Refreshing: Kia Carnival Hybrid SX Prestige
It looks like a large three-row SUV, a sophisticated one at that, but the Carnival SX Prestige is really a minivan; note the sliding rear doors. All-wheel drive is not available, but for 2025 hybrid gas-electric drive is, and it greatly improves the Carnival’s fuel efficiency. Other changes to the refreshed Gen-2 Carnival include styling tweaks to the grille, lights and wheels. This color is Ceramic Silver. 
With seemingly acres of glass on three sides and above, the Carnival’s front office is a pleasant place to inhabit. No wonky controls, either—everything is where it should be and there are knobs and toggles for the most commonly used functions. One question: Where’s the on-off switch for the radio? 
Big outside, big inside, and attractively made and finished. But it’s no echo chamber—road noise is minimal. These are the available reclining second-row VIP seats that convert the Carnival from a family car to a company car.
It looks like a large three-row SUV, a sophisticated one at that, but the Carnival SX Prestige is really a minivan; note the sliding rear doors. All-wheel drive is not available, but for 2025 hybrid gas-electric drive is, and it greatly improves the Carnival’s fuel efficiency. Other changes to the refreshed Gen-2 Carnival include styling tweaks to the grille, lights and wheels. This color is Ceramic Silver.
With seemingly acres of glass on three sides and above, the Carnival’s front office is a pleasant place to inhabit. No wonky controls, either—everything is where it should be and there are knobs and toggles for the most commonly used functions. One question: Where’s the on-off switch for the radio?
Big outside, big inside, and attractively made and finished. But it’s no echo chamber—road noise is minimal. These are the available reclining second-row VIP seats that convert the Carnival from a family car to a company car. Car and Driver Magazine once reported that, depending on their size, flexibility and “general survivability,” between 14 and 21 circus clowns could fit into the average carnival clown car. We guesstimate that something like, oh, 50 to 65 clowns should be able to fold themselves into the Kia Carnival—that’s how spacious it seems.
Our clowns could then pop out again easily too, thanks to the large, optional electrically powered dual sunroofs overhead and the standard barn-size sliding rear doors, also electrically powered, on each flank of the Carnival. These doors give away the vehicle’s true identity: Its SUV-like silhouette notwithstanding, this is a minivan, although one without the socio-cultural handicaps of that unfairly maligned family appliance.
Also unlike a three-row SUV, the Carnival offers no extra ground clearance and it’s front-wheel-drive only; AWD is not available on any of its nine trim levels. Nine trim levels? Well, five of those are for the gas-powered Carnival and four of them are for our sample vehicle, the new-for-2025 gas-electric hybrid Carnival.
Instead of the gas-only Carnival’s thirsty V-6, this one is powered by a teeny-weeny 1.6-litre turbo Four paired with an electric motor; together they’re rated for 242 horsepower. Somewhat unusually, this is less than the gas-only Carnival’s 287 horsepower, but thanks probably to the electric motor’s extra torque, both models reach 60 MPH at the same brisk pace.
Furthermore, in mostly highway driving, our hybrid averaged nearly 32 miles per gallon, significantly more than a gas-only Carnival, and it behaved well—responsive to the throttle, quiet and always poised and polished under way. There’s none of the creaking or flexing one half-expects in such a long box. (“Long” is relative; at 203 inches, the ’25 Carnival is still nearly two feet shorter than a GMC Suburban.) The transmission is a 6-speed automatic and different levels of regenerative braking are available, which offer some degree of one-pedal driving.
Today, any vehicle intended for young families has to be, like, totally digital and our Carnival is all of that. As for Baby Boomer me, I like to connect my iPhone to the car (via Bluetooth, of course—no wires) and rely on Apple CarPlay for navigation, texts and phone calls shown on the Carnival’s crisp, large screen. Of course the Carnival, particularly this loaded $55,000 Prestige version with separate networks for front and rear passengers and power ports galore, will do much more than that. Also, voice-activated assistant “Kia” is standing by for such chores as opening or closing the windows and adjusting the temperature.
The Carnival wouldn’t be a leading-edge Kia without an enhanced suite of driver-assistance safety features, but so far the only one I’ve used is the camera that shows the adjacent roadway when I flick on the signal for a lane change. That’s comforting. With only two of us at home, I haven’t made use of the second-row Child-Minding seat, either, or the available reclining VIP rear seats, but I know they’re available.
Non-hybrid 2025 Carnival list prices start at $37,895 for the entry-level LX model and build up to $51,995, with more trimmings than a Thanksgiving turkey, for the Prestige. The hybrid Carnival starts at $41,895 for the LXS and tops out at $53,995 for the SX Prestige, with a few more options available that can push the price north of $56K. Like virtually every new Kia, the Carnival feels like a breath of fresh air.
Next week: Genesis GV80 Coupe
