San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
• Kia Carnival a luxurious hauler.
2022 Kia Carnival a luxurious hauler with SUV style
Spacious and flexible, approachable and safe — the minivan is a marvel of suburban utility. The problem is that most people don’t actually want to be seen driving one, so many shoppers skew toward cooler-looking SUVS. To combat this, the major players in the class have pushed minivan design in a direction that’s perhaps best described as “sci-fi bullet train,” with mixed results.
Kia’s solution to the problem of uncool perception is to dress its new 2022 Carnival “multipurpose vehicle” in SUV cosplay. The result is a minivan that boasts all of the advantages and amenities of its classmates while standing aesthetically apart with sport utility style.
The Carnival wears an upright, boxy design with a front end shaped more like Kia’s Telluride than the Sedona it replaces. Details like the L-shaped, chrome C-pillars break up the minivan’s profile and, along with the sculpted wheel arches and dark lower sills, help pull the eye upward to create the appearance of a taller, more rugged ride. At first glance, the Carnival looks almost exactly like a full-size SUV from most angles, but then you notice the reversed handles and tracks for the sliding doors, and suddenly the minivan-ness of the silhouette becomes apparent.
VIP seating
The Carnival’s power sliding doors open to reveal a spacious interior that’s available in seven- or eightpassenger configurations. The standard eight-seat setup features a 40/20/40split second-row bench with a center section that can fold over to create a table-like armrest for the outboard seats. The bench can also slide far enough forward to let front-seat passengers easily reach a car seat. The second row can also be completely removed when you need to access the Carnival’s maximum 145.1 cubic feet of cargo capacity.
Back-seat tech
The Carnival can be outfitted with a dual-screen rear-seat entertainment setup. Each features USB and HDMI inputs that can be shared with the other display. Each can connect to a phone or Wi-fi hot spot to power apps like Netflix or mirror a smartphone’s display. There’s also a colorful Kid Mode interface that serves up child-friendly content. Bluetooth connectivity allows users to listen using almost any headphones they already own, rather than relying on lowquality pack-ins.
An optional wide-angle Passenger Camera on the Carnival’s ceiling displays a bird’s-eye view of second and third rows on the multimedia screen, complete with night vision. This upgrade works well in tandem with the Passenger Talk feature that amplifies the driver’s voice over the Carnival’s speakers, so they don’t have to shout to speak to folks in the third row.
Front-seat tech
Up front, Kia’s latestgeneration UVO infotainment lives in the dashboard. An 8-inch display is standard, but EX, SX and SX Prestige models all upgrade to a 12.3-inch display. Either way, Android Auto and Apple Carplay connectivity are also standard with USB — but not wireless — connectivity. UVO packs its intuitive interface with unique features like voice memo recording, sounds of nature (like calm waves, a forest or a bustling cafe) and a quiet mode that limits media volume and disables the rear speakers — useful for when kids are dozing in the back.
The customizable star shortcut button on the dashboard — a small feature that you’ll find on Kia’s other UVO systems — is joined by a second customizable button on the steering wheel, allowing drivers to map features like the Passenger Camera or Passenger Talk to a single press.
LX, EX and SX trims all feature traditional physical gauges and a small 4.3-inch information display. The SX Prestige upgrades to a 12.3inch fully digital instrument cluster with four user-selectable themes, including a dynamic setting that changes along with the time of day. The digital cluster also integrates Kia’s Blind Spot View feature, displaying a camera feed of the adjacent lane when the corresponding turn signal is activated.
Drivewise safety suite
Kia’s Drivewise advanced driver-assistance system suite is standard on all Carnival models. That gets you front, rear and lane-change collision detection, forward automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lanekeeping assist, blind-spot monitoring and a rear camera. Drivewise also rolls in driver attention monitoring and a sonar-based rear occupant alert that prevents accidentally leaving a child or pet in the parked vehicle.
The EX trim adds park distance warnings, enhanced collision avoidance that can also detect cyclists, and Highway Driving Assistant, Kia’s umbrella technology that rolls in navigationbased adaptive cruise control that works in stop-andgo traffic and enhanced lane-keeping steering assist. Upgrading to SX brings a surround-view camera system online. Finally, the full-fat SX Prestige completes the safety suite with the aforementioned blindspot camera tech.
Performance and efficiency
The only powertrain offered in the 2022 Carnival is a 3.5-liter V6 paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Despite looking like an SUV, all-wheel drive is not an option. On the bright side, 290 horsepower imbues the Carny with pretty good hustle for a minivan, and the 262 pound-feet of torque is enough twist to tow up to a 3,500-pound trailer.
Handling is soft, but comfortable. The Carnival isn’t the most graceful dancer on a twisty road, but the minivan manages to stay off of its own toes well enough that it feels safe. The steering is responsive, but body roll and understeer are noticeable at speed.
The EPA estimates 19 miles per gallon city, 26 mpg highway or 22 mpg combined from the 2022 Carnival. That’s on par with other front-drive, V6-powered minivans in this class.
Pricing
The 2022 Kia Carnival starts at $33,275 (including its $1,175 destination charge) for the base LX model and tops out at $47,275 for the fully loaded SX Prestige. Add $200 for floor mats and $495 for the premium Astra Blue paint to reach an astested price of $47,970. eightpassenger SX model starts at $42,275.