Kia Carnival – The ideal car for a road trip, whether it’s a destination wedding or just plain fascinating excursions

When our daughter decided to have an off-site wedding, she and my wife got right to work on the planning. By the time most of the details were nailed down (and we realized how much stuff needed), it was clear that my wife and I needed an impressive vehicle to get from San Diego to the little spot in Oregon that our daughter had found. How fortunate we were to be able to test drive a Kia Carnival. Not only was the car a joy to drive, it offered an astonishing amount of comfort and capability, all wrapped up in very thoughtful design decisions.

As for the first impression, there is a very wide view when you sit in the cockpit. The design of a wide windshield and high front seat windows is quite effective from the inside, but not overpowering from the outside. The steering wheel seems to be slightly smaller than that of cars of this size, which not only gives a particularly sporty feel, but also enhances the aesthetics of the wide view design. The steering wheel is telescopic and vertically adjustable to adjust and maximize the ergonomics of the pilot.

We appreciated the thoughtful placement of expected accessories, such as cup holders, cell phone holders and charging system.

After packing an incredible amount of wedding ceremony and reception stuff In the Carnival’s 145 cubic ft. capacity, we headed north from San Diego. I quickly came to appreciate the very clever turn signal functionality: a side camera provides a view similar to that of the rearview mirror (Blind-Spot View Monitor). This perspective on the instrument panel was very helpful, keeping me closer to the road ahead.

Also useful if you are about to reverse and you have engaged reverse gear, any obstacle behind you will not only cause an audible warning but also a physical stutter in the steering wheel. This is an intuitive and effective warning.

Also effective is the haptic lane-keeping feature. On the long stretch of road up California’s Central Coast, I tweaked the settings for one of the easiest freeway drives in years. By dialing in the cruise control, lane-following assist and forward collision-avoidance assist functions, I avoided the annoying limping challenge that cars play out mile after mile. But Kia’s engineers have struck a fine balance between comfort and safety; if you take your hands off the wheel, a safety feature kicks in to urge you to tighten your grip. There’s also a system on alert that monitors for lapses in driver attention, which I thankfully didn’t experience (but was comforted by its quiet presence).

You can customize the dashboard layout, and one mode adjusts the realistic horizon in real time to the movement of the sun. As we approached Redding at sunset, a similar image was displayed on the dashboard.

It’s a standard joke about turning the volume down when reversing, no doubt to reduce sensory input. With the Carnival, it’s automatic. That’s a nice touch.

Oregon has a lot of great things going for it, but at least two have to do with gas stations: they pump your gas at no extra charge, and gas prices are pretty cheap coming from California. On the highway, we averaged between 27 and 30 MPG in the Carnival, which made the cost of the road trip less than expected. After watching the wedding bills fly by, this was a pleasant surprise.

Once we got to the wedding venue I was impressed that the groomsmen immediately got to work unpacking the Carnival. There was a lot to unpack and I was again impressed with the capacity of the car. When all this was done stuff was arranged for the wedding activities, I was glad we didn’t have to leave any of it behind due to lack of space…everyone agreed the wedding was a great success.

The ride in the Carnival was smooth, surprisingly for such a relatively large vehicle. The Drive Mode Integrated Control System lets the driver switch between four choices (normal, eco, sport and smart).

The interior was luxurious, especially for my mother-in-law who joined us on the trip south. She could recline in the second row with VIP Lounge Seats: fully reclined and with electric footrests, allowing her to imagine what it would be like to fly business class. If we had been more adventurous, we would have deployed the Slide-Flex seating mode to form a table for dinner or a game of Rummikub or Monopoly Deal.

The first time I encountered seat cooling was in the Kia Optima ten years ago, and the great experience has been refined since then. Indeed, the cabin temperature in the Carnival remained consistently comfortable no matter which way the sun was shining, with record-breaking mercury readings.

The 3.5-liter V-6 engine delivers a powerful 287-horsepower output. The car is backed by a reassuring and industry-leading 10-year/100,000-mile limited warranty.

We’ve been happy with several other car brands, but every time we take a road trip in a Kia we come back for more. That’s pretty consistent. The grandkids are probably a long way off, but I can imagine countless Kia road trips in the future.