Kia Carnival review

The Carnival’s cabin is very streamlined and very… Kia. You’ll find the same control bar that swaps between HVAC and audio inputs that you would in other Kia/Hyundai vehicles, the one that turns the volume knob into the temp controls, so long as you don’t switch it back (it now does so after a delay, mercifully).

Behind the substantial steering wheel is either a 4.2-inch digital meter cluster or, on higher trims, a 12.3-inch panoramic center display that houses the driver display and infotainment functions. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay can connect wirelessly, though as expected, they tend to get in the way of some of the Carnival’s native functions, like the passenger monitoring screen.

How is it in the back?

Super roomy, with easy ingress and egress through the sliding passenger doors. Seat-back entertainment screens up the wow factor here, giving those riding along something to do, either mirroring their own devices or taking advantage of the Kia connected services. Still, there are enough USB ports to keep everyone’s individual toys chugging while they amuse themselves en route.

In terms of storage, there’s a whopping 145.1 cu ft (4,109 liters) to use, though even if you’re fully laden with family members, there’s still a good 40.2 cu ft (1,138 liters) available behind the third row, which is ample enough for a substantial supermarket haul.

What kind of tech are we talking about here?

Contingent on trim, riders can enjoy a six-, eight- or 12-speaker sound system, the latter supplied by Bose. There’s the aforementioned passenger entertainment functions as well as all the usual culprits up front.

In terms of safety, the Carnival does have a passenger monitoring system that allows you to keep an eye on what the kids or whomever are up to. On the topic of keeping an eye out, there’s a laundry list of dynamic driving systems that come standard in the Kia, sensors for parking, lane-keeping and general overall situational awareness.

These along with the 360-degree camera views come in clutch for maneuvering this fairly massive family hauler around tight parking spots, and though they can often be overly sensitive, considering it’s a vehicle likely to be surrounded by people more often than not (and mostly children), we’ll allow it.