Given society’s obsession with SUVs, you’d think minivans like the Kia Carnival would be outdated by now. Nevertheless, despite dwindling sales, the minivan faithful continue to be loud and powerful enough with their wallets that Kia made a case for replacing its famous Sedona for the 2022 model year with the beautiful Carnival. Kia opted to add part of Telluride’s successful formula to the mix to produce the perfect family transporter, and the Carnival did it brilliantly. The category seemed to operate on autopilot in the background, keeping van aficionados content.
The new Carnival is the fourth generation of people movers that Kia has marketed in the U.S., replacing the outgoing Sedona near the end of its third generation. Its second model year is 2023, and everything is essentially the same except for minor pricing changes. However, minor technical improvements and changes to seating arrangements are advantageous for the top SX and SX Prestige.
The Carnival LX’s basic model ($34,245, up from $33,435, including a $1,335 destination charge) has a full range of standard safety features, seating for nine, seven USB ports, and plenty of multimedia connection. A minor upgrade, the LX Seat Package ($36,245, up $800) includes heated front seats, a 10-way power driver’s seat, and a steering wheel and shifter covered in leather. A motorized tailgate, machine-finished 19-inch wheels, and other interior technological and safety enhancements are included with the EX ($39,735, an increase of $800).
With chrome exterior accents, gloss-black 19-inch wheels, extra USB ports, a second 12.3-inch LCD screen for the instrument cluster, blind-spot monitoring, and optional rear-seat entertainment, the second-to-top SX ($42,935) pushes the Carnival close to the luxury category. The top-of-the-line SX Prestige ($47,335), which is the closest thing to the Genesis of minivans, ticks all the boxes with complete LED head- and interior lighting, a Bose audio, embossed and perforated heated and cooled leather seats, and more.
Thanks to the Carnival, Kia is again forced to compete with the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, and Chrysler Pacifica. Its main advantages are its rugged appearance and roomy interior, which leads the market with 145.1 cubic feet of space. It also capitalizes on the fact that it is the newest minivan on the market, with the 2020 Sienna arriving in dealerships a few months before.
These competitors provide user-friendly features and road manners. Still, the Carnival has the maneuvers to lure driving fans away from the Odyssey with a ride that rivals a premium sedan. The Sienna and Pacifica Hybrid, hybrid-only vehicles, will appeal to fuel-sippers. The Pacifica still has an advantage over the Carnival in terms of internal adaptability because of its fold-flat seating mechanism. Also lacking is all-wheel drive, which the Pacifica and Sienna both feature. But the Carnival stands out for its modern aesthetic, distinct cool factor, and one of the finest warranties in the industry.
Performance: Kia Carnival
Can a minivan in first and second gear burn its tires? Ought to? Whatever the solution, the Carnival has a lot more power than a car this size should feel like. The eager but refined 3.5-liter “Smartstream” gasoline-direct-injected V6 with 290 horsepower, 262 pound-feet of torque, and a fast eight-speed automatic gearbox deserves praise. With your foot on the gas in Sport mode, you can accelerate from 0 to 60 in only seven seconds, giving you plenty of passing power and some amused stares at stoplights. Additionally, even in enthusiastic driving, the brakes are correctly calibrated, providing an extraordinarily fluid and smooth driving experience.
However, the Carnival performs best because of its smooth ride and controlled handling, akin to luxury automobiles. The Carnival has the finest ride and handling compromise in the class, bar none, thanks to diligent engineering.
It isn’t easy to trust our remarks, considering that the departing Sedona was the least dynamically engaging minivan on the market. Carnival seems appropriate for the Autobahn because of its stability, compliance, and tight control. The Carnival’s average all-season touring tires, which scream and return extreme understeer if you bomb an on-ramp and cannot be fixed by a robust performance tire, prevent it from being even more maneuverable.
Those who enjoyed the Odyssey because of its Accord-based beginnings will welcome the Carnival as a new and even more elegant option since it feels like a driver’s van.
Fuel efficiency: Kia Carnival
In this category, the hybrid versions of the Sienna (the Sienna is ONLY available as a hybrid) and the Pacifica Hybrid quickly overtake the Carnival in all scores. Performance and style often come with a price. But when compared side by side, the Carnival keeps everything the same.
The Carnival meets the Pacifica gasoline and Odyessy directly in the town and combination ratings with ratings of 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined. Only two mpg on the road are lost because of it. As we found with our mix of road and New York City metro area traffic across northern New Jersey, drivers are unlikely to notice a noticeable difference between these alternatives. Even with some spirited driving throughout our week-long assessment, the onboard trip computer produced an average of 20 to 22 mpg.
Safety and driver support technology:
The Sedona, the Carnival’s forerunner, was not exceptionally stylish or hearty. Still, it left a lasting impact because of its five-star NHTSA (National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration) rating and “Good” IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) rating. The NHTSA hasn’t evaluated the new Carnival, adversely affecting its rating. Nevertheless, it received a Top Safety Pick designation from the IIHS after receiving a perfect “good” rating on the agency’s six examinations, particularly when fitted with high-end LED headlights.
Standard blind sport warning, lane maintenance assist, street follow assist, rear cross-traffic warning, and automated front braking are added to the complete complement of airbags. The outstanding optional highway driving aid and radar-guided cruise control systems on the Carnival’s higher trims, which make long sprints a pleasure, are two features we love.
