Advantages: Style; great technology; second row seat selection trick
Defect: There are no hybrid or all-wheel drive options; the third row is relatively small
The 2023 Kia Carnival Guaranteed to surprise you in small truck part. And not, That don’t call it a pickup truck – it uses “MPV“basically the European word for minivans – but everything about CarnivalThe feeling of, ride and drive the screaming minivan. And that’s okay! Minivans are great, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Not only cool, but Carnival is also the most exciting with wild features like the second row of VIP Lounge. Show up in front of the school drop-off line in a Carnival-like outfit in the photos above, and you’re sure to intrigue a few people.
Of course, gadgets are still king when it comes to Carnival. Its boxy shape gives you as much cargo space and rear-seat legroom as or more than many of its competitors. If you don’t want fancy VIP seats, Kia will provide Seat of “Captain Kirk” in the eight-passenger Carnival. Choose from top-notch trim and eye-catching interiors, big screens and tons of technology.
We’re disappointed that Carnival doesn’t offer powertrain options to compete with alternatives like the hybrid only. Sienna and Pacifica PHEV, though. They have one energy saving That advantage may be reason enough to choose one of those instead of the big Kia. Furthermore, Carnival does not offer all-wheel drive like Toyota and Chrysler do. However, if fuel economy and AWD aren’t a priority, Carnival well deserves a spot on your shortlist. It might even look like an SUV to convince the minivan detractors to give it a chance.
Furniture & Technology | Passenger & cargo space | Performance & Fuel Economy
What is it like to drive? | Rates & Cuts | Fault Ratings & Safety Features
What’s new for 2023?
Kia hasn’t changed much for 2023, and all the small changes are happening inside. The SX trim features a 12.3-inch full digital instrument cluster previously exclusive to the SX Prestige. Additionally, the SX Prestige has a new standard seat configuration. Instead of reclining VIP Lounge seats as standard, the regular model’s eight-seat configuration is the standard setup. You can optionally add a VIP seat if you want to replace it now.
What’s the car interior and tech like at Carnival?
The festivals pictured on this page represent the most beautiful you will find. Both the SX and SX Prestige (pictured above) are top-of-the-line models, and with them you’ll get improved material quality and more equipment. Keep this in mind before expecting to see lots of big screens and VIP Lounge seats in a $33,000 base van – you can’t even buy those on the regular SX, they’re just optional. select on Prestige. However, there’s not as much of a drop in quality and atmosphere as you’ll find at the Toyota Sienna trim levels, and every Carnival has a more premium look and feel than appliances Honda Odyssey. We should also note that while most of the Festival’s “wow” features are available in other minivans, no truck offers the same amount of them in the same place.
The standard infotainment setup includes traditional analog gauges and a user-friendly 8-inch touchscreen that looks a bit cheap in a home that is clearly destined for something bigger. That will be a 12.3-inch infotainment screen that comes with EX trim. Gauges are only swapped for digital instrument panels in SX and SX Prestige. Both SX versions are available with seat back touchscreens (same as Chrysler Pacifica) includes Netflix and YouTube apps, along with Kia’s Sounds of Nature white-noise shows (parents with young children will know why this is a big deal). Festivals with 8-inch screens include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but festivals with 12.3-inch screens require a wired connection. Every trim but the base LX has access to a wireless charger, while every trim has multiple USB ports for each row of seats. The SX and SX Prestige have 115-volt inverters – one on the back of the center console and one in the rear cargo area – for accessories with standard two- or three-prong plugs.
How big is Carnival?
Buyers choose between seven- or eight-seat configurations like all other minivans, but that’s where the comparison stops. The eight-passenger configuration, we take a closer look here (pictured above, bottom left and right) features a unique center seat that slides far forward and back to the third row and beyond. This can be useful when trying to stuff as many car seats as possible on a train, or just to create unique cargo and seating configurations. Then there are two seven-seat configurations. The first one essentially removed the eight-passenger middle seat and added in-cabin armrests for the remaining captain seats. The second, exclusive and optional on the SX Prestige (pictured above, top left and right), is called the VIP Lounge chair due to its large recline and pop-up legroom. This will be a great choice for families with older children.
Carnival has a smaller third row of seats than its rivals. Legroom is only 35.6 inches, about 2 inches smaller than the next smallest, Toyota Siennaand 3 inches less than the Pacifica, which is the clear winner for whole-home comfort. That third row is still acceptable, and although the others are more spacious, you might not really notice.
