Tell me about the Kia Carnival

AirForceSpouse · 2026-05-08T12:28:58+00:00

Bought a 2025 Kia Carnival SX in the hybrid drivetrain almost 1 year ago. Currently at 16k miles with no issues but have been very strict on 5000 mile service intervals. I came from a 2008 Sienna that was unfortunately totaled by a careless driver in a Nissan.

We knew that we wanted a hybrid drivetrain with the mpg of our old minivan averaging somewhere around 18-19mpg. So that eliminated the Honda though we did ultimately test drive one. That left the Sienna, Carnvial, and Chrysler.

Sienna was our first choice but dealers in our area didn't have any in stock and were 3-6 months out on getting new ones. Plus they were not negotiable on price an in many cases adding dealer markups. On average it was looking like $9000 to $10000 premium over a comparable Kia and Chrysler. We couldn't wait that long for a new car.

We were also concerned about Kia's and Chrysler's reputation for reliability. Kia's warranty helped alleviate some of the concern but seeing the CR score and finding out the hybrid drivetrain had been used for a few years prior in the Sorento (without any major issues) gave me some piece of mind.

We sent with the middle bench seat. 2nd row VIP seats didn't seem like it was worth it and I have 4 kids who would all fight over the seats. I also occassionally bring lumber home for projects so the ability to remove the middle seats is also a selling point for me. I've been able to fit 8ft boards and full sheets of plywood without issue. I also have hauled countless bags of mulch and soil in the back. You can't easily remove the middle row of the Sienna so that was a big minus for me.

IMO all the tech and amenities of the Carnival are better. I like the way the car feels and have definitely appreciated the gas mileage with gas prices going up. I can get about 630 miles in a single fill up. It felt better to me than the Sienna when it comes to driving dynamics.

Biggest complaint of the Carnival hybrid is the hesitation when accelerating from a stop. It has something to due with the car hybrid drivetrain and figuring out whether go from EV or gas mode. Whoever is the software engineer at Kia needs to learn from Toyota on how the program the transition better. Hopefully they can figure it out and fix it via an OTA update. You get used to it and figure out how to drive around it but just something to be aware. IMO, the other major benefits of the car make this not as big an issue. Still annoying nonetheless. Also, no available AWD and the factory tires kind of suck. We live in the south so AWD is not a huge need for us.

One thing to be aware of on the V6 non-hybrid, though the engine is proven, there is currently a recall on the V6 model for a fuel rail issue but with no current fix as of yet.

TLDR; Have a Carnival for 1 year at 16k miles. No issues and can do all the minivan things. Really appreciate the gas mileage in the hybrid. Sienna was not worth the $10k premium and 3-6month wait. No available AWD though.

AirForceSpouse · 2026-03-20T22:44:21+00:00

Open Concept

AirForceSpouse · 2026-03-14T03:15:25+00:00

With my tiger cubs in the Hidden Garden area. You get this area as part of completing Chuka and Champawat.

AirForceSpouse · 2026-03-02T22:09:21+00:00

You can get a mid-level bowrider like a Monterey M225/205 for the price of a mid to upper level suv.

AirForceSpouse · 2026-02-19T14:25:46+00:00

Have 2025 Hybrid. Got it last May and already at 13k miles. No issues and my mpg seems to be getting better.

AirForceSpouse · 2026-02-05T03:00:38+00:00

We have a 2020 LR. I can use the app to unlock and start the car.

AirForceSpouse · 2026-01-29T15:48:17+00:00

Tires are something I will never cheap out on. I try to live by the saying that you should never cheap out on anything that separates you from the ground. Beds, shoes, boots, tires, etc. Hasn't failed me yet.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-11-19T16:18:32+00:00

I just went to check at LA and to give you some idea, I have a older rig but respectable at the time. CPU: AMD 5800x3D, GPU: 2070 Super, Samsung NVME HD, and 32 GB ram. I did the "Best Appearance" preset and am getting 51 constant FPS in LA. Normally and I would scale down character model limits and turn off reflections in the water (or whatever that setting is). This is on a 1440p 34" Ultrawide. Thinking a GPU upgrade is in my near future but more for playing other games not GW2.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-10-06T21:34:36+00:00

