Peak Family Vehicle? 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid First Drive

This is the 2025 Kia Carnival. Now we've been fans of Kia's big

well that was weird. Wow people really don't like that word. Anyway we've been fans of the

brand's boxy MPV or life utility vehicle in Canada big love since it rolled onto the scene

a few years ago. Now, Kia updated it for 24 with more tech, more safety, more family-friendly

features inside, and then wrapped the whole thing up in a shape that's even more SUV-like

And that's good, but for 25, I think there's an even bigger change, one that can be appreciated

by both families and those who just enjoy the practicality of a sliding door vehicle anyway

a hybrid powertrain. so

now Kia and Hyundai for that matter have been putting this 1.6 liter turbo 4 hybrid power

plant in just about everything for the last few years but there are some changes for the carnival

For starters, it has a more powerful electric motor, which is actually the most powerful of all the Kia hybrids with 72 horsepower

and that helps it make a combined 242 horsepower, which is 45 less than the V6

Torque is up, though, at 271 pound-feet, which is actually more than any other M-Work vehicle

and it's available pretty early on, too, because it's a hybrid. Now, the six-speed auto still sends power to the front wheels

if you want all-wheel drive in your big box, that's still a Toyota or Chrysler game

Out on the road, this new powertrain just makes so much sense. It's well-mannered

and while it isn't what I'd call quick, it feels appropriate for a vehicle this size

It's pretty quiet, too, unless you're flooring it to pass a vehicle

Some of that quietness has to be attributed to the improved aerodynamics, though, of the hybrid

because it gets active front flaps that give it a better coefficient of drag than any other carnival Out here on the winding roads in San Diego you could put the Kia in sport mode and it handle

the twists better than you might expect, but like a parent, it's not angry that you're being a

hooligan, it's just disappointed. Honestly, it probably rides slightly better than the last

tell you ride I was in. I know people will complain that there's no all-wheel drive, but you probably

don't need it. The hybrid also gets paddles on the steering wheel to handle the regenerative braking

which is becoming more of a thing on regular hybrids. It works pretty well, there's three

different levels, and while they're subtle there is a noticeable difference. I will say that the

highest setting is just a little strange. It's hard to judge, but the rest of the settings are

pretty good and it just scrapes back a little more power for that battery pack. And again

I feel like I have to point out the fuel economy. It's 50% better than before. That's huge

33 miles per gallon or 7.2 liters per 100 kilometers is not the best in the segment

but it's not far off and it's pretty easily attainable based on my limited driving experience

today. Also, it's going to more than pay for itself in a few years. According to the EPA

you're saving $4,000 after five years, and that's at current gas prices. In fact, the only real

drawback I see with the hybrid is if you regularly tow, because you are losing a thousand pounds of

capacity, because this is rated to a max of 2,500 pounds. Of course, the rest of the carnival

experience is just as good as the rest of the upgraded lineup for 24. I have a twin screen

setup sitting in front of me and it's 12.3 inches on both sides. The base gas model does have a

different driver display and it's largely good. It runs the new infotainment system which

is quick and looks cool but just like the old one it sometimes takes a little bit of time to get used

to the menus because it isn't always clear that you're in a sub menu or a sub sub menu

But I also don't love Kia native navigation still but there is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto So you have that should you need it and it works pretty well There a wireless charger

There is a head-up display that is full color. It's 11 inches, so it's pretty big, and it provides a lot of useful navigation info

This cabin has a brown and black combination that you can see

I really like the white and blue leather option that's available on this trim as well

New for this year is a digital rearview mirror, which is also just handy if you've got the back of this thing all filled up

Turn that on and you can see clearly behind you. Hi there. The top trim still retains those fancy relaxation seats in the second row

They're cool, don't get me wrong, but I still think it kind of goes against the point of a vehicle like this

because A, they're heavy, and B, you can't remove them. but if you're buying the top trim chances are you probably aren't filling this with lumber or

something so i guess that makes sense one thing i think is pretty fascinating is that kia has made

a point to let us know that they've expanded the cup holders in the front by 16 millimeters and

that is now big enough to hold a starbucks trenta drink or you know bigger water bottles i personally

would have went with a big gulp comparison, but I guess I'm just not classy like that. There are

some other clever just family focused features in this cabin as well. So the climate controls in the

second row are up in the ceiling, so little ones can't keep messing around with it, but adults can

I still don't love this swappable panel down below the center touchscreen. It's getting better. Kia

has added the ability to pick one of the menus as your preferred and so it will go back to that

after you've fiddled with the other one but that's the thing is it still requires more taps than

sometimes necessary. One swappable thing I really do like is the charging setup down below where you

have the choice to use the USB-C as your phone mirroring spot or just a straight up charger

And while I am complaining about the touch panel for the climate controls I do want to commend Kia

for having a few physical buttons right down by the storage cubby

There is a toggle for your heated and ventilated seats and a button for your heated steering wheel which has two different levels of heating which is pretty rare so good job Kia Kia has also upgraded the safety suite for this year

which is great for a vehicle that is very likely to be carrying a lot of your loved ones

Now there is a new side airbag that goes between the front passengers just to avoid them hitting

each other in the event of an accident which I think is a really important upgrade. There are

some choice upgrades to the driving assist suite as well including on this top trim highway drive

assist 2. Now it still requires your hands on the wheel although I will say it's pretty lax about

that on the highway here and it will allow for assisted lane changes so you do the light tap

it checks make sure it's all clear to go and does just what you need. Pricing is another strong point

for this hybrid model because the upgrade in the US is just $2,000 on any of the four trims that it

shares with the gas model. In Canada, there's three hybrid options and the upgrade is $2,550

Like I said, not that much. It'll pay for itself in a few years. In cold hard numbers, we're looking

at $41,895 including destination for the base LX-S model in America or $48,595 Canadian for the LX+

Now top trim pricing is $56,990 in the US and a bargain play $58,745 in Canada

Now the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid is a wicked deal and it's also just so much better on gas than that D6

That was always the... Oh, there's that word again. That was always the vehicle's weak point

And now, with 50% better fuel economy, they'll pay for itself in no time

Add in all the creature comforts and generally good manners of the Carnival just overall

and this becomes a really strong argument, not just for families, but like I said

people who just want something big and practical. Just don't say..