Comfort and Space
Sedona excelled in providing comfort and interior room, and the Kia Carnival keeps up the effort. Eight people may sit in the basic configuration, or seven can use the second-row captain’s chairs. The front row has 41.1 inches of legroom, the second has 40.5 inches, and the third has 35.6 inches. Compared to the Sienna, the Honda Odyssey provides 40.9 in the first two rows and 38.1 in the third. Its 168.2 cubic feet of total passenger space and headroom (40.9, 39.5, and 38.6 inches in the front, second, and third rows) are best in class.
The car has comfortable seats and a boxy design, making it easy for front and rear passengers to enter and exit. The optional VIP captain’s chair seating package, which adds reclining heated and cooled second-row motorized recliners with leg rests, gave our fully equipped SX Prestige test vehicle the appearance of a posh minivan.
Another distinguishing feature is an operational second-row sunroof. There is adequate adaptability to maximize the Carnival’s space with features including sliding adjustments, reclining seatbacks, and standard child seat anchor supports. Our main issue is with those subpar all-season tires, which make a lot of noise on bumpy roads.
Infotainment: Kia Carnival
The Carnival and its two portfolio siblings all have the same infotainment system. Many connection technologies, including Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, are available since the eight-inch and 12.3-inch infotainment displays are attractive and straightforward.
The 12.3-inch infotainment system, which is more extensive and practical, is now available in the EX. It adds voice recognition, HD radio, SiriusXM, sat-nav, and an integrated cellular network modem to power Kia Connect, the automaker’s smartphone app integration. With the latter, drivers may manage door locks, the HVAC system, and vehicle maintenance and wellness.
The optional $1,000 rear-seat entertainment kit, available exclusively on SX and SX-Prestige models, incorporates two screens into the seatbacks of the front buckets for the benefit of the rear passengers.
Storage & Cargo Space:
The Carnival wins the prize for the most significant cargo space in addition to having a roomy passenger cabin, with 145.1 cubic feet of total cargo capacity when the seats are folded down and 40.2 cubic feet of freight storage behind the third row. A close second is the Odyssey with 144.9 cubic feet (140.7 in EX-L, Touring, and Elite), followed by the Sienna with 101.3 and 31.5 cubic feet.
However, the Sto-n-Go fold-flat seats of the Pacifica are sure to persuade some purchasers back. However, the maximum allowed is still 140.5 cubes. However, the Sto-n-Go format’s ease is physically and psychologically addicting, and many ardent minivan users won’t do without it. The Carnival offers the most significant cargo space with the restriction that the seats cannot be removed without tools and are not ready for the typical user. This lowers their ranking by a few points.
Design: Kia Carnival
When contemplating minivans, style and design are not very important. But Kia set out to remedy that, giving the Carnival a design similar to the Telluride’s boxy, macho profile. The Carnival undoubtedly wins the prize for the most fashionable minivan today when the simple, contemporary design cues all around are considered.
The Odyssey and Pacifica, in contrast, have rounded, abruptly antiquated, and frumpy-looking designs that appear to have been trapped in the middle of the 2010s. The most recent Sienna design also offers nothing to change the segment’s fashion character, maintaining the typical two-box minivan silhouette with Toyota’s current design language.
The Carnival demonstrates that choosing a minivan doesn’t have to seem like a sacrifice and may be just as alluring as the daring crossover SUV.
The Kia Carnival 2023: Is it worth it?
Even though it wasn’t requested, the Kia Carnival gives the sluggish minivan industry a much-needed kick. With its class-leading features, colossal room and load capacity, attractive aesthetics, and surprisingly elegant driving manners, the Carnival is a slam dunk.
Pricing consistently undercuts the competition, even for identical, fully equipped models. A fully equipped Carnival SX Prestige with the complimentary VIP seating option and the $1,000 rear-seat entertainment equipment costs only $50,490 when all the checkboxes on Kia’s build-your-own website are checked. If you don’t cut corners with the others, the top Pacifica “Pinnacle” front-wheel drive will set you back a staggering $55,937, while the total Sienna “Platinum” isn’t far behind at $54,333. The Odyssey Elite has a total sticker price of $51,189.
The Carnival SX Prestige is the one to choose if the budget permits it because of how enticing its value is. However, those seeking the perfect balance between price and amenities may consider the $39,745 EX with a 12.3-inch touchscreen screen, power sliding doors, a power liftgate, heated front seats, a motorized driver seat, and more.
How Much Does the Kia Carnival Cost to Insure?
The Carnival pays somewhat more for insurance than its top rivals. The typical yearly premium for a 30-year-old female driver with a clean driving record is $2,220 for the LX and $2,464 for the SX Prestige. The price of the Chrysler Pacifica varies between roughly $1,900 for the base model and $2,200 for the Limited hybrid simultaneously. The Toyota Sienna costs $1,990 for the LE to $2,378 for the Platnium, while the Honda Odyssey costs around $1,864 to $2,040 for higher models.
Verdict
A stylish, value-packed, well-executed minivan—or, as Kia argues, an MPV—the Kia Carnival brings back the cool of sliding doors. Attempts to, at least. It concentrates on comfort and spaciousness while packing the majority of the endearing qualities of the premium Telluride SUV onto a long-roof body with rear sliding doors. And it does it with style, internal space, safety technology, and driving manners that are best in class. The Carnival provides amenities for families and cargo like its direct rivals. But the Carnival positions itself lightyears ahead of the competition in terms of cool factor alone, not to mention the finest warranty in the business, thanks to an exclusive design, great packaging, and a comparatively significantly reduced cost of entry.
