CHAT Test drove Kia Carnival this weekend

[TKO]

I was quite impressed. I have been a Toyota guy for more than 25 years. However, my last Toyota purchases were in 2014. I'm done with the brand. 2014 may have been the last good year for Toyota, but some here would debate that. My last two outings to Toyota dealers were met with garbage Toyota products. Door handles jiggled, rattling noises from the interior, etc. Fast forward to this weekend, I drove the Carnival. It had a ton of tech features, including safety features I liked. No rattles at all. Solid door sound when closing them. Not so with the new Toyota Sienna junk. The thing rattles like a C130 filled with cargo about to leave the ground. I don't care if it does get 3x the gas mileage. It has become an econobox van if you ask me...only with a huge price to accompany it.

As Toyota dies on the vine, here comes Kia quality. I never would have thought such before. I might go test drive a Telluride next. Kias are hard to come by as people have found out how nice the Kias are. The dealer I was at had 2 Carnivals, none of the colors I liked...and one had 25K miles on it they wanted to sell. Of course, no one still has any inventory worth anything...not even junk Toyota.

I liked the suspension adjustment options on the Kia. Just click a button and you are in luxury mode. Click again and in sport mode. In sport mode, everything tightened up, even the steering. Luxury mode(normal) had a nice floaty ride. Wireless charging was nice, too. Even I was able to recline in the middle row seats on the passenger side. That surprised me(I had to push the front passenger seat up nearly all the way...but on a long trip...my wife could go in comfort!). One thing off-putting was all the buttons and gadgets. I found it distracting to drive due to that. Maybe I'd get used to it. Oh, and the steering wheel was smaller in diameter than most other cars out there. Not one rattle in the Kia and the back seats were easy to get back up once down...a more difficult feat in the Sienna without back strain.

 

[colonel holman]

Decades ago, Japanese cars put American cars to shame on quality.
Now, Korean cars are putting that shame on Japanese cars (and even EU cars).
Time marches on

 

[TKO]

Decades ago, Japanese cars put American cars to shame on quality.
Now, Korean cars are putting that shame on Japanese cars (and even EU cars).
Time marches on

It's a sad state of affairs for sure. I'd never even buy American junk. I consider it the junkiest of the offerings. My pals who have Subarus love them...but honestly they don't look like they hold up so great either.

 

[poppy]

Better ask a few mechanics before buying a Kia or Hyundai (essentially the same company now). Yes, the new ones are very nice and have been for a long time. It is when they get around 100K miles on them that they fall apart and eat into your wallet. Engine and transmission failures are very common. I would only buy one if I planned to get rid of it the minute the warranty expired. Enough people know about them to know they are not worth much at that point and that is why they have a low trade-in value. Toyota has had oil burning issues with a couple engines over the years but they have solved those issues. With proper oil changes and normal maintenance, it is quite common to get 300K miles or more from a Toyota vehicle. Honda has had issues with some types of transmissions over the years but they have also corrected those.

 

[TKO]

Better ask a few mechanics before buying a Kia or Hyundai (essentially the same company now). Yes, the new ones are very nice and have been for a long time. It is when they get around 100K miles on them that they fall apart and eat into your wallet. Engine and transmission failures are very common. I would only buy one if I planned to get rid of it the minute the warranty expired. Enough people know about them to know they are not worth much at that point and that is why they have a low trade-in value. Toyota has had oil burning issues with a couple engines over the years but they have solved those issues. With proper oil changes and normal maintenance, it is quite common to get 300K miles or more from a Toyota vehicle. Honda has had issues with some types of transmissions over the years but they have also corrected those.

Sure. You can get 300K from a Toyota most likely. However, you'll hate every mile of it with the rattles and little glitches like sliding doors all of a sudden don't work, electric seats stop working, recalls galore, and lack of gasket on oil pan that leaks at 30K miles. Oh, love the scam on the "free maintenance", too. They won't do an oil change but every 10K miles...but once you get past the 2 year warranty they suggest going to 5K miles for every oil change. LOL!

 

[wobble]

Kia's and Hyundai's burn fuel differently..or at least their exhaust smells like you are behind a 1971 Delta88 that needs some carb adjustments, and you will notice lots of carbon on the rear bumpers of Kias and Hyundai's. And the one Kia I rented had terrible quality design in the subframe of the seats.
But they look great!