Kia quotes the best cargo capacity in the business as 40.2 cubic feet behind the third row of seats. Kia also (just barely) boasts the most overall interior space at 145.1 cubic feet, but Odyssey almost tied. Unfortunately, you can’t have VIP seats and all that cargo room, because those seats don’t fold flat, and they’re not removable either. Slide them forward and you still have a large, flat space, but it’s a real utility compared to other minivans with more versatility. If you need space, skip the VIP seats on the SX Prestige. The image below shows the eight-passenger SX with its unique center seat pushed to the rear.
What are the Carnival’s performance and fuel economy specs?
Kia keeps it simple with the Carnival and offers only one powertrain configuration. It comes with a 3.5-liter V6 engine that makes 290 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This is transmitted through an eight-speed automatic transmission to the front wheels. The Carnival has more horsepower than other minivans, but not by a wide margin. All cakes are not available.
Fuel economy is respectable 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined. That’s on par with the rest of the V6-powered minivans, but you’ll burn significantly more gas than if you opted for the hybrid-only one. Toyota Sienna or Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid. Kia has an excellent hybrid powertrain available in Sport and Sorento. It’s a shame that Kia couldn’t make something similar work during Carnival.
What car does Carnival like to drive?
On the road, the engine feels a bit of torque and is happy to spin the front wheels before coming to a stop at full throttle. The engine also sounds good, being mostly quiet under normal operation, but emitting a controlled growl during hard acceleration. Carnival was fast and never left us wanting when mingling on a busy highway with a short ramp uphill.
It drives confidently, with good weight building up in the wheels through corners. The suspension leans slightly towards the stretch, providing good grip, with the downside of transmitting a lot of road noise into the cabin – it’s a big box and sounds like one. You might have more fun swinging it around than an equivalent SUV, but the Sienna is still the minivan with the best handling. Long highway trips are very pleasant because Driving assistance on highways does most of the work for you, and the Bose sound system is great for masking road noise from entering the cabin. Carnival will give you a refreshing feeling after going through tons of ground, which is exactly what a minivan needs to do.
What other Kia Carnival reviews can I read?
Review Kia Carnival cars for the first time 2022 | One of the styles
Our first experience behind the wheel. We provide first impressions and all the details about the truck you might want to know.
Kia Carnival 8 passengers 2022 has ‘Captain Kirk’s seat’
In-depth review of eight passengers Kia Carnival and it’s the unique, second row sliding middle seat that we named the “Captain Kirk Chair”.
2022 Kia Carnival vs other minivans | How they compare on paper
If you like specs, this is where you’ll find the Kia Carnival compared to all the other minivans.
What is the price of Carnival 2023?
The price of the Kia Carnival 2023 can be found below, divided into the trim levels available for the LX, EX, SX and SX Prestige. All inclusive $1,335 destination fee.
- LX: $34,235
- EXAMPLE $39,735
- SX: $42,935
- SX-Prestige: $47,335
For family duty carrying a lot of people around, both the LX and EX are excellent values. The LX includes many of the essentials and luxuries complemented by the more value-for-money EX. Notable EX features include 19-inch alloy wheels, a rear sunshade, eight-passenger seating, faux leather seats, rear rails, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift lever. , electric lift doors, three zones. climate control and, most importantly, plenty of tech features in Kia’s neat cabin. These include the Cabin Camera (see the rear rows of seats in the display), the Cabin Intercom, Quiet Mode (turns off the rear speakers for sleepers), and adaptive cruise control with the Assist System Kia’s amazing highway driving.
The SX Prestige adds all the premium luxury features – VIP seats are a free option if you want them on an 8-passenger layout. The only paid package on the SX Prestige is the rear-seat entertainment package available for $1,000.
You can find a full breakdown of features, specs and local pricing here on Automatic log.
What are Carnival’s safety ratings and driver assistance features?
Most of the key features become standard at the 2023 Carnival. Driver assistance features on the base LX include forward collision warning with automatic emergency function. brake and pedestrian detection, lane keeping assist, blind spot warning for collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic alert for collision avoidance, rear parking sensors, rear occupant alert and features “safe exit assist” monitors approaching vehicles from behind when exiting the road. Stepping up to higher versions unlocks features such as forward collision avoidance for cyclists, automatic rear emergency braking, a 360-degree camera, front parking sensors and Road Driving Assist. Highway. The SX and SX-Prestige have an advanced blind-spot warning system with a live camera feed that helped us Technology Award of the Year 2020.
The 2022 Carnival (no 2023 rating at time of publication) has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It received top ratings for crash worthiness and forward collision avoidance technology. However, its standard headlights received a “Poor” rating, while the SX Prestige received the best possible “Good” rating. Ratings from the National Highway Traffic Administration are not yet available.
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