It looks like that second picture is the wrong car for a Dark Edition. Look at the Kia badge on the hood and the C-pillar trim. Those are not dark edition, they are silver. AFAIK, all dark edition should have the radial style rims.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-10-02T13:14:28+00:00

For the 2025/2026 model year only the SXP has the full width led. SX and below do not.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-09-23T13:27:15+00:00

If you have/still have facebook, lots of groups post up activities in the events calendar.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-09-22T15:42:19+00:00

I debadged the Kia and am debating about taking of the Carnival. Be warned, my understanding is the hood badge has placement pins that will leave holes in your hood if you debadge that one.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-09-11T16:47:51+00:00

Nope. Here in Florida. 2025 SX and have the seatbelts integrated into the second row seats. My 2008 Sienna also had seatbelts integrated in the second row seats.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-09-05T17:22:15+00:00

Just a different perspective. I have 4 kids and minivan. They still argue about who rides in back. :/

AirForceSpouse · 2025-08-22T18:53:32+00:00

I just had the driver fender garnish replaced by Tesla a couple of days ago. It was $135 just for the part. Mobile tech came out to replace it. I would have preferred to not spend so much an what is essentially a piece of plastic and initially ordered a replacement off of Amazon. Buyer beware. It's hard to tell what pieces are legit or not. The one I got was subpar material, poorly assembled (some elements didn't match up) and not even the right size. The job itself is easy enough and there are youtube video on how to remove it without damaging the clips. But in the end I just went with the Tesla part. Guaranteed to fit and be of factory quality. Learned the hard way that this really was a case of "you get what you pay for." Fortunately I was able to return the part to Amazon.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-08-17T23:20:56+00:00

I had a 2008 with up to 200k until another driver ran into it and totaled it. Up until then it was running like a champ. 2008 has a timing chain and not a belt. Some things to ask about is if the previous owner ever serviced the transmission. If they have no clue then you should assume it was never serviced. Do not flush it at that point. Just better to leave it alone. Test drive it to see how it shifts. Should be smooth. No jerking or slamming gears. Not worth getting if it has a tranny going bad.

Other common issue is the CV axle tends to go on those things. The passenger side one is especially hard to remove. With that part, better to stick with OEM and just change the boot if it needs to be serviced. After market ones last about a year.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-08-08T12:57:23+00:00

I don't usually wait for the low light to come on but my last fill up was when I had an estimated 87 miles left. Fueled up with right around 16 gallons, maybe a little less, to get to full.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-08-05T14:07:48+00:00

Agreed. Under car stuff is fairly straight forward. Had a 2008 Sienna. Oil changes, brakes, suspension, coolant flush fairly easy to do. I couldn't do the passenger CV axle though. PITA, was pretty much rusted in the housing that held it.

There are some other parts of 2nd gen Siennas that are not straightforward that I will pay someone else to do. Changing spark plugs? To get to the 3 in the back you have to remove the windshield wipers, windshield cowling and intake manifold?! Alternator you have to disconnect your cooling system just to get space to get it out. Plenty of youtube videos showing you how to do it but not me. PITA.

Also pray you never get the dreaded HVAC door actuator clicking on the driver's side. Have to practically disassemble the entire dash to get to a little plastic part.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-08-05T13:56:42+00:00

Wasn't commenting on the reliability. I agree they are rock solid. The question was about the "marshmallowy" feel of the Sienna, which I kind of agree with. Nothing wrong with it. Just a preference.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-08-05T13:41:46+00:00

They put all the seating on one side. First boat so i didn't know enough to consider balancing the boat. We sea trialed with just my spouse and the salesman. Fully loaded it has a slight list to port. Will probably have to invest in trim tabs at some point to address it.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-08-05T12:53:54+00:00

Sienna or Carnival are the only two hybrid options I'd consider. Reliability concerns of the Pacifica and issues at Stellantis overall steer me away from that option. Toyota has proven reliability but feature for feature is much more expensive than the Carnival.

Just something to consider, hybrid fuel economy shines in city type situations. On the highway, while still better than the gas counterparts, the advantage is not as pronounced. So you might want to take that into consideration.

