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2025 Toyota Sienna Hybrid vs 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid: Fuel Sipping Family Haulers
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Mar 29, 2025
There may only be four traditional minivans left on the market, but they are still solid, quality choices for families. The Chrysler Pacifica is a premium choice offering a plug-in hybrid option. The Honda Odyssey is a jack-of-all-trades great for families. The Toyota Sienna is the hybrid family hauler that sips fuel while transporting the crew. Finally, there is the Kia Carnival. Long playing the role of the value-for-the-money role in the minivan world, for the 2025 model year Kia’s multi-person hauler gains a hybrid option aimed directly at Toyota. To see if the new Carnival Hybrid can dethrone the Sienna Hybrid, we arranged a head-to-head comparison.
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0:00
The world of minivans isn't what it used to be and there's really only four traditional choices left
0:10
You have the plug-in premium Pacifica, the hybrid all-wheel drive Sienna, the Odyssey that's sort of
0:16
the jack of all trades, and the value option has been the Carnival. There was just one issue with
0:22
the Carnival. We appreciate its SUV-like styling and those fancy second row seats, but the powertrain
0:27
just wasn't that fuel efficient until Kia introduced a hybrid option for 2025. Yeah so the
0:33
most logical thing to do is to go against the hybrid minivan that everyone knows and loves
0:38
and see if it can out minivan that minivan and if it's still got the value as well. It's true and so
0:44
we're going to do two different approaches during this week with these two vehicles. Mike's going to
0:49
take care of the traditional family approach and myself I'm going to see what it's like to live with
0:54
and what the benefits are of being in the city. So we'll see you in seven days or for you a couple minutes
1:24
Minivans have never really been about style, but let's cover that anyway
1:29
So both are the fully loaded models with most of the options added in
1:34
And the Kia Carnival looks not like a traditional minivan. There's a lot of very SUV-like styling cues to it
1:43
It's not too far off of the brand's other SUVs like, let's say, the Telluride or the Sorento
1:50
The vehicle looks even better finished in the dark red like our tester
1:53
Now in the US, you can't get that color on the fully loaded model, only the second highest trim
2:00
but in Canada you can. I think it really gives the whole package a nice sort of subtle
2:06
sophisticated look and being the top trim, there's also some mild styling changes to the grille and
2:13
lights. Does it look completely not like a minivan? No, but at least it looks like a more rugged one
2:20
to a degree. Then there's the Sienna. As I said, this is also the fully loaded version. It doesn't
2:27
look all that special. It looks like it could just be any trim in the Sienna lineup and finished in
2:33
the silver, it doesn't really do the vehicle any favors either. Even the wheels don't make it stand
2:39
out. Now they are unique to the trim and they are large, but Kyle likes them. I don't. I just find
2:45
that the two-tone design just doesn't look premium it almost looks aftermarket. Inside things do
2:50
improve with Sienna as this is a very functional interior. It's a complete function over form yet
2:56
they still made it look somewhat interesting with different materials and different colors and the
3:00
large infotainment screen kind of sticks up out of the dash like a lot of premium vehicles have and
3:05
I have a fully digital gauge cluster. This color combo though I'm not a huge fan of mainly the sort
3:11
white, green, beige, whatever you want to call it, accent color, through the dash above the shelf
3:17
it's all hard plastic, and I know no one's going to touch it, but you can just see it doesn't look
3:21
overly premium. Now, that said, having that large shelf is great, and there's a huge under storage
3:26
underneath the center console. There's cup holders everywhere. There's the fridge for the middle row
3:31
passengers. Everyone back there is cup holders. I mean, usual minivan things, but Toyota does a
3:36
really good job of looking at every little detail and making it optimal for the family experience
3:42
even if it might sacrifice a bit of style. Now the Carnival on the other hand well it's a slightly
3:47
more stylish interior. It feels a little richer. The materials feel a little better but the ergonomics
3:54
aren't quite as good. The center console has a lot less storage. There's obviously no vacuum and
4:00
fridge. There's no big shelf or extra storage area for the front passenger and as Kyle mentioned the
4:05
seating position is a little odd as you feel like you're always sitting too high even with the seat
4:09
all the way down and the steering wheel always feels a little low and don't get me wrong Kia
4:14
has a lot of good little details for families they just don't go that extra mile that Toyota does
4:19
and some of that may be in the name of having a little more style and visual appeal
4:27
Now both of these minivans are pretty similar in terms of hybrid powertrains at least in their
4:33
performance figures you are getting less horsepower than you would in any v6 minivans
4:39
the carnival included but of course the trade-off is much much better fuel economy like 40 or 50
4:46
better so that seems like an easy choice anyway with the carnival hybrid you're looking at 242
4:54
horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque now that's coming from a very familiar power plant that's in
5:02
so many hyundai and kia products it is a 1.6 liter turbocharged 4 and it has an electrified assist
5:09
so it is front drive which is maybe a disadvantage depending on if you're dealing with the worst
5:18
snowstorm of the year but beyond that i really don't think it's that bad i think a good set of
5:26
winter tires actually makes more of a difference but more on that in a little bit like the kia the
