliding doors open and close electronically.

Loading stuff is made more comfortable with the wide power tailgate.

The Carnival cabin is cavernous but elegantly so with rich leather seats in the EX 7-Seater.

The front seats slide and recline and come with two-way power lumbar supports. The driver's seat also adjusts for height.

The second row features two pilot seats that slide, recline and fold forward when needed to make room for more cargo.

The third row seat for three reclines and fold 60:40, and sinks into flat floorboard.

When the second row pilot seats are folded forward and the third row seat folds into the floorboard, cargo capacity is increased to 4,022 liters.

The dash is well laid with large dials for speedometer and techometers complemented by a 3.5-inch Mono TFT LCD Multi-Function Display.

There is a wide center armrest that driver and front passenger can share.

The 3-spoke leather steering tilts and telescopes and comes with controls for audio, Bluetooth and Cruise Control.

Doors are locked centrally with a push of a button. Windows wind up and down electronically. Parking brake is foot-operated.

There are eight cup holders and seven bottle holders, sunshade blinds for the second and third row.

There are power outlets in the front center and rear console, as well as in the rear luggage area.

In the EX 7-Seater, the Map Lamp, Room Lamps, Luggage Lamp are all LEDs.

But what really sets the Carnival EX 7-Seater apart from its siblings is the Dual Sunroof.

The infotainment system in Carnival EX comes with an 8-inch Touchscreen, AM/FM Radio, CD and MP3 player with USB and Aux-in ports, Bluetooth, Apple Carplay and Android Auto, four speakers plus two tweeters.

Keeping everyone inside the Carnival cool is the system that in the EX features 3-zone automatic aircondition with the front getting a cluster ionizer.

On the road, the Kia Grand Carnival ride and drive is best described as comfortable.

The Carnival is powered by a 2.2-liter in-line 4 DOHC diesel engine with common rail direct injection and E-VGT or electronic Variable Geometry Turbocharger.

Capable of generating 200 PS and 441 Newton-meters of torque, the Carnival engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic that drives the front wheels.

Driver feels comfortable with all that power and torque available when needed which can easily be called upon, especially with good use of the Shiftronic function.

The long wheelbase helps make for a stable ride and handling, along with the suspension featuring McPherson struts and stabilizer in front and a multi-link system in the rear.

The brake system comes solid discs on all wheels and helped along by standard Anti-Brake System.

Adding to the comfort of driving the Carnival EX 7-Seater is the confidence of having such driving assist technologies as Electronic Stability Control, Brake Assistant System, and Hill-Start Assist Control. There's also cruise control.

Parking the Carnival EX 7-Seater is made easier with front and rear sensors.

Also standard for safety are dual airbags, 3-point ELR seatbelts for six passengers - with driver and front seat passenger also getting pretensioners - plus 2-point static belt for middle passenger on the third row, child lock, and Isofix Child Anchor on the second row seats.

Finally, Kia also included alarm system with engine immobilizer in the Carnival.

There's a lot to like in the Kia Grand Carnival for those looking for a minivan built for spacious comfort.