 

[TKO]

Kia's and Hyundai's burn fuel differently..or at least their exhaust smells like you are behind a 1971 Delta88 that needs some carb adjustments, and you will notice lots of carbon on the rear bumpers of Kias and Hyundai's. And the one Kia I rented had terrible quality design in the subframe of the seats.
But they look great!

I'm fortunate in my life, and greatly blessed, to be able to afford quality...and looks are secondary to me. But, it beats the hell out of me what the next vehicle should be. All I can say is if you haven't looked at new Toyotas...go check one out. Jiggle that door handle. Take a drive without a fan or radio on. Listen to creaks and rattles. Then go drive a new Kia. Compare the difference. OK. Maybe buy an Kia and dump it at 80K.

 

[Countrybumpkin]

We just bought a new Toyota Rav4-no squeaks, or rattles that I hear! Also own a 2006 Corolla, and 2008 Yaris. Love Toyotas. Corolla has 150k on it, and nothing done to it except regular Maintenace. Kia's rust terrible after a few years in the snow belt- sister-in-law's looks terrible and its a 2015, whereas my Corolla still has no rust on it.

 

[wobble]

[del]

 

[dstraito]

I went to the dealer for an oil change for our Rav4 which we really like, and their were no cars on the dealer showroom.

We bought a Kia soul for DD about 8 years ago with 65k miles on it and it has been great.

We are gobsmacked at the prices of both now.

 

[poppy]

Sure. You can get 300K from a Toyota most likely. However, you'll hate every mile of it with the rattles and little glitches like sliding doors all of a sudden don't work, electric seats stop working, recalls galore, and lack of gasket on oil pan that leaks at 30K miles. Oh, love the scam on the "free maintenance", too. They won't do an oil change but every 10K miles...but once you get past the 2 year warranty they suggest going to 5K miles for every oil change. LOL!

We bought a new Rav4 in 2019 and it just rolled over 50K and has no rattles or noise at all. We have had zero issues with it and it drives very well. Our granddaughter has a 2021 with no rattles or problems. It is best to avoid dealers of all brands unless it is warranty work. Find a good local mechanic that will fix problems and won;t try to sell you a bunch of unneeded services. One thing I do not like on our Rav4 , and a lot of manufacturers are doing it, is the 'sealed transmission' that they tell you is good for life. No dipstick to even check the trans fluid level. They do have a drain plug and fill plug. We have an appointment Wednesday to get our trans fluid changed. We tend to keep our vehicles for many years.

 

[GeneSD]

I have been looking for a new car for the last five years and have been unable to find a reliable vehicle that meets my needs. It has gotten so bad that the wife suggests I buy an older (50s-60s) fixed-up truck, given how poorly the new models have been. I am still in the holding pattern, so I will keep researching and hopping that someone will make a quality vehicle. Wish me luck!

 

[Dennis Olson]

I owned a Kia Sportage from spring 2011 through summer 2015 when I bought my Murano. Kias are great cars. The only significant problem I had was with the a/c. There was a stubborn problem that no one seemed able to diagnose. Finally, three years into owning the car, a older mechanic spoke to me. I told him the symptoms in detail. He had it fixed in an hour. No other troubles ever. I put 70,000 miles on that car. My only “complaint” was that it was too noisy at highway speed. But I’d bought a base model (4 cyl) and insulation might have been under par.

 

[NoDandy]

I have been looking for a new car for the last five years and have been unable to find a reliable vehicle that meets my needs. It has gotten so bad that the wife suggests I buy an older (50s-60s) fixed-up truck, given how poorly the new models have been. I am still in the holding pattern, so I will keep researching and hopping that someone will make a quality vehicle. Wish me luck!

Good luck finding a quality vehicle.

And good luck finding one priced less than a train load of gold bars !

I am still amazed at price of new cars / trucks today !!

 

[TKO]

We bought a new Rav4 in 2019 and it just rolled over 50K and has no rattles or noise at all. We have had zero issues with it and it drives very well. Our granddaughter has a 2021 with no rattles or problems. It is best to avoid dealers of all brands unless it is warranty work. Find a good local mechanic that will fix problems and won;t try to sell you a bunch of unneeded services. One thing I do not like on our Rav4 , and a lot of manufacturers are doing it, is the 'sealed transmission' that they tell you is good for life. No dipstick to even check the trans fluid level. They do have a drain plug and fill plug. We have an appointment Wednesday to get our trans fluid changed. We tend to keep our vehicles for many years.

