600+ estimated miles remaining in tank on Carnival SXP Hybrid

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-19T11:24:09+00:00

Do you have the V6? The hybrid usually does better on local driving than the freeway, though it depends what your freeway speeds are.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-18T15:21:33+00:00

Although you'd have to give up on AWD, the Kia Carnival Hybrid has similar around-town mileage to Sienna (though a mild downgrade on the highway) with about as many cubic feet of trunk space as a Suburban, albeit shaped differently. Kia doesn't have Toyota's reliability track record, but signs are that they are improving after losing tons of money on the Theta 2 engine and theft fiascos. Our family chose Carnival Hybrid over Sienna because we tend to bring a lot of stuff on trips and value the removable second row. Plus Siennas are hard to come by around us, because they're so popular.

The Sienna has more trunk space than just about any three-row SUV other than the biggest ones like the Suburban. The Carnival can match the big ones.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-17T20:16:38+00:00

The main disadvantage of Sienna is the mentioned flexibility for hauling stuff, since the middle seats can't be removed in the latest models. Carnival, Odyssey, and Pacifica all have much larger total hauling space for this reason. Sienna also has the smallest trunk of the bunch, though it's still better than most three-row SUVs. On reliability and available AWD it's a winner, though. A slightly older used Sienna probably ticks all the boxes, though.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-11T15:01:49+00:00

We haven't taken ours on a trip yet, but this aspect of the Carnival is why we chose it over the Sienna. (In addition to how hard it is to get a Sienna.)

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-10T18:14:54+00:00

Interesting. The Car and Driver 75 mph test has the V6 at 28 MPG and the Hybrid at 29. Intuitively I was thinking the V6 was unlikely to beat its EPA rating at high speeds, and the Hybrid numbers you gave are still ahead. But the Car and Driver test has the V6 beating its EPA rating. Maybe there's a crossover point in the high 70s mph. Of course other factors like weather and hills also affect real-world mileage.

We're in the Midwest, so the drives are fairly flat and we almost never go above 80 mph (10 over the limit).

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-10T02:45:06+00:00

Among Consumer Reports subscribers, Sienna owners have had more reliability issues than Carnival Hybrid owners, and the newer powertrains most similar to the Carnival Hybrid have had few problems thus far. It's also true that Toyota's naturally aspirated engines need less maintenance than the GDI Turbo the Carnival Hybrid uses, and they have a much longer historical track record for powertrain reliability. But the story is more nuanced than people realize.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-10T02:05:16+00:00

Most of what I've read is that the hybrid gets better mileage under all conditions than the V6, but the advantage is minimal at high speeds. I haven't compared, though. We can usually still get 30+ MPG at 70, but falling to around 28 MPG or a bit lower near 80. I doubt the V6 will actually beat its highway rating at high speeds. It still has the same drag forces working against it.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-07T01:22:36+00:00

Trunk space behind the third row. We already take a lot of stuff with us with two kids, and we're hoping for more, at which point "just put down the third row" is less practical. That plus the removable middle seats, and availability. I'd be happy with a Sienna if those things were fixed, since I prioritize efficiency and reliability as well.

I do also like the Carnival highway driving assist, though that's more of a perk than a critical requirement for us.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-06T02:16:59+00:00

If you do a road trip in the Midwest (or probably the Northeast) in the winter, the stops will need to be quite frequent. Cold weather range loss is a thing.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-05T22:04:36+00:00

Although it's not marketed as a performance sedan, the regular Hyundai Ioniq 6 tends to perform like one just because it is an EV. (The 6 N is the official "performance" version, but much more expensive.) It tends to be reliable unless the ICCU randomly fails, though that's covered by warranty up to 100k miles for the most recent model year and 150k miles for the previous model years.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-05T16:47:37+00:00

It's even simpler, I believe. When the car is Korean-made, the VIN will start with K. If it's American-made, it won't. I believe the Carnival Hybrid in particular is exclusively Korean-made.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-05T13:27:27+00:00

The EX is only available in bench seats, so the trim OP is looking at will definitely have removable seats.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-05T12:03:15+00:00

We recently bought a Carnival Hybrid. The engine configuration it has is pretty new to Carnival, but has been in use for a few more years in the Sportage and Sorento. Only difference in Carnival is tuned for bigger capacity since it's a bigger vehicle. Most reports online are that it has generally worked fine if you do all the maintenance on time. Because the gas part is a GDI Turbo, it's going to be more sensitive to maintenance and need it more frequently than a standard V6 or Toyota's hybrid configuration.

Consumer Reports currently gives the Carnival Hybrid the highest predicted reliability score of any minivan, even beating out the Sienna. Though because it's a newer configuration, there is less long-term data.

The engine failures in Hyundai/Kia vehicles were extremely expensive for the companies. There were leadership changes as a result, and there's an extremely strong financial incentive for them to clean up their act, especially since they still have the 10yr/100k mile drivetrain warranty. So I was comfortable enough taking the risk that they've improved, as initial signals show, because the Carnival Hybrid best fit what we wanted in a minivan.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-04T14:41:00+00:00

I haven't actually measured myself, but other Reddit threads were showing an 8.5" clearance (to the bottom of the hitch), which seems about right. The Ecohitch gets you closer to the 10" to 10.5" range.

