There’s no shortage of numbers to throw-out when talking about Kia’s new Carnival Hybrid SUV-like minivan. My favorite? 627.
That’s the impressive distance this load-swallowing family hauler can cover on a single tank of gas. It’s Tampa to New Orleans. It’s Tampa to Charlotte. It’s Tampa to Miami, and back. On one tank.
The Carnival Hybrid’s EPA-combined fuel economy average of 33 mpg, and the Kia’s generous 19-gallon tank comes up with that 627-mile range.
My tally over the week I just shared with the Kia, including a one-day, 450-mile, no-dawdling round trip from home in St. Pete across state to West Palm, was a solid 32 to the gallon.
One more little bonus; the Hybrid’s peppy little 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine is happy to sip regular gas.
Kia still offers a non-hybrid Carnival, powered by a smooth-spinning 3.5-liter V6. But again, consider a couple more numbers. Like the V6’s city economy of 18 mpg. Compare that to the 34 mpg you get around town in the Hybrid.
The key to this super-impressive fuel efficiency is its combo of that 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder making 178 horsepower, and a muscley 72-hp electric motor to give a combined 242-hp.
While that’s slightly less than the V6’s 287 horseys, the beauty of the hybrid powertrain is that the electric motor assists when the gas motor needs it most. Like during off the line acceleration, and to give right-now response when passing, or highway merging.
The good folks at Car and Driver tested both versions, and found the V6 and Hybrid could rush from standstill to 60 mph in exactly the same 7.8 seconds. Advantage Hybrid.
On the road, the Carnival Hybrid is a true joy to drive, with peppy, off-the-line acceleration and strong mid-range thrust, both complimented by the smoothest-shifting of six-speed automatics.
And on the move it’s astonishingly quiet. This is not your typical throbby turbo-4. At times it feels and sounds as if it’s all-electric, not just electric-assist.
Add to that, the kind of nimbleness and agility you simply don’t expect from a minivan. Through a tight curve, body lean is well-controlled, there’s plenty of grip from the 19-inch tires at each corner, and lumps and bumps on the road are soaked-up like a wet-vac on garage spills.
My only niggle is that the van’s over-assisted electric steering feels as numb as a molar after a jab of Novocaine. That said, no complaints about the Carnival’s pinch-tight turning radius, which is up there with a Club Car golf cart’s.
If anything, this impressive new hybrid powertrain is just the icing on the cake for this latest Carnival. I’m still a huge fan of its “I’m-not-a-minivan” styling, with that low roofline, high waist and blacked-out window frames, giving it the look of a sporty sport-ute.
And for 2025, the SUV style was heightened with its more aggressive-looking stacked headlights, a more aggressive, almost snarling grille and wider lower intake. Blink twice and you could mistake it for Kia’s Telluride SUV.
The rear gets a similar dose of athleticism, with a deeper roof spoiler, new, stacked rear lights and a new tailgate design. There are new, glossy-black 19-inch wheels as well. Minivan? What minivan?
Yet it still oozes true minivan practicality and versatility. Those big power-sliding side doors are still there, and still open into one of the best thought-out cabins in the people-carrying world.
The middle-row seats still offer the legroom of a stretched limo, and flip-forward for easy access to the adult-friendly third row.
Our top-of-the-range $53,995 Carnival Hybrid SX Prestige – Hybrid pricing starts at $41,845 – does offer the no-cost option of twin captain’s chairs, in place of the three-across bench. But the downside is they’re fixed in place, whereas the bench can be lifted out.
If you carry “stuff” that’s a big deal. Fold the third-row seat into the rear floor, and haul out the bench, and total load space is a whopping 145 cubic feet. There are Manhattan apartments with less.
The Carnival’s formidable rivals here are Chrysler’s Pacifica Hybrid, and Toyota’s Siena Hybrid. But for me the Carnival’s sportier lines and more athletic character would get my vote. Not to mention that 627 number.
