I knew KIA’s minivan that doesn’t look like a minivan held some surprises, but the first one that just jumped right out is COMFORT. Yes…this ride just floats over bumps, potholes and speed breakers with such ease, that even if it didn’t have tremendous people-carrying ability, I’d still consider it for an in-town commuter car.
But let’s go ahead and talk about space, ‘cause in spite of the Carnival’s sleek SUV styling, it still is a minivan at heart. In fact, it’s rated as having best-in-class cargo and passenger room.
And you won’t come up short in the power department, either. Base Carnivals start in the high $30’s…and come with the same 287 HP 3.5 V- and 8-speed auto that powers KIA’s Telluride. Even that entry-level Carnival brings you 17” Black alloys, a 12.3” screen, 7-passenger cloth seating, front and rear parking sensors, and an 18 MPG City and 26 Hwy EPA rating.
As with just about every manufacturer, add a couple thousand…and then another couple thousand, and you’ll enjoy more and more creature comforts like heated faux leather, bigger alloys, etc. In KIA’s case, that’ll give you a nicely-equipped vehicle still well under 50 thousand.
We got lucky, tho’, and got to test KIA’s top-of-the-line Hybrid SX Prestige. And as you’ve probably come to expect from KIA, just about everything that you could want in a luxury vehicle was included…and included for less than $55,000.
Thanks to the hybrid system, a 1.6 liter turbo and 6-speed auto give you all the “go” that the base 6 would, but also delivers 34 MPG in the city and 31 on the highway…roughly 50% more than a non-hybrid Carnival