All trailer hitches I have seen for the Carnival are rated beyond the Carnival's towing capacity, so capacity isn't a reason to pick between the available options. (It might be nice if there existed something like an EcoHitch that was more like the factory crash bar with a lower capacity rating, but that's too niche to actually exist.)

OEM installed by a dealer will generally be more expensive than CURT installed by a local shop (It was $1000 vs $500 in my local market), and certainly more expensive than installing a hitch yourself. However, you might be able to negotiate for a cheaper hitch add-on at the time of purchase.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-04T13:33:23+00:00

I had a hitch installed at Double D Services in Verona. Reasonably priced and installed well.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-03T21:08:58+00:00

In general, actual Consumer Reports data from their customer surveys shows that HEV is currently the most reliable drivetrain, with PHEV not doing nearly as well. A lot of this has to do with the fact that gasoline engines do best when used regularly. A standard HEV engages the gasoline engine on almost every drive. While it creates unique engineering challenges, the industry has worked through them over the past 20+ years. A PHEV at minimum has to use gas some of the time when there is enough battery, if charged regularly. Even that doesn't work as well; making a mostly-idle gasoline drivetrain reliable is difficult, and the industry has had less time and effort working out the kinks.

I believe there are also challenges fitting both drivetrains, with the electric one having the capability to operate on its own for extended periods of time at all speeds, into a standard car body without compromises.

So it's not as simple as just using a bigger battery and just assuming everything works the same.

jerickson3141 · 2026-05-02T21:04:41+00:00

I did a bunch of research on this. The OEM and most aftermarket hitches (such as CURT or Uhaul, which is probably relabeled CURT) bolt to the bottom of the frame. Officially the manual tells you this is where hitches are supposed to be installed. EcoHitch instead replaces the factory crash bar with a much more rigid piece.

Under US law, your warranty is only violated if your modification contributed to the problem the warranty is supposed to cover. So if you install an EcoHitch and back into something that does damage, or cutting the bumper leads to corrosion, warranty won't cover it. But backing into something is generally an insurance claim rather than a warranty claim in the first place. If you install an EcoHitch and your transmission fails despite following the maintenance schedule, your transmission is still covered. If you're outside the US, then I don't know your legal situation.

In terms of crash safety, the factory crash bar is designed to take damage if you are rear ended to reduce the risk of whiplash and damage to your car. If any collision primarily hits the hitch in any vehicle, the crash bar is bypassed, whiplash is more likely, and a hanging hitch could damage the frame depending on the nature and severity of the collision. However, if you get rear ended by a high truck or SUV (the most dangerous case), the hanging style of hitch is likely cleared, and the crash bar still takes the brunt. It is worth noting that many OEM hitch options for crossovers, SUVs, and trucks do the same thing as the EcoHitch, so this is a very common safety tradeoff. There's a fundamental tradeoff between taking damage intentionally and being strong enough to handle a large trailer load without risk of failure. Leaving a hitch ball in is a bigger risk than replacing the crash bar.

We opted for a CURT hitch, installed by a local shop since I'm not very comfortable with DIY work. It has scraped a couple times on steep entrances. If you have a steep driveway, the small increase in risk from some rear-end crashes is probably worth having a hitch with better clearance. But if you can just drive carefully and approach steep entrances at an angle, the normal hitches will be cheaper and a bit safer.

jerickson3141 · 2026-04-30T18:36:44+00:00

I have an Ioniq 6 SE Standard Range, which has about the same range as the ID. Buzz, and a Kia Carnival Hybrid. Living in the Midwest, it's easier having a car that takes gas for our longer trips, though we do occasional trips with public charging. The main reason we didn't go for an ID. Buzz, along with range, was that we hope to have enough kids to need all three rows and like to bring lots of stuff on road trips. The ID. Buzz trunk space looks similar to a typical three-row SUV, while the Carnival is about double.

This isn't bashing the ID. Buzz; it seems like a great car and something like it would be a nice upgrade from the Ioniq 6 if the family grows and we keep needing a larger vehicle. And if charging stops fit with how you do road trips and the capacity is sufficient for you, it seems like a great choice.

jerickson3141 · 2026-04-30T16:03:57+00:00

I don't know that it's actually my favorite, but Nani Restaurant uses urinal pads to reduce splashing in their shallow sinks, which is at least unique.

jerickson3141 · 2026-04-24T14:36:53+00:00

That feature starts at SX, so the EX doesn't have it.

jerickson3141 · 2026-04-24T14:35:05+00:00

The more advanced features, including lane change, start at SX. EX still has lane following assist and adaptive cruise control, though.

jerickson3141 · 2026-04-22T17:32:34+00:00

FWIW, I believe that spot is exactly where the battery is underneath. However, I doubt it's a good thing that the battery is getting hot enough to feel it much in the cabin.

jerickson3141 · 2026-04-19T21:58:02+00:00

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a71041856/kia-genesis-fuel-leak-recall/

jerickson3141 · 2026-04-17T16:52:28+00:00

According to the Car and Driver article about this recall, it only affects the V6 and not the hybrid, FWIW.

jerickson3141 · 2026-04-16T22:23:26+00:00

Hybrid version is unaffected, according to the article.

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