Goodbye to the Minivan: Good day to the MPV
For all these “I’ll by no means personal a minivan” folks, Kia needs them to check out the 2025 Carnival MPV (multi-purpose car). Launched in 2022 with a gasoline engine, the 2025 Carnival now has a hybrid choice for these searching for higher gasoline financial system and efficiency.
In a world the place SUVs and crossovers are the trend, these in-the-know are in on the most effective secret that’s proper in entrance of everybody—there isn’t any higher car in the marketplace that may transport up-to eight folks in consolation, comfort and elegance.
Kia invited the worldwide media to San Diego, California, final week to drive the up to date 2025 Carnival SX Hybrid Status Darkish Version. This Flash Drive will hit the excessive factors with a extra detailed highway take a look at to observe within the coming months.
Drivetrain
Clear Fleet Report drove the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid SX Status with a 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline engine mated to a 54 kW electrical motor and 6-speed computerized transmission driving the entrance wheels. All-wheel drive isn’t provided. The bundle produces a mixed 242 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque.
The EPA charges the gasoline financial system at 34 mpg metropolis/31 freeway/33 mixed. When Clear Fleet Report has the Carnival Hybrid for every week or extra we’ll report real-world gasoline financial system driving a number of a whole lot of miles. Till then, these are spectacular numbers for a car weighing 4,967 kilos that may seat up-to eight folks.
The Carnival hybrid has a mixed gasoline financial system (33 mpg) on par with the Chrysler Pacifica (32 mpg) and Toyota Sienna (36 mpg), that are each hybrids. The Honda Odyssey is the one minivan that doesn’t provide a hybrid, which reveals in its gasoline financial system (22 mpg—11 mpg lower than the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid).
Driving Expertise: On the Highway
The Carnival’s 6.8-inch floor clearance, together with the Continental CrossContact 235/55 all-season touring tires on Darkish Version 19-inch machine-finished black alloy wheels, helps it deal with as properly or higher than a full-size SUV. At freeway speeds highway imperfections have been absorbed with none jolts, delivering an total secure and comfy experience. The electrical energy steering made turning straightforward and contributed to the Carnival not driving as giant as it’s.
When cornering, there was little physique roll or side-to-side shifting, however because the Carnival isn’t marketed as being sporty, why would you aggressively assault twisties within the first place? The Carnival Hybrid has a most tow score of two,500 kilos when outfitted with the tow brake bundle.
Stops have been stable and in step with a power-assisted braking system consisting of vented entrance and stable rear discs, as a part of the anti-lock brake system with electrical stability management.
The Carnival is considered one of only some hybrids with driver adjustable brake regeneration the place kinetic power is transformed into electrical energy when slowing or coasting after which returned to the battery. Managed by steering wheel paddles—three clicks on the left paddle will increase the regen, three on the fitting paddle reduces it—at max regen the Carnival will sluggish to virtually a full cease. Participating the auto maintain swap will hold the Carnival stationary till you press on the accelerator.
Freeway Driving Help 2 is a useful characteristic that may scale back fatigue on lengthy highway journeys. After setting the adaptive cruise management, velocity restrict, and distance to the car forward, a inexperienced steering wheel icon will seem on the instrument panel indicating fingers will be faraway from the wheel. The system makes use of cameras and GPS to remain between the lane traces, even when taking sweeping activates the freeway. It has the flexibility to vary lanes hands-free.
Exterior Styling: SUV or Minivan?
Calling it a MPV is tipoff to the Carnival design. It’s distinctive, inflicting a double-take—Is it an SUV or a minivan? Kia has been artful by incorporating conventional SUV and minivan design cues that lead to an interesting look.
The lengthy hood, with the stylized KIA emblem, is fronted by a large grille framed by distinctive vertical projector LED headlamps. Fog lights lie within the outer edges of the decrease fascia, and the daytime operating lights and switch alerts share a stylized accent strip. The black-painted matte chrome grille has a collection of small, horizontal U-shaped rectangular blocks that kind a slight concave form.
From the aspect, the hood, home windows and roof make the Carnival look longer than it feels when driving. The Darkish Version we drove had darkened exterior components on the roof rails, skid plates, C-Pillars, energy sliding aspect doorways, energy tailgate, energy exterior aspect mirror covers, entrance grille and wheels.
The rear contains a hands-free energy raise gate with an built-in spoiler and a hidden rear window wiper. The decrease fascia has a skid plate-like design component. A reflector strip separates the LED tail lights on the raise gate.
Inside: House To Unfold-out
There are 4 totally different Carnival trim ranges—LXS, EX, SX and SX Status—the final being what Clear Fleet Report drove on the media launch program in San Diego. With seating for seven or eight, there’s loads of room to unfold out and for storing cargo.