5:30
Toyota also has a very familiar hybrid powertrain. It of course the 2 liter workhorse that is in just about every Toyota product from RAV4 on up in size at least the unibodies and it is pretty similar in terms of outputs with 245 horsepower
5:49
of course Toyota doesn't quote torque because it has an electronic on-demand all-wheel drive system
5:55
now what that means is there is a separate electric motor working on the rear axle when the system
6:02
detect slip up front but otherwise there is no transfer of power to the back axle so you're not
6:08
getting any of the gas engine's power back there it's basically just to help in low speed low grip
6:16
situations of course the advantage there is that the toyota does have a more efficient powertrain
6:22
and provides better fuel economy figures now in the u.s you're looking at 35 miles per gallon in
6:30
the city 36 miles per gallon on the highway for a combined average of 35 miles per gallon
6:38
That's with the all-wheel drive. If you get front drive, it bumps up to 36 all across the board
6:44
Now, the Kia is close because in the city, you're looking at 34 miles per gallon
6:49
but on the highway, its system just doesn't have the efficiencies of the Toyota
6:54
and so you're looking at 31 miles per gallon on the highway. And for those keeping track at home
6:59
the Canadian figures for that are 6.8, 6.7, and 6.8 liters per 100 kilometers for the Toyota
7:07
so that's city, highway, and combined. And for the Kia, well, it's 6.9, 7.6, and 7.2 liters per
7:16
100 kilometers, respectively. How these two power plants deliver their power is quite different
7:22
though. So we've criticized Toyota's 2.5 liter before for being pretty noisy when the gas engine
7:29
needs to do a thing and that's still true in the sienna it does moan quite a bit and that ecvt
7:37
puts it pretty high up in the rev range you need to floor it to merge on the highway and you hear
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that thing a lot the kia on the other hand because it has a turbo engine so it has a lot of torque
7:49
to rely on and it has a six-speed automatic so there's actual gear shifts it doesn't get as loud
7:56
I mean it'll get pretty loud when you're flooring it but when it's a half throttle situation or
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other things where you just need more power but not all of it the Kia is just generally better
8:09
behaved now that kind of flips around in terms of how the hybrid systems activate Toyota's been
8:17
doing this for decades it's got a pretty good handle on things and so the handoff or when
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when they're working injection, whatever you want to put the hybrid system through
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it deals with it so smoothly. It's really hard to pick out any sort of jerkiness or gaps in the power delivery
8:37
It's very smooth, and that makes it very easy and predictable to drive
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The Kia is a little less refined. I've had the gas engine kick on with a bit of a jerk
8:50
I park in underground parking, and so it's a pretty steep hill
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and we've had a terrible blizzard while we've had these two minivans
8:59
The hill is, of course, really wet, and it's concrete. And on winter tires, the Kia really struggles to get up there
9:08
I have to wait at the bottom of the hill and then go up in one smooth motion once the door is open
9:12
If I wait just near the door, I'm spinning my tires, which is kind of embarrassing
9:20
Meanwhile, the Toyota just powers on through, And that is one of those situations where the electronic all-wheel drive is actually beneficial
9:28
Now, Mike will also echo these sentiments that electronic all-wheel drive sounds like kind of a small deal, right
9:36
Like it's not sending any real power to the back. And that's fine
9:40
For most situations, most people only really need all-wheel drive from a stop
9:47
Because they're having trouble with a low-grip situation and they need to get going
9:51
And that's exactly what this system provides, is additional low-speed grip. Okay, well, what are they like in the snow
9:57
Does the all-wheel drive really matter? Yes and no. That low-speed situation aside, these two both handle snow drifts and unplowed portions of road pretty well
10:11
I think the limiting factor for both of them would be the ride height. That's one of the disadvantages of getting a minivan versus a SUV
10:19
be, but beyond that, again I think it's just the Sienna that just feels a little
10:24
more planted and sure of itself. The Kia spends a lot of time flashing its
10:29
traction control light at me, and it's not that I'm driving with a heavy foot
10:33
because I'm doing the same thing I did in the Sienna, it's just that this system
10:40
doesn't seem to get along so well with the snow. Now we've alluded to it a lot during this comparison and that's the question of value and price
10:54
As tested, this fully loaded Sienna comes in at just under $60,000 US with destination charges
11:02
The Kia Carnival, which is also fully loaded, only comes in at about $54,500
11:08
That's a $5,500 difference which isn't tiny. That almost a 10 price difference In Canada things get a lot worse for Toyota The Carnival fully loaded comes in at just under whereas the Sienna it up to And once again both those prices include
11:29
destination charges. That's almost $14,000 difference. That's a massive gap. Now, the Sienna
11:34
does have all-wheel drive and a more efficient, better driving hybrid system and some features
11:38
like the vacuum and icebox and little frills like that. But the question is, is that worth it
11:44
How these two drive is actually kind of like their SUV siblings in a weird way
11:56
So the Carnival is built on the same platform as the Telluride
12:00
and the Sienna sits on the same one as the Highlander. And when we drive both of those, the Telluride feels bigger
