2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid: More mini than van
Kia calls it an MPV, and that may explain one shortcoming. The new powertrain really helps with fuel consumption, and the new look will help you get closer to cool. … Haha, no, it won’t.
2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid SX Prestige vs. Chrysler Pacifica vs. (fanfare!) Volkswagen ID. Buzz: A brave new minivan comparison.
Price: $57,255 as tested. Rear Seat Entertainment Package added $2,495; fancy paint, $500.
Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver likes the “much-improved mpg over the nonhybrid, same practicality and driving experience,” and that it “looks stylish inside and out,” but not that “optional second-row VIP seats aren’t removable,” and that there’s “some wonkiness from regenerative brakes, slightly less towing capacity.”
Marketer’s pitch: “Stunningly versatile.” It also calls the minivan an MPV, or multipurpose vehicle. I had a Mazda with that name, so that’s not a selling point.
Reality: Some surprisingly unminivanlike behavior.
What’s new: The Kia Carnival adds a hybrid power plant and gets a bit of a redesign. (Spoiler alert: It still looks like a big box.)
The minivan comparison ends up being two plug-ins and an EV, so that makes for some interesting things to write about.
Competition: In addition to the Pacifica and ID. Buzz, there are the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.
Up to speed: The Carnival suffered a fairly consistent hesitation from a standing start when it was not warmed up. I spent a day driving into Philadelphia and back for the auto show and it never bucked once, but when I kept it around home in Chester County, it was as balky as the late Sturgis family’s 1976 Ford Granada, featuring a one-barrel carbureted six-cylinder fighting through unproven emissions controls. I really didn’t trust the Carnival to get me into traffic safely.
Acceleration could also be tricky. Because I expected it to hesitate, I often found myself looking like the ultimate dork, a minivan driver laying rubber at stop signs.
We’ll presume that this test vehicle was early on the assembly line, and the problems get ironed out as the year rolls on.
Power from the 1.6-liter engine mated to the hybrid system is rated at 241.7 horses (perhaps an even 242 would have ironed out the hesitation), and 0-60 is 7.8 seconds, Car and Driver reports. Sheesh.
Shifty: The 6-speed automatic could also get caught up in the balkiness now and again. On one cold-weather start-up, I worried something was seriously wrong as the minivan stayed in second gear down a hill and then back up the next one.
A dial gets the minivan in gear; twist counterclockwise for Reverse and clockwise for Drive. Steering-wheel triggers let you slow down on hills; there’s no indication that the gear changes; a tiny icon notes LV1 and LV2.
On the road: The Carnival handling was pleasant enough, with a carlike feel and an easy demeanor whether on country roads, in towns, or on highways.
Driver’s Seat: The Carnival provides as comfortable a spot for the driver as any minivan, a vehicle class generally known for being fairly comfy.
The dashboard can be a bit challenging, though. The speedometer and other information sit to the outside corners of the gauges and can be hard to see around the steering wheel.
Friends and stuff: The Carnival seats up to eight.
The rear seat feels a little small, and headroom is precious, shockingly so. My head was against the ceiling, which is odd for this style of people mover. Legroom and foot room in minivans are awesome all around, and the Carnival was no exception.
The captain’s chairs are comfortable, and they power recline and heat and ventilate. Sturgis Kid 4.0 thought the recline was a little less than, sort of economy airplane class.
Getting the third row up and down was easy — pull the lever, then the strap.
Crawling around inside was a little challenging, thanks to the low roofline. The middle row slides side to side to help moving about, but that won’t help if you choose the eight-passenger model.
Cargo space starts at 40.2 cubic feet and maxes out at 145.1.
In and out: Easy enough, like any minivan, though a bit of a leg lift.
Play some tunes: Kia gives the Carnival its two-way dashboard that switches one set of controls between infotainment and HVAC functions. There are worse ideas, I suppose, like for instance most touchscreens.
Sound from the system is par for the Kia course, about a B or so. You’re not going to fall in love with anything all over again.
Keeping warm and cool: Temperatures are controlled by dials, and buttons control blower location and speed.
Fuel economy: The Carnival averaged just over 27 mpg, which is not bad for a minivan.
Where it’s built: Gwangmyeong, South Korea. Two percent of the parts come from the U.S. and Canada; 90% from South Korea.
How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the new hybrid model to get a 4 out of 5 for reliability.
In the end: If the headroom is a challenge and the middle row doesn’t get out of the way, it’s more mini than van. Definitely test drive for the performance wonkiness, but I’d look at other offerings.
Next week: Volkswagen ID. Buzz