Due to sound deadening materials positioned between the cabin and engine, photo voltaic and acoustic glass on the windshield and aspect home windows, and the carpeted flooring mats, the cabin within the Carnival was pleasantly quiet. The match and end of the Carnival’s cabin rivals what now we have seen in premium autos.
The supportive and comfy entrance seats have been heated and ventilated, with the driving force having
8-way energy changes, together with lumbar and reminiscence. The entrance passenger will get 8-way energy changes, however no reminiscence or lumbar. There may be even a swap for the driving force to energy regulate the entrance passenger seat to permit for entry to the second and third rows.
Mix the a number of seat changes with the guide tilt and telescoping steering column, and the driving force had no drawback discovering a snug driving place.
Clear Fleet Report’s Carnival SX Status Darkish Version hybrid had eight leather-trimmed seats. The facility sliding doorways on both sides present extensive entry to the second and third rows. The sliding second row seats recline and are detachable, a three-part system that, when the second row heart seat is folded, has a desk with a tray space, and cup holders. When the second row is eliminated, and the third row seats are tucked properly beneath the ground, the cargo house is spectacular and beneficiant, for baggage and different cargo, together with with the ability to accommodate a 4×8 piece of plywood.
The Carnival has second and third row USB ports, a second row AC 115V plug outlet and a 12V accent plug. Cup holders, a fold-down heart armrest, adjustable local weather controls and air vents and aspect window shades are good options. The panoramic energy sunroof opens above the second row. The twin display leisure system, situated on the bottom of the entrance seats, is an choice on the SX and SX Status trims.
Connections, Sounds and Tunes
The inside solitude made for fantastic listening to the Bose 12-speaker audio system. It was straightforward to make use of and met Clear Fleet Report’s minimal requirement for being driver-friendly because it had channel and quantity knobs. Normal on all 4 trims are the curved, panoramic twin 12.3-inch coloration shows, one for the digital instrument cluster and the opposite for the sound system, navigation and a multi-view digicam. The Bose system contains AM/FM HD radio, SiriusXM, wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with Bluetooth streaming audio and USB ports.
The voice recognition, for hands-free phone dialing and different car capabilities, labored properly by merely saying “Hey Kia!” Alternatively, there are controls on the steering wheel for the cellphone, radio and navigation-based adaptive cruise management.
Including to the inside consolation and comfort have been wi-fi charging, push button begin, tri-zone computerized local weather management, energy home windows with one-touch up/down, energy door locks, energy heated exterior mirrors with flip indicators, Wi-Fi and a rearview mirror with Homelink.
Security and Comfort
Know-how abounds because the 2025 Carnival comes with entrance, entrance seat-mounted, first row aspect, driver knee and full-length aspect curtain air luggage. The superior driver help programs (ADAS) embody ahead collision warning and avoidance, lane departure and driver consideration warning, lane hold help, blind spot collision avoidance, rear cross site visitors collision and parking distance warning, and pedestrian ahead collision avoidance.
The Carnival has Passenger View and Passenger Speak, which incorporates an inside rear dealing with digicam, with infrared night time illumination, so the entrance passengers can keep watch over these messing round within the again two rows. The discuss characteristic permits conversations between entrance and rear passengers with out having to boost your voice. When activated any audio coming by means of the audio system is muted. Each options are simply accessed and operated by means of the contact display.
Pricing
The 2025 Carnival base costs are earlier than choices, however embody the $1,395 vacation spot cost.
LXS $41,895
EX $44,700
SX $48,995
SX Status $53,995
Observations: 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid
Kia says the 2025 Carnival Hybrid is “An MPV that pushes the boundaries.” When Clear Fleet Report reviewed the 2022 Carnival, its first 12 months, we have been impressed. We mentioned: “The actual world usability and practicability of the Carnival is what makes it a should store.” The 2025 Carnival, with the all-new hybrid, reinforces our earlier ideas.
The clear, class-bending styling, with a snug inside and handy and fascinating seating and storage flexibility, is what anybody may hope for from a minivan that isn’t a minivan. The urge to purchase a big SUV shall be tempered only a bit. Perhaps quite a bit.
Brad Could, director of name expertise, says the “Carnival Hybrid offers us one other powertrain for what customers have already mentioned they need. Plus the SUV styling with the inside house for households. We now give them a alternative of an ICE (inside combustion engine) or hybrid model.”
The folks saying “I’ll by no means personal a minivan!” are inspired to randomly walk-up on the mall or DIY heart, to speak with a Carnival proprietor and ask about their expertise. Their enthusiasm concerning the passenger and cargo house will start to erase the “by no means personal” stigma.
Brad Could went on to say: “If customers are particular options and capabilities, they are going to have a look at different Kia autos. The Carnival isn’t the Telluride, Sportage, or Sorrento, because it has a kind issue the others don’t have. The significance of the Carnival to Kia is it isn’t just like the others. It matches a sure perform throughout the line-up.”
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Story and images by John Faulkner.
