Riding with the Carnival

For over a year, my sister Elise and my brother-in-law drove a third-generation Kia Sorento for miles after miles, especially my dad and my sister Bea. Whether if it used to go from one city after another or one of our favorite points of interest, this crossover made a special place in our hearts but now, in anticipation of my sister having a third child, her Sorento crossover's replaced with a minivan that is not fit for today's neighborhood but an important charm point for an ever-growing family like hers.

As I'm sure you know, this is the current-generation Kia Carnival (Sedona) but it's a lot different to the Carnival I'm familiar with apart from the looks because what's under the hood is not what it seems.

The Carnival we have here is powered by a Lambda II 3.3L GDi V6 engine, the same engine used in the K7 saloon, producing 280PS of power and mated to a six-speed gearbox. In other words, it's like a Kia K7 with so much seats and space for the whole family like my sister's. In South Korea, you can now avail a V6 Carnival for 35.8 million Korean Won but we live in America, and a localized version of the Carnival, known as the Sedona, doesn't have a fourth-row seats like you get in the land of Koreanovelas. We got just the eight-seater variant, which is less than what the Koreans had but it's very accommodating and roomy indeed.

Anyway, here's a little story. My sister Elise and the family are coming to our cousin's home for her baby's birthday party somewhere in Kent. I told Mom and Dad I should be with Elise and they agreed. When the time came to step out from the house, I am a little excited about getting in to the Carnival. Trouble was the only seat reserved for me is the dreaded third row but thanks to its adjustable second-row seating, even if its occupied by child seats, I can get in and out of the third row seat without question and that's it. One thing that amazed me that this car has Apple CarPlay but I'm too far to try it out and ai wish I want to experience it to myself while on the move.

When it's time to set off, I got the chance to see what is like in a V6-powered Carnival. At cruising speeds, it was nice and comfortable, but in the case of residential speeds or highway speeds, I can feel its jittering vibrations at the back, only slightly, of course. Vibrations aside, despite being a heavy and thirsty car which consumes more than the Sorento we used to have, the powerful V6 Carnival handles like every other car I've been through and while it been through different points of interests my sister and her family had, this van gets from one point to another without a slouch.

After experiencing my first ride with the new Carnival, we arrived at Kent to visit our cousin's house for her baby boy's birthday party. I got pictures I am too happy to show you all.

And there you have it. So, what can I say?

Although big, thirsty, and jittering at high speeds, the V6-powered Kia Carnival feels like it's home even in today's neighborhood where SUVs became a norm in the suburbs. Apart from being spacious and accessible, it's very luxurious and comfortable indeed. In fact, it kinda reminds me of a time I rode someone's Hyundai Starex a decade ago but this is no Starex here. This is the Carnival I'm talking about and looks like we have to spend the whole year with this minivan but when the time comes to replace it, it's my sister's call.