ANN ARBOR, Mich. — After we write about minivans, it’s straightforward to give attention to the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Pacifica, whereas largely ignoring the opposite choice on the market: the Kia Sedona. It’s older than the opposite three, every of which has lately seen a refresh or, within the case of Sienna, a whole redesign. Now, Kia is altering the sport, sunsetting the Sedona whereas launching the a lot splashier 2022 Kia Carnival minivan to exchange it. The Carnival is tough to miss, with its distinctive design and wealthy checklist of obtainable content material. With its introduction, we will now not recommend you merely decide from the opposite three primarily based in your wants. For those who’re wanting to buy a brand new minivan, you’d do your self a disservice to proceed ignoring Kia.
The Carnival’s styling is attention-grabbing, and the longer I checked out it, the extra I got here to love it. It doesn’t precisely seem like a minivan. Give it some greater wheels and a bit extra experience top, and it begins to look so much like a crossover. Particularly, as Autoblog West Coast Editor James Riswick pointed out, it actually resembles a Chevy Traverse. Kia does, in any case, largely chorus from utilizing the phrase “minivan” to explain the Carnival, as a substitute referring to it formally as an MPV, or multi-purpose automobile (which, coming full circle, is a time period many markets have used for years in lieu of the phrase “minivan”).
And the Carnival undoubtedly seems not like the competitors. The grille on our SX Status tester was made up of blocky chunks of fabric surrounded by a mesh of detrimental area. The hood, with its pair of sculpted strains and the primary use of the brand new Kia brand, terminates in a horizontal line above the grille. That line extends above the headlights, and a personality line brings it rearward to the horizontal rear lighting. Blacked-out A-, B- and D-pillars distinction with the chunky chrome C-pillar with its vanishing-diamond texture on this trim stage. The shiny bumper valences and aspect skirts are a pleasant contact, and our tester’s black wheels accomplished the sporty look.
However the lowered stance and sliding doorways are indicators that the Carnival is certainly a minivan, similar to the Sedona it replaces. It rides a lot nearer to the bottom than that Traverse we in contrast it to above, which interprets to simpler ingress/egress, simpler loading, and a extra carlike experience. Of explicit be aware is the reduce line for the sliding doorways, which strains up with that character line that extends rearward from beneath the hood. “Slightly than draw back from the reduce line for the doorways, our designers embraced it,” mentioned Joseph Choi, superior challenge planning and technique supervisor at Kia. We nonetheless want Kia would have dedicated additional to distancing from the minivan look and tucked this line away someplace much less conspicuous.
Inside, the Carnival is darn close to palatial. Within the high SX Status trim ($47,275 with vacation spot), it options leather-based seating for seven occupants. The primary and second rows are each heated and ventilated. That second row has a number of celebration methods, together with the flexibility to slip the seats each fore-and-aft and side-to-side. These “VIP Lounge” seats additionally function a one-touch button to place the chairs into “rest mode” — a deep reclined place full with the deployment of leg rests. These leg rests might be prolonged utilizing one other button, with the additional step guaranteeing you don’t squish your legs if you happen to occur to be sitting too near the seat in entrance of you. There are two power-sliding sunroofs to present a view of the sky, or you possibly can take pleasure in movies on apps like Netflix or YouTube on the non-compulsory rear-seat leisure system, with particular person screens positioned on the entrance seatbacks. You may increase the guide sunshades on the home windows for extra consolation and privateness whilst you take a little bit nap, too. The third row isn’t so unhealthy both, with sunshades and a middle armrest with cupholders. Whereas many of those options are shared with different minivans (the Odyssey’s side-to-side shifting seats, the Pacifica’s dual-screen infotainment display, the Sienna’s second-row leg rests), none provide so many distinctive and likable options in a single place.
The SX Status trim additionally incorporates a pair of 12.3-inch screens up entrance — a digital instrument cluster and an infotainment touchscreen, aspect by aspect in the identical broad housing. The remainder of the trims get analog gauges with a 4.2-inch TFT show between them. There’s a wi-fi charger on your telephone, and quite a few USB ports for every row of seating as nicely. The SX ($42,275) and SX Status have 115-volt inverters — one on the again of the middle console and one within the rear cargo space — for equipment with an ordinary two- or three-prong plug.
All Carnivals are powered by a brand new naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 offering 290 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. That output is shipped to the entrance wheels by way of an eight-speed automated transmission. No matter trim, the Carnival will get 19 miles per gallon within the metropolis, 26 mpg freeway and 22 mpg mixed. That is the identical mixed determine because the V6-powered Chrysler Pacifica and Honda Odyssey, however the hybrid-powered Sienna and Pacifica PHEV lead the pack in gasoline economic system by a substantial margin. The Carnival can also be rated to tow 3,500 kilos, which is par for the course within the minivan phase.
Out on the highway, the engine feels torquey, and is completely happy to spin the entrance wheels from a cease at full throttle. The engine sounds good, too, largely quiet in regular working, however issuing a managed growl beneath onerous acceleration. The Carnival feels swift (particularly after a current drive within the Toyota Sienna), and by no means left me wanting after I wanted to merge onto a busy expressway with a brief on-ramp. I didn’t have this factor packed to the brim with passengers and cargo, but it surely’s straightforward to really feel assured about this Kia’s means to get underway with a full load, primarily based on its accelerative alacrity.
The Carnival is surprisingly good to drive. I significantly appreciated the Toyota Sienna’s means to supply a car-like expertise from behind the wheel, and the Carnival is comparable. It steers confidently, with a pleasant weight build up within the tiller by corners. The suspension is barely on the taut aspect, giving a superb really feel of the highway, with the draw back of transmitting extra highway noise into the cabin. It doesn’t maintain up in addition to the Sienna when pushed aggressively by corners, the place physique roll and understeer come into play, however who cares? It’s a minivan.
Like an rising variety of Hyundai and Kia automobiles, the Carnival provides a candy bundle of driver help options meant to lower stress and improve security. Normal within the base LX trim ($33,275) are objects together with lane-keeping and -following help, blind-spot monitoring, ahead collision avoidance, and rear cross-traffic alert. EX ($38,775) and better trim ranges get navigation-based adaptive cruise management that may decrease automobile speeds forward of upcoming curves, in addition to Freeway Driving Help to assist steer the minivan on well-marked highways with little to no enter on the a part of the driving force. The SX Status is the one trim to get the slick blind-spot cameras that pop a video feed onto the digital gauges once you use the flip sign. All of it works fairly nicely making for clean, straightforward driving even in heavy, stop-and-go visitors.
However actually, the Carnival is only a good place to spend time. The room, consolation, attractiveness and stable tech make it straightforward to dwell with, and the abundance of creature comforts on provide make it simply as appropriate for carrying adults as it’s for ferrying youngsters to their every day actions. It doesn’t provide hybrid effectivity or all-wheel drive (although AWD is one thing Kia is exploring for the Carnival sooner or later), but it surely most likely doesn’t must with a purpose to garner the eye of potential clients. Particularly within the luxurious SX Status trim with its VIP Lounge seats, the Carnival feels a bit like a limousine, however doesn’t ignore the driving force’s wants. And, simply possibly, this trendy MPV can win over those that want the area and the seats, however draw back from the picture of a minivan.
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