12:09
It feels heavy and deliberate compared to a Highlander. and that describes the carnival pretty effectively. It's heavier and it just feels bigger. It's a box
12:22
I mean they're both boxes but the Kia always reminds you of that. It drives a little more
12:29
truckish whereas the Sienna still feels like it's related to a car. That could be a positive depending
12:36
on what you're looking for out of your minivan. The Santa is just generally easier to drive
12:43
It feels easier to place. The sight lines are pretty good in both of them because, again
12:50
giant boxes. The steering is... it's steering. It exists in both. It's very light. There are
13:01
different drive modes, but I don't really understand why you'd ever be activating them
13:05
One thing the Kia has that I have to call attention to that isn't in the Sienna, or in fact most regular hybrids, is the ability to alter the regenerative braking level
13:15
Now, there are three levels to choose from, and normally I like this in EVs or even plug-in hybrids, but in the Carnival Hybrid, it's just a little odd
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Now, if I stick it in the highest setting, level 3, if I lift off, it takes a second or two to really kick in
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so it's pretty soft at first and only then does it actually start decelerating and it just makes it
13:40
hard to judge. I'd rather leave it at one and miss out on that scavenged energy. Oh well I'm just
13:48
browsing through the different camera options in the carnival and yes it does have a 360 camera and
13:54
it has some very helpful cameras on the sides that are normally used for the turning assist
14:00
that pops up a little feed in your blind spot. Very useful. I love that Hyundai and Kia still do that
14:06
but it also points down by the wheels so when you're parking you can see exactly how far away
14:11
you are from the curb which is great but I really like the 3D around view because it makes the
14:17
carnival look about half size. So let's talk features. Both of these vans are fully loaded
14:26
so they come with a lot of equipment. They both have the usual things like power front seats
14:31
heated front seats, ventilated front seats. They have all the safety systems, but we'll get to that
14:36
in a bit. Both have fully digital driver information centers and big touchscreens
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In the Sienna, the driver information center is 12.3 inches, and there's also a 10-inch head-up
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display. The steering wheel here in the Sienna is power tilt and telescopic. In the Carnival
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it is all manual, but in the middle row, things flip, whereas the Sienna has fully manual seats
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and the Carnival has power seats. And although they're both heated in both vans
15:00
in the Carnival, they're also ventilated. Now, Toyota flips back and has an advantage
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when it comes to climate control. They both have 12 speaker audio systems
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JBL in the Toyota, Bose in the Kia, and both vans have a digital rear view mirror
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which is really important in the Sienna because if that entertainment system screen is flipped down
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the regular rear view mirror is pretty much useless. So this is a big plus, but it works in the Carnival too
15:24
because it helps you see what's around the vehicle. And speaking of which, both vehicles and their safety systems
15:29
include 360 degree around view monitors. So the Carnival does have a couple options
15:34
not found in this Sienna. And that includes the multi-panel sunroof. It's a wifi hotspot
15:40
And because of the upgraded second row, there's thicker glass to better sound insulate
15:45
those lounging in the lounge chairs behind the driver. Although the Carnival's infotainment screen
15:51
is a bit smaller, it's built into the single panel design that a lot of Kia's come with, which is 12.3 inch for both the driver information center, as I
15:58
mentioned, and the infotainment screen. And their head-up display trimps Toyota by one inch as it is
16:03
an 11 inch system. Now, as I mentioned earlier, both vans come fully loaded with all the latest
16:08
safety active systems. Basically, if it's out there, it's in these vans. You know, things like
16:12
adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, active lane keep, lane keep assist, blind spot
16:18
monitoring, all those sort of things. The only advantage, I guess, if you're looking just at the
16:22
build sheets is the Carnival does have highway driving assist too which eases highway driving
16:28
and makes it near hands-free but Toyota's system is really good too their safety sense so
16:33
in practice there isn't a huge difference there. I think what really matters here is just the ride quality in something like a minivan. It's a family
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vehicle first and foremost and so you want to make sure that it's comfortable and both of these do a
16:51
really great job of focusing on ride comfort I will say that both do some things better than the other So for example the Carnival is just a little bit better at speed bumps It just floats over them a little better
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than the Sienna, which is a little more pogo-y in nature, and it settles quicker, which is nice
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On the flip side, I just feel like I'm hearing more of everything in the Carnival. It's a big huge
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box and it has a hard time dampening some of the noises from either the car itself or just the
17:28
