Out with the old in with the new Kia Carnival
If you liked the Kia Sedona, you’ll love the Carnival. There are so many nicely appropriated upscale replacements on the Carnival.
The 2022 Kia Carnival SX is equipped with a 3.5-liter V-6 engine with direct injection V6, creating 290 horsepower, and is capable of 3,500 lbs. of towing. The engine is matched with an 8-speed automatic. The engine is smooth and quiet, and well suited to the vehicle’s power to weight ratio. Keith Turner points out in his video that you also get best in class passenger and cargo space.
The 2022 Carnival comes in four trim levels: LX, EX, SX, and SX-Prestige. I drove the SX-Prestige with the exterior color of Astra blue ($495) and the interior color called Tuscan umber.
Fold-flat seats are in the third row, but the VIP seating with reclining seats in the second row really stands out as my favorite. Both seats in the second row have their own screens so that each person can watch a different show or play a game.
Interacting with people in the MPV is as important to Kia as anyone who buys the Carnival. You can zoom in to see the person you are talking to and use passenger talk to talk to a specific person.
What is the difference between MPV and SUV?
Is there a difference between a multi-purpose vehicle or a sport utility vehicle? No, but manufacturers like to have different names to set themselves apart. BMW calls their SUV a Sport Activity Vehicle (SAV). An MPV can include minivans, vans, ATVs, SUVs, RVs, campers, and pickup trucks. The Carnival is a minivan. The minivan gets good gas mileage and is easy to drive no matter what you call it. I like the functionality of a minivan, so I appreciate the Carnival with all its functionality.
Safety
Kia is showing off some of its best Advanced Driver Assistance technology in the Carnival. It’s hard to understand just how important these safety devices are unless you don’t have them. My girlfriend had a deer run into her car and total it. Her new car now includes heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and all the bells and whistles of safety offered.
The Safety of Advanced Driver Assistance
Some of the standard Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features include:
Forward Collision-Avoidance – It will assist when you are braking
Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA) – still my favorite technology. No more wrenching your neck to see if there is someone in the lane next to you when you’re trying to change lanes. The best feature is the camera that comes on when you put your blinker on that will show you what is in the other lane. More manufacturers are using this technology, and I think it is brilliant. The camera in the instrument panel is right up there with heated seats and a heated steering wheel. I wouldn’t buy a vehicle without these three items that are optional on some cars.
Rear-Cross Traffic Collision Avoidance (RCTA) – If you put your car in reverse and a system alert starts beeping, pay attention. Someone is behind you.
Lane Keeping Assist (LKA) & Lane Following Assist (LFA) – Anyone who has LFA knows it when they have looked away from the road and get close to the lanes. The car starts to pull back. This won’t happen if you put your blinker on first, which is helping people use their blinkers more often.
This multi-purpose vehicle is a hauler. It is meant to haul people and things. The fuel economy is still a decent 19 miles in the city, 26 on the highway, and 22 miles to the gallon combined.
The Carnival was designed at Kia’s studio in California, which is also the birthplace of the award-winning Telluride and all-new 2021 Sorento SUVs. This new MPV is slated to go on sale in the second quarter of 2022.
How much is the Kia Carnival 2022?
2022 Kia Carnival MPV Pricing and trim levels
2022 Kia Carnival LX
$32,100
2022 Kia Carnival LX w/Seating Package
$34,100
2022 Kia Carnival EX
$37,600
2022 Kia Carnival SX
$41,100
2022 Kia Carnival SX Prestige
$46,100
Prices do not include destination charges of $1,175.
The 2022 Kia Carnival SX Prestige I drove started at $46,100. Add in $495 for the Astra Blue paint and $1175 for destination and handling, and the total MSRP is $47,770.
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