I was offered a KIA Grand Carnival for a week, and I was really keen to test drive it because the car is a central item to our family life. It enables us to explore and experience many adventures as a family, and also accommodates all kinds of everyday activities such as sports practice, errands, grocery shopping and school drop offs and pick-ups.
The kids were so excited about having a new car for a week! Come with me, and I’ll share with you a typical week in our family.
Monday
Each Monday, I attend a group personal training session at a playground. This works well for me as my son plays while I exercise. I usually bring a bike for him to ride on too. The boot is deep (you can see how far it comes up my son’s leg) so I was able to fit the bike in without even folding the seats down. However, it’s an 8-seater car so you can fold the seats down at the back for even more boot space when required.
Tuesday
I did a clean-up at home and took some items to the thrift shop down the road.
Wednesday
Amongst the school drop offs and pick-ups, I took my daughter’s cello to the music shop to be fixed.
Thursday
Stopped in at the bank. The mirror reversing camera is so handy, especially in car parks. (Note: The reversing camera is a SLi/Platinum feature and the starting price of $38,990 applies to the S model).
Friday
Went for a run. The drink holders fit bottles too.
Weekend
We love exploring and discovering as a family so we planned a day out and about on the weekend. We visited the Queensland Museum in the morning and then drove up to Mt Gravatt Lookout for a short bush walk.
While on the bushwalk, my daughter spotted a non-venomous carpet snake behind a log, and that was a thrill! (Yes, I did freak out a bit). What an interesting animal for the kids to see in the wild! Look at the beautiful pattern of the scales in the pictures taken by my husband (who was as excited as the kids). This is it: the reason why we love getting out and about as a family. There are many, many magical moments that are talked about for months and years to come.
When Monday came around again, the kids (and I) were disappointed to say goodbye to the car. We all really enjoyed it. It surpassed my expectations, and was lovely to drive. I was impressed with the safety features, how responsive the engine was and how big it was inside. One of my absolute favourite features was the sliding doors.
Below is a picture of my happy crew in the tight car park at the museum. I can’t even tell you the relief I felt, knowing the sliding doors wouldn’t bump into the cars beside us because they didn’t open out. My usual, “Be careful when you open the doors!” was not required. As a parent, sometimes it’s those little things that make life easier, and more enjoyable.
Price
The price of the KIA Grand Carnival starts from $38,990 for S model, and you can visit your local dealer for more details on the specifications and features.
Video
Here’s a short video of our crazy family.
5 Comments
Laney @ Crash Test Mummy
September 14, 2012 at 4:32 pmEeek! Snake!
It’s a great car isn’t it Kelly? We test drove one too and the electric sliding doors were a hit with us too. Awesome in the supermarket carpark. I usually stress out and put my hand between the corner of the door and the neighbouring car. I’ve been caught out a few times with a squished hand, just to protect their door from getting bumped! It was nice to give my poor hand a rest!
My hubby was impressed with the power too. It’s a great drive.
Kelly Be A Fun Mum
September 15, 2012 at 7:20 pmExactly re doors!!! I like the safety features of the doors too, like they wouldn’t open unless I had the car in park.
www.theworkflowelement.com
February 18, 2014 at 9:14 pmThis is the perfect post for me to find at this time
shelly
September 15, 2012 at 8:43 amSounds like a great car. How many drink holders?
Kelly Be A Fun Mum
September 15, 2012 at 7:19 pm11 I believe!