outside world. Now the seeming flip side to that a slightly stiffer ride in the Toyota is that the
17:37
Sienna has less body roll or at least less that you notice inside the cabin. So I find that it just
17:47
Rides a little more flat throughout corners. Handles itself better. Okay, time for our seat test
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And we are in the Carnival first. And this has the upgraded capsules chairs
18:04
which also are lounge chairs, which I'll show in a second. But as it sits normally, there's like no headroom
18:10
I know it has the second sunroof and it's pretty cool. This actually opens. It doesn't just tilt
18:14
It slides back like a real sunroof. So you get them both open, which not many cars allow you to do, but it takes away my headroom, especially this high-riding seat
18:23
Yeah, that feels like a bit of a drawback, especially with these seats, because you're expecting adults to be up there more often
18:32
Third row is good in terms of space. Yeah, my head is also just brushing the headliner, but I mean, there's good legroom
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I have asymmetrical cupholders back here. The one on the left has a square and then a regular cup holder, and this has two cup holders
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USB-C ports, which is nice. Huge pillars. So while I have a sunshade, and it covers more of the window than it does in the Sienna
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it still doesn't feel particularly airy back here. And then up front here, I have power seats, heated seats, ventilated seats, and power windows that go down
19:08
My seats move side to side. Why do your seats move side to side, Mike? seats move side to side because over here it allows people to get in and out and you can sit
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sort of a normal position but if you go over here and then if you move yourself back and you hit this
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button right here it becomes a lounge chair oh yeah um i will say though that like as cool as this
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is it does create a bit of an issue because there's no easy way to fold those seats up and out of the
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way or in fact move them to just to get to the back so the only thing i can really do is slide
19:40
the seats outboard as much as possible and then head through the middle. Yeah you have to go through
19:45
the middle. These seats are not really designed to as you said fold or do anything so this is really a
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like four passenger van with a rear seat that's needed every once in a while. We are now in the
19:56
back of the Sienna and I find I have a lot more headroom mainly because there is no sunroof here
20:02
so it's a little darker and then there's a huge drop down in the ceiling here because we have a
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screen oh now you can't see me that can be controlled via an hdmi down here i have heated
20:13
seats auto climate control and the buttons for the climate controller here which is nice because in
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the kia they're over here so if you're in this seat and that person's sleeping i guess you reach
20:23
over and try to get there um this is a non-power seat but it does have the footrest that kicks up
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and it still can go back and forth and adjust the backrest and the actual seat's a lot more
20:34
comfortable here I find. Huh so third row experience over here is a little different. I'm not sure if
20:41
it's more comfortable because the bench is pretty short. In terms of head and leg room though it's
20:48
it's pretty close. I have slightly more window. I mean the roof comes down pretty far so that's not
20:54
great but if you're a kid you're not going to notice that. Tiny little armrest with two very
20:59
small cup holders on both sides but you get a volume knob to plug in headphones I assume so that
21:05
you can listen to the infotainment and then two USB-C ports but only on this side so the person
21:11
on the left doesn't have anything. So basically like my window goes down and I have a fridge here
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that's kind of cool but if I was to spend a long time back here this would be better if I'm like
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resting or sleeping it's kind of dark it feels tight but it's very comfy and cozy whereas that
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one season on is comfortable in the carnival but it's way more airy and I'd rather be driving long
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distance when I'm like awake in the day. If it's just flat out sitting in comfort it's definitely
21:37
this one better for second row. And if you spill anything you have a vacuum in here. You do. All
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right it has been a week of adventure with these two family vehicles. We've dealt with one of the
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worst winter storms this area has seen in years and it's really put them to the test. So Mike what
21:52
do we find out? Well we found out as far as a minivan goes the Sienna is the better minivan. If
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you want a minivan and you need a minivan the sienna is the right choice if you need a minivan
22:02
but maybe don't want one well the carnival has a little more of an suv look inside and out
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it's true and while it isn't quite so refined it does have the value play either slightly in the
22:13
u.s or by a massive margin in canada and so it's really up to you whether that's worth the extra
22:19
cash or not We called it a winner, but you can't ignore that pricing
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