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 try the 2025 Carnival MPV (multi-purpose car). Launched in 2022 with a gasoline engine, the 2025 Carnival now has a hybrid possibility for these looking for higher gas financial system and efficiency.
In a world the place SUVs and crossovers are the fashion, these in-the-know are in on the very best secret that’s proper in entrance of everybody—there is no such thing as a higher car in the marketplace that may transport up-to eight folks in consolation, comfort and magnificence.
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 check to comply with 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 automated transmission driving the entrance wheels. All-wheel drive shouldn’t be supplied. The bundle produces a mixed 242 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque.
The EPA charges the gas financial system at 34 mpg metropolis/31 freeway/33 mixed. When Clear Fleet Report has the Carnival Hybrid for per week or extra we are going to report real-world gas 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 gas 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 exhibits in its gas financial system (22 mpg—11 mpg lower than the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid).
Driving Expertise: On the Street
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 had been absorbed with none jolts, delivering an general secure and cozy journey. The electrical energy steering made turning simple 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 for the reason that 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 had been stable and per 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 correct paddle reduces it—at max regen the Carnival will gradual to virtually a full cease. Partaking the auto maintain change will hold the Carnival stationary till you press on the accelerator.
Freeway Driving Help 2 is a helpful function that may cut 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 palms 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 brand, 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 working lights and switch indicators share a stylized accent strip. The black-painted matte chrome grille has a collection of small, horizontal U-shaped rectangular blocks that type a slight concave form.
From the facet, the hood, home windows and roof make the Carnival look longer than it feels when driving. The Darkish Version we drove had darkened exterior parts on the roof rails, skid plates, C-Pillars, energy sliding facet doorways, energy tailgate, energy exterior facet mirror covers, entrance grille and wheels.
The rear incorporates 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 ingredient. A reflector strip separates the LED tail lights on the raise gate.
Inside: Area To Unfold-out
There are 4 completely 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 may be loads of room to unfold out and for storing cargo.
Because of sound deadening materials positioned between the cabin and engine, photo voltaic and acoustic glass on the windshield and facet 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 we now have seen in premium autos.
The supportive and cozy entrance seats had been heated and ventilated, with the motive 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 change for the motive 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 handbook tilt and telescoping steering column, and the motive force had no downside discovering a snug driving place.
Clear Fleet Report’s Carnival SX Status Darkish Version hybrid had eight leather-trimmed seats. The ability sliding doorways on either side present vast 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 below the ground, the cargo area is spectacular and beneficiant, for baggage and different cargo, together with having 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 facet window shades are good options. The panoramic energy sunroof opens above the second row. The twin display leisure system, positioned on the bottom of the entrance seats, is an possibility 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 simple to make use of and met Clear Fleet Report’s minimal requirement for being driver-friendly because it had channel and quantity knobs. Customary 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 digital camera. The Bose system consists of 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 features, labored properly by merely saying “Hey Kia!” Alternatively, there are controls on the steering wheel for the telephone, radio and navigation-based adaptive cruise management.
Including to the inside consolation and comfort had been wi-fi charging, push button begin, tri-zone automated 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 facet, driver knee and full-length facet 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 digital camera, with infrared night time illumination, so the entrance passengers can regulate these messing round within the again two rows. The discuss function permits conversations between entrance and rear passengers with out having to boost your voice. When activated any audio coming by way of the audio system is muted. Each options are simply accessed and operated by way 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 had been impressed. We mentioned: “The true 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 might 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 Might, director of brand name expertise, says the “Carnival Hybrid provides us one other powertrain for what customers have already mentioned they need. Plus the SUV styling with the inside area for households. We now give them a selection 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 in regards to the passenger and cargo area will start to erase the “by no means personal” stigma.
Brad Might went on to say: “If customers are taking a look at particular options and capabilities, they may take a look at different Kia autos. The Carnival shouldn’t be the Telluride, Sportage, or Sorrento, because it has a type issue the others don’t have. The significance of the Carnival to Kia is it isn’t just like the others. It suits a sure operate inside the line-up.”
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Story and pictures by John Faulkner.
