drives much better than the usual jap van. i wish the carnival is a bit shorter though.. it is too long for daily drive in malaysia.

Shorter later people complain of small interior space pulak..

Another option from Toyota is Toyota Granace, but the design really kek..

Between Toyota Alphard and Mazda CX-8 are both different segment cars. It all goes down to what you need. If you need the sliding doors then definitely go for Alphard.

How is the driving dynamic of this car? So far I've heard that Kia Carnival's driving dynamic is better compared to Alphard/Vellfire.

Thanks for the suggestion! I did not know about this car, looks good. Will check it out this weekend

Btw, I have had bad experience with kia when I was young. My dad used to own a kia (at least 15 - 20 years ago) and it was horrendous !! I remember it keeps break down and fuel consumption was high .

How is the kia doing now ? I am a big fan of Toyota as my family owns at least 7-8 Toyota cars for the past 10 years and none of them cause any issue or breakdown. Hence I find it really reliable. And I not a car person, that’s why I tend to avoid any cars or brand that will cause issues

Kia/Hyundai 2.2D turbo diesel is one of the most reliable engine from the Korean side, from their previous Sorento/ Hyundai Sante Fe/Starex this engine been pass down few generation without much issue. Those petrol engine since 10~20 years back can put in grave already.

that's old story bro. Kia / Hyundai improved leaps and bounds since 10 years ago. You just compared Kia "(at least 15 - 20 years ago)" to "7-8 Toyota cars for the past 10 years".

Kia Elantra MD onwards/Sonata/Optima/Cerato ages line fine wine same goes for Hyundai lineup.

Kia / Hyundai car kinda spicy nowadays, especially their EV and N division lineup, Same goes for Genesis.

This post has been edited by babisotong: Aug 21 2023, 04:46 PM

agreed...alphard is so far the best and most satisfyinng car (or van) for famili use...

Have been a Sorento 2.2D user for 5 years, only 1 minor issue. Selling my 5 years old sorento away this week, and purchase a new Sorento 2.2D

Yes, like the rest have said, Kia / Hyundai make very reliable diesel engines.

mpv better, more spacious

Just tried the kia carnival.
PROS
1) better driving experience
2) lebih canggih, everything more IN.
3) cheaper


CONS
1) i dont know why ppl say the interior is better.. it looks very ugly to me. ( i asked the salesperson whether the seat colour can be changed, no)
2) not as comfortable as alphard and those seats are no where near alphard ....
3) many usb port but .... WHY NOT USB 3.0?? who still using the old type usb !?


Anyways, the price is really tempting. Will consider either A;phard or Carnival. Still prefer Alphard for now.

the carnival dashboard is super nice.. is just that the color combination, especially the seats are a bit off. it doesnt give the 'atas' look and feel.

the seats also strange. if you go for an extended drive, you might feel something wrong with the seats - i kept adjusting myself.

in term of driving, yes it is better than the usual alphard/vellfire as the kia feels more european.

You are right. The 7 seater “pilot” seats are very weird. The sales guy keep adjusting for me to lay back.. not smooth at all.

Let me make it clear.
Alphard wasnt meant for family usage. Its meant to show off. Its a limo. (No , not those Hollywood Limo or Perdana Limo)
Its meant to chauffeur CEO or those who wants business class seats, hence the 2 captain seats in the middle and a bench behind. Not suitable for family usage. In fact it wasnt designed for family in mind.

Its not meant to be driven by yourself. Its like driving a cruise ship.
So if you want power, forget about the 2.5L.
Its meant to cruise, not to do 100M sprints and win drag races, although some will use it to tailgate .

So if you want a MPV, get a proper MPV. Alphard is not a family-friendly MPV despite its fat ass size. I dont care what others disagree with me, but thats my view and experience.

Enough said.

I owned a Vellfire ZG. When my friend wanted to buy MPV I suggested him the Kia Carnival, and I went test drive with him.

When I drove it and his wife and him sat behind, I drive smooth and slow like a driver would, and they were getting dizzy. I however, felt okay but it was definitely not as plush as the Vellfire ZG in the drivers seat. Did not feel lacking in power. But simply not as comfortable. When he drove and I sat behind, I felt the same, when cornering it simply felt dizzy for me, I assume it is because it is not plush enough. It was not jarring but just not comfortable. You should go try and if you and your family feel it’s ok, then great.

My friend tested the Serena, he said it felt like a tin kosong, Myvi feeling. End up he bought the Alphard, cause he preferred its mature look vs the Vellfire sporty look.

On paper, the Kia Carnival looks good, in practice I will choose a Vellfire/Alphard every single time. The 2.5L coupled with the CVT is not powerful, but it can cruise highway smoothly. More importantly, comfort above all. With that van, I don’t care about power, just chill only. Fetching family how fast you want to go?

Oh ya I still think Toyota is boring uncle brand, with the exception of the GRs and the Z4upra.

TS if u love ur passenger, Alphard it is. Ride for 1 week with Alphard as passenger cz working, now I know why all Dato love own this and hire drivers. Comfy.

hi TS, same number of kids here and with addition of a maid, I use vellfire and no complains at all, esp now with kids getting into kindy and primary school, that sliding door is heaven, u can jst stop and they hop on hop off (except for the kindy one)

also when they were younger and bound to car seats, it was easy putting them in and out. I used to have aa harrier and let it go the moment my 3rd child came simply for ease of movement and the pain of putting car seat in and out was too much of a hassle in SUV

You should also ask for the 8 seater model to test, for me the 7 seater pilot seat is not very practical.
For the 8-seater model only, the 2nd row seat can be removed and turned to face the 3rd row seat.
Or turn and fold the center seat only to create a shared table.

Regarding the color combination, this is quite subjective. For me If really dont like, can go out and ask for leather shop to customize it. Compare to like handling features/chassis/mechanical/safety stuff is hard to mod aftermarket compare to those inner interior stuff.

This post has been edited by littlefire: Aug 24 2023, 09:03 AM

If you have small kids and you need maneuverability in the car, go for alphard. You can consider and SUV when you kids are older, when they need less attention. I'm sharing based on my opinion, I was tempted with 2.2 G.Karnival too.. after test drive, still choose to upgrade my old vellfire to alphard sc. Just dont spend too much on upgrades etc, the 'van' is good as it is.

Thank you everyone for your input.

Have decided to buy Alphard . Family comfort is more important than my driving experience.

out of topic, just ordered CKD 8 seater carnival, anyone can advise on waiting period? told by SA no confirmation date on when next batch CKD delivery date. loan approved.