2022 Kia Carnival review: A party on wheels

Kia is out of the minivan business enterprise — effectively, based on who you ask. The unpopular Sedona family-hauler is absent, supplanted by the colorfully named 2022 Kia Carnival, which is billed as a multipurpose motor vehicle, or MPV for small. The South Korean automaker is hoping to fill a vaguely described white area with this product or service, which occurs to be a tall and boxy device with a few rows of seats, cavernous interior area and a sliding door on every single side. What kind of motor vehicle does that explain? Appear on, Kia: Embrace the minivan, specially because the Carnival is so very good.

Regardless of what you really feel like calling it, the 2022 Carnival is built on Kia’s third-generation N3 platform, which underpins other automobiles like the handsome Sorento SUV and avant-garde K5 sedan. Giving it noticeably sturdier styling than the previous Sedona, which was rounded in comparison, the Carnival characteristics a modernized variation of the brand’s signature tiger-nose grille, complete with distinctive sculpting and tasteful brightwork. For a much more rugged seem, the wheel arches are accentuated, as well as the hood is higher and flatter than what you are going to obtain on other minivans. This is also the initially Kia in The united states to feature the brand’s revamped brand, which is modern and angular, or as Roadshow reviews editor Antuan Goodwin explained it in a photograph caption, “K-backwards-N.” What has been witnessed can’t be unseen.

Thanks to these design attributes, the Carnival appears to be much more sturdy than its rivals, specifically the billowy Chrysler Pacifica. But there is only so much you can do with visible sleight-of-hand. This Kia is continue to undeniably a minivan, as evinced by its imposing two-box variety. Measurement-intelligent, the Carnival is in lockstep with competition — its 121.seven-inch wheelbase may perhaps be the longest of the bunch, but it can be just .1 inches better than the Chrysler’s. At 203 inches from grille to liftgate, it can be an inch or two shorter than its rivals, with the Honda Odyssey being the longest of the team (if only just).

That generous sizing provides the Carnival a lot of interior area. Powering its sixty/forty-split third-row seat, which manually folds into the ground with the pull of a couple handles and a massive downward shove, you get forty.2 cubic toes of storage area. Powering the 2nd-row chairs it offers 86.9 cubic toes so you get up to a hundred forty five.1 cubes to enjoy with, much more than in all but the voluminous Odyssey.

Aside from capaciousness, comfort and ease is another just one of the Carnival’s sturdy satisfies in this midrange EX product. The Slide-Flex 2nd-row chairs are a lot comfortable and supportive, as well as they quickly shift fore and aft by a major amount, however they do not fold into the ground like Chrysler’s ingenious Stow ‘n Go procedure. For greatest cargo area, you’ve got to take away them and hope you do not pull a muscle mass in your again. Guaranteeing passengers have accessibility to ability, USB ports are built-in into the entrance seatbacks. Mirroring the Toyota Sienna, the variety-topping SX Status product characteristics twin VIP lounge seats, which slide, recline and have built-in ottomans for extra luxury. They also offer ability controls as effectively as heating and ventilation for all-period comfort and ease. The Carnival’s third-row seat is accommodating with a lot of area also, even for lanky adults. As with the 2nd row, passengers in steering have accessibility to a pair of USB ports. No subject exactly where you happen to be sitting, there is basically plenty of headroom in this motor vehicle for Shaquille O’Neal to bolt upright whilst putting on a prime hat.

Spacious and comfortable, the Carnival’s interior is stylish and effectively built. The dashboard is easy and cleanly laid out. The climate controls, which are partly comprised of actual physical switches and touch-delicate buttons, are evidently labeled and uncomplicated to function. Aside from there currently being a small also much piano-black trim (a magnet for dust and fingerprints) in this EX product, the components utilized are of higher high quality, every thing is assembled with painstaking precision and absolutely nothing is unfastened or otherwise inexpensive emotion.

