2022 KIA Carnival SX Prestige

But more on that in a moment. For now, let me just say "Welcome back, my friend."

Whoa…KIA's all-new Carnival is all-new. A truly ground-up brand new vehicle. So what do I mean by "Welcome Back"?

Well, in spite of its SUV-like appearance, the Carnival is actually a Minivan.

Yes. In spite of its "MPV" ( Multi-Purpose-Vehicle ) designation, KIA's all-new Carnival is actually a Minivan. A sliding-door, easy in / easy out, fill it up with kids and stuff minivan.

And when was the last time that a Minivan was cool? Probably before most of you were born.

A guy named Lee Iacocca was the "Daddy" of the minivan…bringing it out 38 years ago and pretty much saving what was then the Chrysler company.

So what made minivans uncool?

SUVs…and their perceived rugged off-road capability…even tho' the only "off-road" most of those new SUV drivers experienced was when they drifted off to the shoulder of the road while texting.

So that's the short explanation as to why KIA designed their new Carnival minivan to look like a SUV. It looks lower, leaner, more ruggedly-beefy than the average minivan.

And based on a few unsolicited comments that I got driving around town, folks seem to agree. Their "What's that's?" and "I like it" reminded me of the first Telluride that I tested a few years ago.

But the Carnival's looks are just where the story starts. There's a lot to admire on the inside, too.

Starting in the family-friendly low to mid $30's, every Carnival comes with three-row seating, a 290 HP 3.5 liter V-6 and an 8-speed automatic. You'll also get 17" alloys, Android and Apple connectivity, voice recognition, 2 USB chargers for each of the three rows, an 8" screen, and a host of safety features like lane-keeping, auto high beams, cross-traffic alerts and parking assists.

Just a couple thousand more adds heated animal-free imitation leather with lumbar support and leather-wrapped steering.

From there just option it up as taste and wallet permit.

But that said, our test Carnival SX Prestige pretty much had everything that KIA offers and was still comfortably under 50 thousand…coming in with a $47,770 window sticker….and one big surprise extra!

So what's "pretty much everything"? Surround-view, 19" alloys, dual tilting and sliding sunroofs, Bose premium audio, heated and ventilated front and second row seats, dual rear seat entertainment screens, power smart sliding doors and rear hatch, LED lighting, a 12.3" LCD instrument cluster…plus a heated steering wheel.

And as for that "surprise extra"? Absolute limo-like reclining captains chairs with leg support. The only place better for catching a nap is your sofa. Rear seat passengers in $2-$300,000 luxury icons may not have it any better.

If you want more info, just check out recent auto-enthusiast magazines…most of which have glowing reviews of KIA's new Carnival.

But for now I'll just repeat myself and say that KIA's new Carnival may just have what it takes to make minivans cool again.