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We discovered that the Venture’s handling and steering are quite carlike, losing only a bit of sharpness of response. You don’t feel like there’s a train behind you. As for visibility, the front fenders and hood might as well not exist from the driver’s seat. You can’t see them, but then it's not necessary to do so. Short front overhangs make it easy to maneuver in parking lots or in heavy traffic. The overall length is about 320 mm more than a long sedan (Accord, Camry or Cefiro), but in many repeated attempts it was easy to insert into a parking space or garage. There’s a whole gaggle of toys to keep the Venture driver entertained. An overhead multi-function display can act as a compass and thermometer, or it can keep tabs on your fuel economy. A useful indicator is how much distance you can travel before you have to fill up with gas. There are front and rear foglights, the fronts very helpful in night driving. Rounding up the gadgets are a single-disc CD player with speed-sensitive volume (when you go faster, the stereo pumps up its volume), and of course, front and rear aircon controls. The Carnival for its part has a more ergonomic cockpit. The gearshift is mounted on the dashboard to free up center space. It’s just a hand-drop away from the steering-wheel: excellent! The switches are also smartly located near the driver, and can be more easily differentiated by touch alone. There’s also a large single knob to control the major stereo functions and stereo-control buttons on the steering wheel. The aircon controls are also a model of simple and effective layout, with a rotary knob for the fan control and a wheel for temperature. With such an excellent cockpit, can the Carnival deliver on performance? For starters, its 2.9 liter turbocharged diesel engine is no slouch. It may have only 135 horses, but in diesel tradition it has a robust 315 Nm at just 2000 rpm. This powerplant can pull the van up steep hills and ramps without running out of breath. The acceleration is brisk with only two people on board. With a full load, it’s noticeably slower but still not strained. The automatic downshifts promptly on command, and upshifts are smooth and unobtrusive. As for cornering, the Carnival retains a good carlike feel. It’s a touch more nimble than the Venture, but the Kia won’t be able to keep up once the Venture’s engine goes on full boil. The Carnival’s braking is via vented disc / drum, also equipped with ABS. Brake feel is nothing spectacular, but performance is certainly adequate. Value for money / build quality Both vans have seemingly solid build quality. The Kia is holding up well with already 9500 on its odometer. Only time will tell of course, but right now everything seems to be screwed on right where it should be. Dual airbags are standard on the Chevy, single airbag on the Kia. Both are covered by a 2-year 50,000-km warranty. The Venture retails for PHP1.150 million, with everything mentioned as standard. Now PHP1.150 million is a lot of money, but with 1.6 sedans costing almost PHP900,000 suddenly it doesn’t look so expensive. The Venture’s cabin may be overly plasticky in some areas, but it’s otherwise well designed and executed. The cabin is quiet apart from the soft V6 rumble, which isn’t such a bad thing to hear. Fuel economy is about 5.3 km/liter in city driving, again not too bad considering the engine’s size and the vehicle’s capacity. The Venture even manages to pack a 95-liter fuel tank, allowing a range of 500+ km between fill-ups. |
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