kia carnival proved useful and really darn nice

 

Kia’s overall excellence is becoming so pervasive that even its products in dwindling segments—like minivans—are now among the class leaders. Many automakers killed off their people-haulers years ago in favor of three-row SUVs. Kia has a great one of those, too, in the 10Best-winning Telluride, but still chose to reup its van for a fourth generation for 2022. It even christened it with a new name, Carnival, to replace the old Sedona moniker. As minivan connoisseurs ourselves, we promptly ordered one up for a 40,000-mile test. Slightly more than a year later, we can report that the Kia Carnival not only lives up to expectations for the sliding-door species but also continues to cement Kia’s newfound reputation for building desirable, high-quality, and functional vehicles—no matter the form they take. 

Wanting to test out all the gadgets and gizmos the Carnival has to offer, we chose a loaded SX Prestige model. Finished in $495 Astra Blue paint, our van stickered for $49,000 and included a tow hitch and roof-rack crossbars for maximum utility. We knew we’d be doing some hauling with this van—and we did, strapping stuff to the roof on occasion and even towing a small U-Haul trailer that was well under the 3500-pound towing capacity. And, of course, we stuffed the Carnival’s seven-seat interior full of our own precious cargo, frequently making use of its spacious cabin and creature comforts.We had mixed feelings about the second-row VIP Lounge seats with their myriad power adjustments and leg rests. For some, they were a nice refuge, perfect for napping on road trips. Others found their operation clunky, and they robbed the third row of space for passengers. The fact that you can’t remove them also proved annoying when hauling large items. Indeed, Kia appears to have listened, as it has made the VIP seats less available on the 2023 Carnival. They no longer come standard on the top trim (an eight-seat layout is the default setup) and are now a no-cost option. Our van’s dual-screen rear entertainment system is also now optional rather than standard on the SX Prestige model.

The Carnival matched its EPA combined rating during its stay with us, averaging 22 mpg. That’s perfectly fine, but our recent long-term test of a Toyota Sienna minivan, which comes only as a hybrid, has shown us that there’s a better way. It averaged 29 mpg, offered all-wheel drive, and was only a few ticks slower than the V-6-powered Carnival, which got to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds at the end of its test. “Would I get the Carnival instead of the Sienna that gets 50 percent better fuel economy?” mused editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga. “No. But this is a nicer van.”That sentiment was shared among the staff, as the Carnival’s design impressed inside and out. Kia has attempted to make the minivan—with its cleverly placed C-pillar trim and a more prominent nose—look like an SUV. It doesn’t entirely pull off the trick, as the Carnival still has the unmistakable sliding doors and large windows of a van, but we heard from friends that the look of this Kia could convince them to consider a minivan for the first time. Deputy video editor Carlos Lago also liked the “jazzed-up” cabin, with its patterned metal trim, good-looking display screens, and easy-to-use knobs for the audio system and HVAC controls.

Not much went wrong with our Carnival, but its scheduled maintenance costs did total a relatively high $1091, and Kia doesn’t offer complimentary maintenance like some of its rivals do. The only actual issues we had with the van included a blown speaker, which was replaced under warranty, and a damaged mud flap. That one was our fault, and we replaced it for $86. We also equipped the Carnival with Nokian Outpost APT tires for the winter months; these so-called “all-weather” tires are meant to offer better snow performance than all-seasons but aren’t quite the same as full-on winter tires. They were just fine for traversing slippery conditions, but we occasionally found them to be noisy on dry roads.

Based on our experience with the Carnival, we’ve reaffirmed our belief that many three-row-SUV buyers would be better served by minivans. While we still like the Telluride a whole lot, the Carnival is considerably more spacious inside and offers a lot of bang for your buck—especially now that Kia has raised prices considerably on the 2023 Telluride. We loved having the Carnival around, and there’s now a sad, minivan-shaped hole in our long-term fleet that will be tough to fill. read more.