2022 Kia Carnival

For three generations, the Kia minivan—formerly known as the Sedona—was something of an also-ran in the competitive category, trailing industry leaders like the Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Pacifica, often landing in the last place in the annual sales roundups. Not that minivans are having a heyday. Sales in the category are in a deep slide—off by more than 50% in the past ten years—as consumers migrate away from the practical family haulers and into SUVs. 

As a means of stanching the bleeding, Kia has completely revamped their offering and even given it a new name, the Carnival. While that name seems a bit too festive and risks triggering unpleasant flashbacks involving scary clowns, the new Kia does manage to add some joy and interest to an already highly innovative category. 

The most significant change is in the exterior styling. In a move cribbed from decoy camouflage in the animal kingdom, the Carnival has been overhauled to more closely resemble the carnivorous predator that is consuming its market share: the SUV. The overall effect is at once convincing and a bit uncanny, not unlike a similar tactic General Motors took with its slow-selling minivans in the mid-2000s. It did not work back then. But times are different now, more disambiguated. And the idea of an SUV with minivan hallmarks—dual sliding rear doors, readily collapsible and/or disappearing rows of seats, Orwellian passenger monitoring features—seems like a potential category-killing winner. (Or a platypussian amalgam of disparate elements.)

The Carnival is available in a dizzying array of trim levels. The most basic is the LX ($32,100), which, while at the bottom of the model pyramid, doesn’t skimp on the necessities like seven USB ports, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, rear a/c, and a suite of safety features. The LX Seat Package ($34,100) adds 10-way power adjustment for the driver’s seat, heating for both front seats, and leather wrapping on the steering wheel and shift knob. It’s only available with the 9-passenger seating package (2-3-3).

Stepping up from there to the EX ($37,600) garners a power tailgate and machine-finished 19-inch wheels. Interior and tech upgrades include the larger 12.3-inch touch screen infotainment system, an upgraded stereo, navigation, a three-zone HVAC system, some fancier trim, and upgraded driver assistance features like forward collision avoidance/assist, smart cruise control, and highway driving assistance. 

The SX ($41,100) adds chrome trim to the front grille, bumper, skid plates, lower doors, c-pillar, and tailgate, as well as glossy black 19” wheels. It also brings a rear-seat entertainment system (though everyone in the rear seats probably has one in their pocket or on their lap already) along with two more USB ports and a pair of 115V power inverters, so everyone on board will be more amped up than if they guzzled a gallon of Monster. The passenger seat gets its own 8-way power adjustment, and both front chairs receive ventilation. Safety equipment upgrades include a camera system that shows a 360-degree view of the car when parking or in traffic, and a parking collision avoidance system.

Finally, the top-of-the-line SX Prestige ($46,100) adds full LED headlamps and interior lights, an upgraded 12-speaker Bose stereo, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, embossed and perforated leather seats, headrests and footrests for the second-row captain’s chairs, a heated steering wheel, and a blind-spot view camera that projects a view of the blind spot onto the digital dashboard. It also includes the most innovative item available on the Carnival, an additional, second-row sunroof that actually opens, allowing fresh air to vent where it needed most: above the kids and pets.

The Carnival’s new styling makes it a standout compared with competitors like the Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Pacifica, and even against the newly sportified (if a bit carbuncular) Toyota Sienna. But it also feels a bit taller and harder to get into or out of than those rivals.

Moreover, the Carnival does not offer a hybrid option like the Pacifica or the Sienna (the Sienna only offers a hybrid here in the States.) Neither does it offer an all-wheel-drive option like these two competitors. The Odyssey is generally a top-ranked choice in the category, and it does not provide either of these choices, but the Carnival’s new SUV-like styling implies that an AWD option should be available. Perhaps that is being reserved for a future model, but not offering it at launch seems like a mistake. 

The Carnival also comes up a bit short in its folding second and third rows compared to the class-leading Pacifica. The second row doesn’t store flat in the floor and must be removed for fully flat load capabilities. In fact, the special reclining captain’s chairs on the SX Prestige are not even removable.