
Originally Posted by
niky
Well, the big tickets are already here. The Carens, the Carnival and the Grand Starex. The Carens is great value for the money, and the Carnival is a very good big van, with lots of space. The Grand Starex would be okay, but it's kind of expensive.
Your choice will really depend on what you want.
If you want a dependable, solid and long-lasting seven-seater, you can go for either the Adventure or the Crosswind... both non-CRDi, no fuel issues down the road (after 150,000 - 200,000 kms), with heavy-duty ladder frame construction.
If you want a modern, thrifty and comfortable vehicle, you can go with the Carens. It looks small from the outside, but interior space is good. Interior materials are a let-down, but it's better designed than the AUVs (Innova included). It's got a small third-row, but the Carens is more of a step-up for sedan drivers than an AUV alternative. As such, it rides softly and is quite quiet on the road. The doors close with a satisfying thud, too. Surprisingly good for a Korean car...
The Innova splits the group. It's got the ladder-frame ruggedness of the AUVs, but a more modern engine. The 2.5 D4D isn't as refined or powerful as other CRDis, and may still suffer injector issues in the long term (all CRDis, even Hyundais and Kias, can be affected by bad diesel) that older generation diesels won't have. But it drives very well (less body roll than any of the above), is stable and composed, and doesn't look like crud.
You just have to figure out what you want, and test-drive, test-drive, test-drive.