From the Sienna forum: "
Help! There is an annoying rattling noise about 55+mph. Only at that speed. It is coming from drivers front.
Very noticeable. Idk what to do, I’ve tried countless things."

And your door handles are perfect? Like no jiggling? I tested every 2022 in the showroom, including a Rav4 and the handles were all wobbly. If you didn't get one like that count yourself fortunate. I did note the handle quality in 2019, though. So, it has been around a few years. Toyota is notorious for sway bar issues, too, causing many rattles. Nothing beats the junk of a Yugo, though. I got in a new Yugo once and two things happened. The door handle came off when I opened the door and when I adjusted the rearview mirror it also came off. LOL!

 

[TKO]

I went to the dealer for an oil change for our Rav4 which we really like, and their were no cars on the dealer showroom.

We bought a Kia soul for DD about 8 years ago with 65k miles on it and it has been great.

We are gobsmacked at the prices of both now.

EVERYTHING is insane these days. Used car prices have not plummeted like many thought either.

 

[db cooper]

Decades ago, Japanese cars put American cars to shame on quality.

I vividly recall that, as we had experience with such. My Dad bought a brand new 1979 Ford van and I bought a brand new 1989 Ford Bronco. Both engines failed prematurely twice before 40,000 miles due to improper machining of the internal engine components. First the Bronco's timing chain literally wore out at about 20,000 miles, then close to 40,000 a piston skirt broke due to the improper cylinder machining. The cylinder was cut .020 too large. The Bronco had so many other expensive quality issues it was unbelievable.

Later in the 80's we bought a 1976 Datsun B210. I could not believe that little rascal. It got 36 mpg and ran like a top. Never had any major issues with it. Our next adventure into Japaneses vehicles was a 1985 Dodge D50 (Mitsubishi) and got over 335,000 miles before we junked it out. We are now solid Subaru fans for passenger cars.

American cars of the 70's and early 80's were too large. In the late 70's quality was a huge issue. And let's not forget gas mileage. Those three factors in my opinion let the Japanese into the American market big time and they've never left.

 

[packyderms_wife]

I'm fortunate in my life, and greatly blessed, to be able to afford quality...and looks are secondary to me. But, it beats the hell out of me what the next vehicle should be. All I can say is if you haven't looked at new Toyotas...go check one out. Jiggle that door handle. Take a drive without a fan or radio on. Listen to creaks and rattles. Then go drive a new Kia. Compare the difference. OK. Maybe buy an Kia and dump it at 80K.

Check out the latest Chevy Equinox models.

 

[Millwright]

I won't drive anything but a 3/4t, diesel truck.

About 750K miles in them

20mpg, for the most part.

More room that a little go-box.

More expensive up front...more expensive to maintain?

Ayup.

Hitting a cow, several deer & pigs and walking away with nothing more than a foul attitude...

Worth every extra penny.

 

[hd5574]

We have a 2010 Toyota Tundra and a 2016 RAV4...the dealership we purchased from was a priorities for life, engine and transmission guaranteed for life plus free oils and inspections for life... we haven't had any problems..with either vehicle...the only buying tires for them.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Stop driving through barnyards at highway speed and those problems will go away.

 

[nomifyle]

Our pastors wife recently got a KIA and loves it. My elderly cousin use to trade cars every three years and loves her KIA that is several years old. She always pays cash.

DH and will have to make do with is 2013 Ford F150 my my 2004 Honda Odessey. We keep the maintance current. We don't travel very far anymore and they will be fine. I always thought I would like a subarue, but I favored having a truck.

 

[Deena in GA]

We drove a 2010 Kia Sedona up until last spring when it had 224,000+ miles on it. Never had any problems until suddenly the transmission went out. It took months to find another and replace it. Then they discovered that when the transmission went out, somehow it took the motor too. More time spent looking for a motor. We finally gave up and bought something else. Oh, and the dealership told us it would cost between $10,000-$15,000 to rebuild the transmission!!

