Grand Starex/Carnival/Previa

[OhNow3P]

Hi everyone,

I'd like some help please.

My family are considering the 3 mentioned vans as a replacement for our old minivan... If you have any other suggestions, they are also welcome and is highly appreciated. Thanks.

Here are our family's requirements in a minivan.

1. Must fit 6-7 adults with luggage very comfortably.

2. Must be safe and reliable. Warranty etc.

3. Good fuel economy is also a must.

4. Not too expensive. But brand new.

5. Not too big cos it won't fit in the garage.


We used to have a Kia Carnival, the first one available locally, we were so disappointed by it and have sold it and replaced it with our current minivan a Toyota Estima from subic. It has been very reliable for the last 7 years and has been all over luzon, but we believe its now time to retire it as it is not really very economical to maintain anymore.

We have considered the 3 mentioned above but has not settled for the following reasons:
The grand starex is way too big, and all that room is not really needed.
The Carnival SWB is almost perfect but we have reservations against it.
The Previa is a expensive and is a gasoline engine...

arguments and and suggestions welcome.


Thanks all.

[Starex_Gold]

Toyota Previa. Medyo mahal nga lang pero hindi sya ganun kalakas sa gas. Tipid pa sya para sa 2.4L

[OhNow3P]

I forgot to mention earlier pala na we thought the starex CRDi was a perfect choice for us, unfortunately, wala na bago nun e.

Thanks for the input Starex_Gold. How efficient po ba if i may ask? better than a CRDi kaya?

[Starex_Gold]

Sir, SG nalang po.

Hindi kasi ako sure kung ano yung FC ng Previa eh. Siguro ang city nya eh nasa 7.5-9.0 km/l at yung hi way nya eh 11.0-13.5 km/l. Hindi siguro lalayo dyan yung actual kasi matipid talaga yung mga engine ng Toyota.

[ronw123w124]

I don't know about the Carnival pero I have ridden in the current Toyota Previa, the ride is excellent but I think it would not meet your 1st criteria as it is kinda cramped on the 3rd row. The Grand Starex is a good choice but it might not fit your garage.

[yapoy86]

the new kia carnival is the GEN3 version... so this is more improved and refined....

try inspecting their units on display and surely it will fit your needs... especially the flexibility of its seats...

btw, this van is already equipped with CRDi Turbo... one of the best crdi engines now in the market..

[niky]

The Kia Carnival is a good choice... the seats are better spaced than in the Grand Starex, and you've got tons of elbow room for lounging. Only problem is, it's only the LWB model that actually has luggage room. The SWB will either carry seven people and groceries or just five people and luggage.

The engine and platform are both generations ahead of your old Carnival, and benefit more from shared parts with Hyundai than the old one did. It's a big engine, though... and even if it's diesel, the size of the engine will make for 7 km/l driving in traffic.

Still, from your criteria, it's the best choice amongst the three. Although I can't say whether or not the suspension will be durable, the engine itself, like most Hyundai CRDis, should be quite reliable.

[nicolodeon]

Carnival for me. Sometimes folks malign the Carnival because it's a Kia or because it's made in Korea but I've a question for these folks: have you ever driven one?

My best friend used to be a 1st gen Carnival owner. Used to be because they sold their Carnival so they'd be able to buy a bigger van. Had the chan to ride and drive the Carnival lots of times. Very good fuel economy. Decent speed. Lots of elbow room (we once loaded that Carnival of his with a pingpong table, picnic table and some other stuff - we still had room for 5 passengers). Suspension was a bit soft, though. My friend and his family had very little complaints and oh, they're a family of 7.

Tne newer Carnival has improved a lot compared to the 1st generation CarnivalI agree with Niky: amongst the 3, I think the Carnival is the best choice.

Good luck.

[CVT]

Agree with niky and nicolodeon, based on your criteria, the Carnival is the best choice amongst the 3 options you presented.

Also, I believe that it is the least expensive, with the Starex, depending on the variant, a close second...

6303:fetch:

[Eismann]

Agree with niky and nicolodeon, based on your criteria, the Carnival is the best choice amongst the 3 options you presented.

Also, I believe that it is the least expensive, with the Starex, depending on the variant, a close second...

6303:fetch:

Get it now before it gets in the starex price range....Kia is exploiting the law of demand...he-he

[Isuzoom]

please read the kia carnival thread....I got the carnival because of the thread. big help talaga.

[glenn_sp]

for me mas ok cguro ung 9 seater grand starex, kaso mahal ata pag crdi engine. pero roomier sya kesa sa carnival.. ok din ang carnival, mas cheaper & crdi na sya, may kamukha sya sa hyundai sa ibang bansa, hyundai entourage ata un, same body, same engine ata, ilaw, rims & emblems lng ata pnagkaiba.. and i think ok na ang mga labas ng kia nowadays kase nbili na ata cla ng hyundai? panalo tlaga ang crdi, parang gas engine hmatak, kaso mlakas sa diesel pag laging mataas rpm.. i think lahat naman ata ganun.

[minicoopal]

I had a similar predicament. The Previa, at close to P2m, was out. The initial choices were the Super Grandia and the Grand Starex Gold, but units were hard to come by. I looked at the Carnival EX LWB after reading the threads in this forum. Now I only wish I had gotten it earlier. Car-like ride, which you won't get from the SG or GSG. Very smooth CRDI engine. Lots of bells and whistles like the power doors.

[OhNow3P]

wala kasi display ng Carnival SWB sa silver city e, kaya hindi ko ma-compare sa LWB nila doon.

Thanks for the inputs. Dami sabi kia a. I've read the new carnival thread, and learned na same sa consumption posted by sir SG for previa... diesel pa to boot.

I guess we'll be going carnival again... hope we just got a lemon last time..

no its on to deciding wether to get a SWB or a LWB.

Thanks all.

[OhNow3P]

got our carnival SWB LX. Thanks.

ok na po. please close this thread.

Thanks again.