Car Guide Winner: 1st Place Minivan

2022 Kia Carnival SX
Vehicle Type: Minivan Gasoline
90
overall score
Category Ranking: 1
Vehicle Price
Base Price:
$41,100
Price as Tested:
$42,770
Fuel Information
Fuel Type: Regular
Fuel Capacity (gal): 19
EPA City mpg: 19
EPA Highway mpg: 26
EPA Combined mpg: 22

with specific headlights built after March 2021
Advanced Safety Features
- Adaptive Cruise Control [S]
- Advanced Headlights [S]
- Automatic Emergency Braking [S]
- Blind-Spot Warning [S]
- Driver Monitoring [S]
- Forward-Collision Warning [S]
- Lane-Departure Warning [S]
- Lane-Keeping Assistance [S]
- Rear Cross-Traffic Warning [S]
- Reverse Automatic Emergency Braking [O]
- [S] Standard, [O] Optional
Overall Observations
In 2022, Kia replaced its venerable Sedona minivan with
a new model, the Carnival. With handsome SUV-like
styling, a roomy, minivan-esque interior, and a pair of sliding side
doors for easy access, the Carnival does a nice job of straddling the
line between the 2 divergent body styles.
The Carnival’s comfortable cabin seats up to 8 passengers and
can haul nearly 87 cubic feet of cargo behind the second row.
As with all Kia models, there’s a long list of standard features and
available niceties, including, on our test vehicle, 3-zone automatic
climate control, heated and ventilated front seats, and a rear-seat
entertainment system.
Under the hood, the Carnival gets a strong V6 engine (versus
the trend toward turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engines by many
automakers). Fuel-economy numbers are just so-so, and there’s a bit
of throttle lag, but this powertrain has the muscle to tow trailers up
to 3,500 pounds.
On the road, the Carnival’s ride quality is a bit bumpy over bad
pavement, and steering feedback and braking effort feel less than
responsive. Nonetheless, a suite of standard advanced safety
features and a 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty
make the Carnival a strong value proposition.
Want to buy this car?
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strong Points
- • Attractive exterior and interior styling
- • Good value
- • Plenty of room for passengers and cargo
- • LED headlights with auto high beams
Weak Points
- • Cheap interior fit and finish
- • Subpar fuel economy
- • Rough ride quality
- • Infotainment system touch controls are hard to use
Vehicle Specifications
Model year tested: 2022
Number of passengers (F/R): 2/6
Curb weight (lbs): 4680.0
Exterior L / W / H (in): 203.0 / 78.5 / 69.9
Wheelbase (in): 121.7
Number of air bags: 8
Warranty (months/miles): 60/60,000
Tire manufacturer and model: Continental CrossContact RX
Front and rear tire size: 235/55 R19
Max towing capacity (lbs): 3,500
Headlight type: LED
Transmission type: Auto 8-speed
Drivetrain type: Front wheel
Engine/motor: 3.5L V6 GDI
Engine horsepower @ RPM: 290 @ 6,400
Test Data
Test Vehicle Scores
Advanced Safety Features:
9.70Fuel Efficiency:
4.59EPA Emissions Score:
5.00Acceleration:
3.50Braking:
7.01
Handling:
6.32
Quality and Drivability:
6.66
Ride Quality:
7.21Interior Size:
6.11Easy of Entry and Exit:
8.23Visibility:
7.99Interior Noise:
7.73Cargo Capacity:
9.93
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