 

[BornFree]

They are not designed well for winter salt. When replacing brakes the caliper bolts and such might actually be so frozen that they snap off. They seem to have a lot of maintenance issues as well.

 

[winodog]

There are more listings and better prices then I have seen in a couple years. Lots of nice rides 4 sale in my area. Tons of trucks and jeeps.

mohave co cars & trucks - craigslist

mohave co cars & trucks - craigslist

mohave.craigslist.org

I would check this out if I needed a car. Easy to work on, lots of parts, reliable and price is right..

1998 Ford Crown Victoria LX - cars & trucks - by dealer - vehicle...

1998 Ford Crown Victoria LX Sedan Exterior Color: red Interior Color: Tan VIN: 2FAFP74WXWX171318 Mileage: 154,071 MPG: 15 City / 22 Highway Engine: 4.6L V8 200hp 265ft. lbs. Fuel: Gasoline...

mohave.craigslist.org

 

[Josie]

Decades ago, Japanese cars put American cars to shame on quality.
Now, Korean cars are putting that shame on Japanese cars (and even EU cars).
Time marches on

JMHO and I hate to say it, but the demise of Toyota quality came about the same time as those cars started being made in the U.S.

Son and DIL both have KIA's and totally love them. Other than flat tires, they have had no mechanical issues on either of their vehicles.

 

[auxman]

I have a 2022 Kia Soul and have no regrets.

 

[Southside]

Sure. You can get 300K from a Toyota most likely. However, you'll hate every mile of it with the rattles and little glitches like sliding doors all of a sudden don't work, electric seats stop working, recalls galore, and lack of gasket on oil pan that leaks at 30K miles. Oh, love the scam on the "free maintenance", too. They won't do an oil change but every 10K miles...but once you get past the 2 year warranty they suggest going to 5K miles for every oil change. LOL!

My dealer does 5K oil changes, and changes the wipers, too.
I am sure, because he is family. Got the car SO CHEAP, I could not say no. Yes, the 2012 Rav4 is MUCH better made. If I could just get one with 20K.

 

[Siskiyoumom]

I went to the dealer for an oil change for our Rav4 which we really like, and their were no cars on the dealer showroom.

We bought a Kia soul for DD about 8 years ago with 65k miles on it and it has been great.

We are gobsmacked at the prices of both now.

Our 2014 RAV 4 has been a great car. I do wish we had gone with a 4WD.
A true blessing was finding a tire repair place that has an ancient device to trim the tread of a new tire to match the older tires.
When we got the RAV4 I was still commuting a long ways to work and went through two sets of tires due to catastrophic tire damage due to rocks on the highway.
A friend recommended the tire shop and we order aggressive treaded six ply tires from them.
The only issues we have had so far is the TPMS low pressure tire gauges disengage (they are plug in not screw in gauges).
I am saving funds to replace them.
And two plastic thing na bobs that go under the gear shift console fail (due to hot temps in the summer).
I watched you tube videos on how to replace them. Saved a huge amount of money doing the replacement.
Hubby is not a mechanic so for minor things I try to do it.
Oh, and after replacing in the in cabin air filter I was not able to get the glove box door back on correctly so it falls open.

 

[Southside]

There are more listings and better prices then I have seen in a couple years. Lots of nice rides 4 sale in my area. Tons of trucks and jeeps.

mohave co cars & trucks - craigslist

mohave co cars & trucks - craigslist

mohave.craigslist.org

I would check this out if I needed a car. Easy to work on, lots of parts, reliable and price is right..

1998 Ford Crown Victoria LX - cars & trucks - by dealer - vehicle...

1998 Ford Crown Victoria LX Sedan Exterior Color: red Interior Color: Tan VIN: 2FAFP74WXWX171318 Mileage: 154,071 MPG: 15 City / 22 Highway Engine: 4.6L V8 200hp 265ft. lbs. Fuel: Gasoline...

mohave.craigslist.org

mom is 86. She has a 2007 Grand Marquis with 76K.
Has issues. We watch them all. Unlike a car today, it can drive with "Issues" I like that.

 

[PrairieMoon]

... dump it at 80K.

That's when we start looking!!