An 8-inch touchscreen is common equipment in the foundation LX product, complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Vehicle. EX and higher types, nevertheless, arrive with a much greater twelve.3-inch display, which is home to a swanky infotainment procedure. This multimedia array is exceptionally snappy, responding to finger inputs practically instantaneously, as well as it can be a cakewalk to use, with practically zero studying curve. This tends to make the Carnival just one of those people automobiles you can bounce right in and start out making use of without the need of obtaining to thumb through the owner’s manual or squander time figuring out how issues perform. This infotainment procedure also appears to be interesting. Icons on the home screen resemble small neon symptoms and the radio tuner is styled like nixie tubes, a playful touch. EX and higher types also arrive common with a wi-fi charging plate and equally cabin digital camera and intercom systems — so the driver can keep tabs on and talk with passengers in the again seats.

The Carnival is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 that belts out 290 horsepower and 262 pound-toes of torque. This Kia has a couple of much more horses in its steady than the Pacifica and Odyssey, but unexpectedly, all a few of these minivans have an similar amount of torque. The Carnival’s engine is peaceful and clean, the small tingles developed by all V6s are effectively attenuated, with small vibration currently being felt within. Acceleration is very good, the van pulling effectively when you punch it, a functionality aided by the super-responsive eight-speed automated transmission. As gearboxes go, this just one is best: imperceptibly clean, speedy-witted and keen to downshift when you have to have much more oomph. What much more could you ask for?

Gas financial system is right in line with the Carnival’s important competition. The Kia stickers at 19 mpg metropolis and 26 mpg highway. Mixed, it can be rated at 22 mpg, similar to a entrance-wheel generate, non-plug-in Pacifica or the Honda Odyssey. The natural way, the hybrid-only Sienna blows this Kia away like topsoil for the duration of the Dust Bowl with its throughout-the-board rating of up to 36 mpg (as does the pricier Pacifica plug-in hybrid, which returns 82 MPGe when jogging solely on electricity). If greatest fuel financial system issues, get the Toyota. If towing prowess tops your chart, nab the Chrysler, as it can be rated to drag up to 3,600 lbs, 100 much more than the Carnival, Odyssey or Sienna.

The Carnival’s steering is light and moderately speedy, which helps this minivan really feel nimble and a bit scaled-down than it is. The common lane-maintaining assist know-how is exceptionally very good, never sawing at the wheel or darting for the ditch when a line receives interrupted. The obtainable adaptive cruise handle operates a address, also. Common driver aids incorporate blind-place checking, rear cross-targeted visitors warn, lane-maintaining assist and reverse parking sensors.

Dynamic downsides are couple of, but the Carnival’s major weakness is its unsettled trip. Choppy, noisy and on the floaty side, this family-hauler can really feel a bit uneasy at periods. A entire load of kiddies and cargo would likely settle issues down, but the unladen tuning requirements a small much more perform to seriously get issues dialed in. Commotion from the tires and wind is also visible at speed, probably exacerbated by the cavernous interior.  

An eye-catching and effectively-rounded offering, the 2022 Kia Carnival is obtainable in 4 trim levels: LX, EX, SX and SX Status. Base value for this not-so-mini van is 33 massive kinds and improve, such as $1,one hundred seventy five in delivery expenses. As it sits, the EX product proven below checks out for a not-unreasonable $38,775.

If you happen to be purchasing for a minivan, thank you! Much more motorists would be intelligent to take into consideration just one of these versatility all-stars over the SUVs absolutely everyone is obsessed with these times. Making the choice even easier (or perhaps more challenging), you won’t be able to invest in a poor minivan. All the important players are wonderful in their very own way. The fuel-sipping Toyota Sienna is arms down the most cost-effective product without the need of a plug Chrysler’s Pacifica appears to be the nicest as Stow ‘n Go continue to blows the competitors away and the Honda Odyssey is the most effectively-rounded of the bunch and probably the most effective to generate. As for the Carnival, it can be as excellent an choice as any, and has no difficulty likely toe-to-toe not just with other minivans, but with a few-row SUVs, also.