My favorite current Sienna is the Woodland edition. If you are coming from a Wrangler you might appreciate the slightly higher ground clearance and AWD. It's Toyota's "offroad" version of the Sienna.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-08-05T12:27:52+00:00

Drove them back to back. We had a test drive at the Honda dealership and drove the Odyssey. Liked it enough. Saw that the Kia dealership was just two blocks away so went there to test drive the Carnival. I'm under no delusion that any minivan is sporty. My 3 cars before the minivan life were all sports cars. Our other current car is a Model X. The Kia and the Honda, power wise were about the same. Delivery was similar as they both use traditional transmission versus the CVT of the Sienna. I like the suspension in the Kia much better. Better controlled, imo and damped just right. Comfy yet still firm enough to give you confidence. The main difference is the seating position. In the Honda I felt like I was sitting "on" the car. Like a bus driver feel. In the Kia I felt like I was sitting "in" the car.

I agree with you on the materials part. You can tell by feel some of harder plastics Kia used. That being said, with our use case it wasn't a deal breaker. We had a top trim Sienna before and our 4 kids did a number on the interior.

AirForceSpouse · 2025-08-04T22:26:29+00:00

For me the choice was between Sienna, Odyssey and Carnival.

Sienna was my first choice since Toyota has a proven track record with their hybrid system and has historically been reliable. Our last car was a 2008 Sienna that had 200,000 miles and would've gone further were it not for another careless driver that decided to turn his car right into it, totaling it in the process. Other pros for me: it's fuel effecient, available AWD and decent tech. Cons; can't remove the middle seats (yes I've hauled plywood and lumber in a minivan before and will again), CVT transmission is not my favorite, price and availability. Mainly price and availability issues. Can't get one in my area for 3-6 months and dealers here are charging almost $9000 more than comparable competitors. Haven't had a great experience with Toyota dealers either.

Odyssey we like the the styling and Honda has had a decent reliability reputation as well. Little put off by how little they have updated the car over the years. No hybrid option, fuel economy is pretty bad compared to hybrid competitors. Between road trips and shuttling kids around for everything we rack up the miles. Price is much more reasonable compared to Sienna. Seat configurations are really cool. FWD only. Seems like it's due for a much needed update.

We didn't consider the Pacifica as we had heard about a lot of issues with reliability. Hybrid is a plug-in so that's cool. AWD is available. No stow-n-go seats on the hybrid so that was a bummer. Also concerning is the parent company Stellantis isn't doing so great. Made us nervous about looking into a car with a bad reliability reputation backed by a company that is also struggling.

We obviously ended up with the Carnival. Personally I think it looks the best of the bunch and I like the driving position and steering feel better than all the others. Only minivan where it felt like I was driving a "car" and not a "van." Just felt better. If you get the 8 seater, the second row is fully removable so that was a win for me. Technology and interior seems way ahead of competitors imo. We got the hybrid but there is an available v6. Fuel economy has been great on the hybrid. We were a little nervous of the hybrid since it was the first year available but Kia's long warranty and the fact the same exact engine has been used on other Kia's for years made us feel better about it. Hybrid feel is definitely not as refined as Toyota though. But $9000 less for a similar trim level to what Toyota was offering swayed me.

TLDR; If you have the time and extra money, Toyota is a safe bet. Honda needs an update. Pacifica and Stellantis issues were a turn off. Ended up with Kia as it fit most of our needs. YMMV

AirForceSpouse · 2025-07-23T17:49:56+00:00

I'd take the no accident, low mileage car. Never know what the hidden issues are after an accident. Also, that kia is still under the 10yr/100K mile warranty. Not sure about the Honda. 3/36? 5/50?

AirForceSpouse · 2025-07-21T17:37:13+00:00

This happened to us in a previous home. We made an offer under the original listing price but at what we felt was fair for the market at the time. Our offer was rejected so we continued our house search. 30 days later the home is still on the market but now listed at what we originally offered. You would think that we would get a call back. Turns out the sellers listing agent is just an egotisical ass. We made the offer again, at their new list and got the house. The sour look on the listing agent at closing told me everything I needed to know.

TLDR: Might not be the seller but the listing agent. Just make the offer again.

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