MPV Search: Kia Grand Carnival VQ

When I was at the car showroom looking at the Kia Carnival, I also saw the Kia Grand Carnival VQ there. The differences between the China made Kia Carnival and the imported Kia Grand Carnival VQ are quite marked:

• The VQ is four wheel drive instead of front wheel drive.
  
• The VQ has Disc brakes all round as opposed to drums at the back of the Carnival.
• Side curtain style airbags for all three rows on the VQ. Only front row air bags for the Carnival.
• Smaller turning radius - 5.51m on the VQ which is amazing vs 6.3m on the Carnival.
• Alloy engine block on the VQ which means a lighter nose. Cast iron block on the Carnival.
• Slightly bigger fuel tank on the VQ - 80l vs 75l which I hope translates to a slightly longer touring range.
  

In all, the extras that you get appear to be more than worth the additional 70k RMB to the price.


Source: Kia Motors

A look at the car reveals a standard sized MPV for its class with pretty standard specifications.

Engine: 2.7l V6
Power: 139Kw @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 249 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Top Speed: N/A
Gas consumption: 9.6L/100km
Gas tank: 80l
Dimensions: 4810mm long x 1985mm wide x 1760mm high

When stacked against my requirements, the Kia Grand Carnival VQ passes with flying colours:

• The doors on both passenger sides and the rear hatch are electronic and may be opened using the remote key and an assortment of buttons.
• Five star crash test ratings along with air bags all round including side curtain air bags for the second and third row. More importantly, the doors are disabled when the car is in motion. This is very critical when you have young children with itchy fingers.
• The interior is very comfortable and flexible enough to be configured in a variety of ways. This would make the MPV a very versatile people carrier and yet be able to haul large items in a pinch. The DVD comes standard as well and there is enough little compartments spread out so that small items like drinks and other knick knacks may be stowed. I do like the hooks at the back of the third row seats where you could hang grocery bags to prevent them from moving around as well.
• Modifications wise, with the current spec sheet, I reckon I would only look to swap out the rims and tyres (they're Hankook) for some lighter alloys and grippier rubber for improved ride comfort and probably a switch to Evans NPG+ coolant which I had excellent experiences with on three other cars.
  

In all, this MPV popped out of nowhere and passed with flying colours on my requirements list. It was not even on my initial shortlist and on paper, I think I will put this on the top of my list already. All it needs is a test drive to cement its position and I believe I will sign on the dotted line for the Kia Grand Carnival VQ MPV.
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MPV Search - Kia Carnival

The Kia Carnival, manufactured at the Dongfeng Yueda Kia joint venture facility, is one of the challengers to Buick's domination of the business class MPV segment. However, I think they have to some extent lost their way. Make no mistake, the car that Kia built is brilliant and a very good MPV offering top notch features for a very competitive prize. However, it is clear that Kia has fallen by the wayside in terms of the quality of their dealerships. I went to three different dealerships and only one had the Kia Carnival on display in their showroom. And that was the dealership at Lianhe Huapeng Car Market (联合华鹏汽车广场) along Shennan Road. No wonder they could not crack the market and only posted average to below average sales for what appears to be a strong and competitive product in a market with strong sales.

A look at the car reveals a standard sized MPV for its class with pretty standard specifications.

Engine: 2.7l V6
Power: 169Kw @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 238 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Top Speed: 180 Km/h
Gas consumption: 7.69L/100km at 90km/h constant speed
Gas tank: 75l
Dimensions: 4930mm long x 1895mm wide x 1760mm high

At the showroom, the car belies its specifications on paper. Like the Buick GL8, the exterior design of the Kia is conservative and relatively characterless. But in the MPV I am looking for, that is precisely what I want. Nothing flamboyant, nothing that screams out at you, and most certainly nothing that looks anything more than anonymous. So the Kia Carnival meets this criteria.



The interior shows plenty of attention to detail as well. The two captain's chairs in the middle row are firm but comfortable. They offer waist seat belt in both middle row seats to cater to child seats, which is a big plus for me. Seat configuration is flexible as expected of an MPV of this class and both passenger rows may be pushed forwards to maximize luggage space. Unfortunately, electric controlled seats are only available for the driver and front passenger. This, to me, strikes me as a gross oversight since in a business MPV such as the Kia Carnival, the most important person on board is usually on the middle row passenger seat. The front row passenger is at most times merely the most junior member on board and the driver in this case is the least important person on board. As such, the bulk of the refinements and luxury should be aimed squarely at the middle row passengers, then the third row passengers and last and least of all, the front row passenger and the driver. A similarly glaring oversight is again present in the safety air bags. The Kia Carnival has only two airbags for the driver and the front passenger. That seems again counter-intuitive to the positioning of the car as a business MPV. Shouldn't the VIPs in the middle row and back row be more heavily protected? Finally, the final oversight and where Kia has clearly started to cut corners is at the sliding doors. Most busniess class MPVs have electronic sliding doors for the convenience and safety of the passengers. The Kia has normal mechanical doors that need to slided manually. The salesman explained that mechanical doors are better since they do not break down as easily as electronic doors and are therefore better for their customers. Yeah right.

In terms of other amenities, the Kia is well equiped. Cubby holes and storage spaces are plentiful. There are also little hooks at the back of the third row seats to hang and secure grocery bags from a supermarket run. Parking sensors and back-up camera are standard issue as is a DVD entertainment system that plays MP3 as well in the fully loaded TOP model.

All in all, the Kia Carnival looks like a great option with a well designed interior. The few shortcomings that I have pointed out are unfortunately also present in most of the Kia's competitors and unless my budget increases accordingly.

While in the showroom, I also spotted the Kia Grand Carnival VQ which is the imported bigger brother of the Kia Carnival. I made an appointment to test drive both the Kia Carnival as well as the Kia Grand Carnival VQ side by side to make a comparison.
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MPV Search: My Options

Having done a quick scout of the internet, I have narrowed my search for an MPV to a few choices to check out and get test drives. The MPV market in China is relatively new but as the market grew, more and more choices have appeared. The following graph shows the sales of MPVs in 2008.

Source: Gasgoo


The mid-market is dominated mainly by the GM Buick GL8 and in the last four years, challenges have been made by the Honda Odyssey and the Kia Carnival. The Buick GL8 has traditionally appealed to corporate use and given the more car-like look of the Honda Odyssey, Honda has wisely decided to appeal to family use. The Kia Carnival is more of an in-between, being able to serve both. More recent newcomers include the Dodge Caravan, Mitsubishi Grandis, and a number of vehicles made by local companies including the Hyundai powered JAC Refine, the Brilliance Grace which is a licensed local version of the Toyota Granvia and a host of other choices. Priced at 500,000 RMB and above, there are also the imported Toyota Previa and the Mercedes Benz Viano. There are also mini-sized MPVs such as the Honda Stream, the Volkswagen Touran and the Nissan Livina Geniss which I currently have but this category of vehicles are not being considered as they tend to be way too cramped for my liking.

So, having scanned through the internet and various car magazines, in my shortlist are:

1. Buick GL8
2. Kia Carnival
3. Dodge Caravan
4. Toyota Previa
5. Mazda MPV
   

While the Honda Odyssey and the Mitsubishi Grandis are arguably fine cars, they did not meet my critera for having sliding doors. Other brands were similarly removed from consideration for various other reasons such as documented reliability, room for improvement and modification and poor interior appointments and these included the Brilliance Grace and the JAC Refine.

On to the showrooms next.

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