 

[TKO]

Our 2014 RAV 4 has been a great car. I do wish we had gone with a 4WD.
A true blessing was finding a tire repair place that has an ancient device to trim the tread of a new tire to match the older tires.
When we got the RAV4 I was still commuting a long ways to work and went through two sets of tires due to catastrophic tire damage due to rocks on the highway.
A friend recommended the tire shop and we order aggressive treaded six ply tires from them.
The only issues we have had so far is the TPMS low pressure tire gauges disengage (they are plug in not screw in gauges).
I am saving funds to replace them.
And two plastic thing na bobs that go under the gear shift console fail (due to hot temps in the summer).
I watched you tube videos on how to replace them. Saved a huge amount of money doing the replacement.
Hubby is not a mechanic so for minor things I try to do it.
Oh, and after replacing in the in cabin air filter I was not able to get the glove box door back on correctly so it falls open.

And 2014 was the last good year for Toyota, IMHO. Great score on that tread machine find!

 

[TKO]

My dealer does 5K oil changes, and changes the wipers, too.
I am sure, because he is family. Got the car SO CHEAP, I could not say no. Yes, the 2012 Rav4 is MUCH better made. If I could just get one with 20K.

I can guarantee they aren't doing a 5K oil change under the free 2 year no maintenance warranty...unless you paid for it upfront via costing more. Sure, dealers will change the oil at 1K miles if you want. You'll be charged for it.

 

[TKO]

I have a 2022 Kia Soul and have no regrets.

I hear mostly good stuff on that Soul. I hate the looks of it but I hear it is reliable.

 

[TKO]

There are more listings and better prices then I have seen in a couple years. Lots of nice rides 4 sale in my area. Tons of trucks and jeeps.

mohave co cars & trucks - craigslist

mohave co cars & trucks - craigslist

mohave.craigslist.org

I would check this out if I needed a car. Easy to work on, lots of parts, reliable and price is right..

1998 Ford Crown Victoria LX - cars & trucks - by dealer - vehicle...

1998 Ford Crown Victoria LX Sedan Exterior Color: red Interior Color: Tan VIN: 2FAFP74WXWX171318 Mileage: 154,071 MPG: 15 City / 22 Highway Engine: 4.6L V8 200hp 265ft. lbs. Fuel: Gasoline...

mohave.craigslist.org

My son would hug you for it. He loves that car. He got a car gene and not from me. I can work on cars, I can fix them. I can diagnose them as an engineer would. However, I hate working on them nor do I care about cars other than reliable transportation. Just did the brakes today on that Sienna! I ain't paying 645 at the dealer.

 

[Southside]

I can guarantee they aren't doing a 5K oil change under the free 2 year no maintenance warranty...unless you paid for it upfront via costing more. Sure, dealers will change the oil at 1K miles if you want. You'll be charged for it.

Costing more? Bought this car in March 2022(Ouch!) 2020 demonstrator car(Never titled) 7,100 miles. Paid $21,800, + TTL, and ext warranty. As I said, pretty cheap(OK, REAL cheap, like 10K under market, at that time). The GM at the dealer is a close family member. That's why. And, I do agree, the Gen. Mgr. is having the dealer cover the cost on the 5K changes. But they are getting done.

 

[fi103r]

drove a 1997 Ford Aspire off dealers lot and until it literally died of lack of spare parts circa 2013. Was license built by Kia. That car was tough as a boot.
put over 120K miles on it and it never missed a beat.
Very solid car and well built. I really miss that car. It is my standing arguement against computers in cars finally died for lack ability to communicate with emmissions testing computers for annual inspections.
Kia builds some good cars.

 

[ktrapper]

Carnival?

 

[hardrock]

Bought a new Toyota p/u 2wd in 2002 and have driven it w/o any trouble for those 20 years, just regular maintenance. Last week, the lower ball joint broke. It's the first breakdown and when I bought it, I knew that was it's weakest point. (no grease zerts) Had a total rebuild of the front end, brakes, AC/heater, fuel system. and work on various other systems that put it back in pretty good I hope for another many years. Cost over $2 grand but could not stomach the thought car payments or the debt.
That Kia Carnival does look nice!

 

[Maryh]

I have a 2018 Hyundai Kona. No problems so far and I absolutely love it. It is small but it suits my needs perfectly. I went from a Volvo S80t. It was 17 yrs old when it started to give me problems and didn't want to do expensive repairs. I figure now to keep the Kona for quite awhile and the repairs won't kill the budget like the Volvo!