In a year defined by global upheaval and technological leaps, the flagship Kia Carnival 2.2 CRDi SXL 7-Seater proves that sometimes the best escape is found not in fantasy, but in a thoughtfully designed vehicle that turns even the most routine journeys into memorable adventures.
The year that was: Disruptive unpredictability
For all the combined computing power harnessed by AI engines, not one was able to summarise the year that was as one of disruptive unpredictability. Because that’s what it was: a turning point when the old world stopped as a troubled birth was being given to the new one. Looking back, few can argue that the relentless bombardment in 2025 of high global debt, political instability, climate change, corporate failures and shifting geopolitical blocs – to say nothing of AI – was unusually exhausting. By December, a break from it all couldn’t come soon enough.
Escaping reality: The search for the ideal ride
Of course, escaping from reality – as the Back to the Future franchise would have you believe – requires not just any means of transport. (It just so happens that by the time the first film hit the circuit in 1985, the DeLorean project had already failed.) But the flagship Kia Carnival SXL we chose for our annual sashay from Cape Town to Knysna was the exact opposite. It was surprising and delightful at a time when the world seems to have gone to pot.
Why the Kia Carnival? Space, comfort & practicality, that’s why
Now, it may be excessive to pick a R1.3-million luxury minivan for a mere 500 km jaunt. However, 7-seat SUVs simply lack the space to swallow beach chairs for four, bodyboards and, among others, a week’s worth of braai wood and accompanying potential behaviour-changing beverages. And for all their payload power, double-cab bakkies drive like bricks in the wind. Trailers, meanwhile – if for no other reason than that they slow you down and are a pain to park – are the equivalent of automotive chastity belts. So no. A van, if you can call it that, it had to be.
Packing perfection: Cargo capacity unleashed
Come departure day, depending on one’s choice of life partner, the moments before luggage gets loaded are either characterised by a lack of anxiety … or the complete opposite at the sight of the ever-growing cargo consignment (mine’s the latter). Still, with the rear seats flattened, the cargo bay opens up like that of a Boeing. It reveals a level loading area able to stretch all the way to the first-row seatbacks, should you choose to remove the second row of seats, too. Like a punishment enthusiast, whatever was shoved into the Carnival’s circus tent-sized luggage hold was swallowed with a smile: packing turned into a painless party.
On the open road: Effortless cruising
Open road. Eighth gear. 120 kph. 1 900 rpm. David Ogilvy’s anthemic line in 1958 about ticking timepieces might have inadvertently brought fame to Rolls Royce’s NVH engineers, yet the Carnival’s turbodiesel engine, when treated civilly, is just as restrained. (Although the euphonic 12-speaker Bose system may have something to say about the former.)
Reaching Knysna from Cape Town is appreciably more scenic and relaxed when approached via Worcester and Robertson before rejoining the N2 at Swellendam. Most of the road is dual carriageway, although in peak holiday traffic, the section from Swellendam to Mossel Bay is not relaxing. Along with constant media pings about South African roads turning into death traps owed to ill-considered overtaking moves, this section feels like running the gauntlet.
Performance with purpose: Power when it counts
It was on the N2 that the usually family-friendly, 7-seater Carnival showed a different side. With 440 Nm underfoot between 1 750 and 2 750 rpm, each ankle-twist turned the Kia into a cutlass, dispatching obstructive traffic (trailer-towers and caravan-pullers in particular). It comfortably conquered the Overberg’s hills and dales. Its table-top-flat torque curve belied the Kia’s capability as a low-flying cruise missile to disbelieving challengers.
See more: Compare the specs of the Kia Carnival with the Ford Tourneo Custom and VW Transporter
Apart from Death Star-destroying torque at usable revs, the 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine’s secondary benefit is exceptional fuel economy. We averaged a combined 7.4 L/100 km (comprising mainly highway driving, then short-hop urban driving in and around Knysna). With its 72-litre tank, a four-digit range is possible.
First-class Carnival: The passenger experience
In another nod to Rolls-Royce, the best seats in the house belong to the passengers – specifically, the middle row. The two captain’s chairs (slideable, rotatable, removable – your choice) recline to a zen-like angle. Along with the pair of electric sliding doors, they continuously hogged the limelight.
The abundance of USB ports (and a wireless pad) immediately snuffed any FOMO fears, although admittedly at least one USB-A port would have been welcome instead of all of them being latest-gen USB-C. Oh, and the steering wheel-heating button is on the wrong side of the centre console, if that matters to anyone.
Fully loaded tech: Safety and personalisation
As the range-topper, the SXL really does come fully loaded, and apart from a more contemporary exterior introduced during the Carnival range’s 2025 facelift, it’s worth knowing that behind the sophistication of the minimalist interior, a full active safety suite lurks in the background.
Yet almost even more noteworthy is the available depth for personalisation. How fast would you like the electric tailgate to open or close? Your preferred number of lane change flashes: 3, 5, 7, or none? Or how about a reminder that the kids fiddled with the electric seat settings? What other car even offers such detailed configurability?
Conclusion: The ultimate life hack
It’s, uhm, über-geeky, we know. Yet in a time when many of the world’s super-rich happen to be hyper-nerds heading up tech disruptors headlining the nascent new world order, that’s hardly what one would define as bad company. And that’s the thing about the Kia Carnival SXL. Occupying a segment of one, it refuses to identify as either SUV or station wagon. Defying definition, from rands-per-feature to rands-per-kilowatt spent, there’s nothing else like it at the price: tech-heavy and driver-friendly, amidst a world that has gone off-script. It’s the ultimate life hack for what will most certainly be another year of algorithmic anarchy that awaits in 2026. And beyond.
