Kia and Hyundai need to improve their plastics. Scratch prone surfaces makes their cars look worn out in little time. Not to mention their plastic back coverings from the front seats that look like cheap tupperware.
The one dealership that would comment on the this said it doesn't pass safety regulations. Something about the actual construction of the Carnival, since in 2010 Chrysler still had their Swivel and Go seats which were allowed. Kia hasn't responded of course. Really wanted to use this for long road trips with the 2nd row reversed but not sure if I'm comfortable with the safety aspect. Would love to know more details and to be convinced it's safe.
i was a car salesman for a time, without fail people would come in and say "I want something roomy and practical and with lots of seats and cargo space that's comfortable but still decent on gas", and when I'd say "well sounds like you want a van" they'd go "NAH I DON'T WANNA BE A 'VAN PERSON'", and to myself I'm just like you're already a van person you're just in denial.
I very rarely had customers come in looking for a van, with most saying, "Ugh, I'll never get a van!" but the rare few that would give a van a chance, that would take a look, ALWAYS ended up buying a van and would rave about how great it was every time I checked in with them.
@@FurballMK3 and they held their value decently, there is still some old caravans still kickin, although "checking in with them" may also not be part of this vans culture, as far as dealership experience haha, nice work!
Following his feature explanations is probably as tricky as learning how to configure the seats in all possible ways, but for a moment I thought he was explaining that you can flip the third row backwards so you can enter through the trunk and look out the back.
god my parents had one when I was a kid. Such a POS. I actually remember that dumb van because I took my first flight because it broke down in Houston on a vacation.
I'm starting to think Gloss Black is a strategic move to make cars immediately unappealing once owned so that you'll want to lease/trade in as soon as possible.
I mean it could be but each model seems to keep getting more gloss black which would eventually push certain people away to another brand at some point.
Your review of the 2016 Kia Sedona five years ago made me purchase my first ever minivan and first ever Kia. Would never have looked at a Korean car before. Five years later it’s been the most reliable car I’ve ever owned, including my Toyota and Acura. Great features and value. I’ve seen the light. No longer a Korean car hater.
I've purchased my first car in the US back in 2016 as well. Kia Optima 2014 LX with 68k miles on it. It has 129k now and I put about 500$ in repairs in total and that was all last year since that day. I spent maybe 2k with oil change , brakes and tires all together. :) It started to burn oil last year tho, I'm changing oil every 3k now
My parents just installed one of the dog cages to keep me out of the adult areas of the used ups truck they bought. I got a bowl of water now and then and they threw goldfish thru the cage openings at times. I turned out fine
I don't know what was funnier the overlay of Russell Crowe from unhinged when Jack was driving or the two women trying to buckle C-3PO into the car seat from the Kia b-roll footage
Kia is working with big vinyl to integrate as much piano black plastic in all its models as possible. The company makes big kickbacks in the form of Arby's cash from certified vinyl wrap shops every time a kia's interior is wrapped.
I did a faux dry weave carbon vinyl wrap on my piano black. No more fingerprints or reflections. Well worth the time and effort, but you shouldn't have to do it. Hopefully, the next idiotic industry interior trend will be more practical than piano black or alcantara....
Minivans get a bad rep. They’re literally the most useful types of cars other than full sized cargo vans. But those get a bad rep for being predator vehicles. I get a feeling it’s the big Truck lobby putting those stories out
In Iceland I believe, where weather is pretty brutal, they use vans that they modify. they look really nice, too. here's a guy in a sweet Sprinter van /watch?v=daSuDDDewrI
There's 4 cupholders available up front plus two large bottle holders in the doors, two more cupholders in the middle, and 3 on each in the rear. There's more than enough cupholders lmao
@@TheNondiscriminatory still seems light for the american market, with reusable yoga water bottles getting bigger and bigger, a door that could fit them would be nice and the grande mocha latte with a splash of soy, hardly looks like it would fit in the console, in all good fun. I am sure it will not have a hard time selling
I have zero interest in that segment, nor in the kia brand, but your videos are such a treat. Insightful, humorous, very well structured, sound is perfect, video is beyond professional quality, overall editing is perfect. And like every single time, your laughs are communicative. Keep going, I'll keep watching.
@@janoycresnova9156 I got a honda Odyssey and an Audi RS3 with a tune, I don’t care about what people think and I have no kids, I use a minivan to simply haul.
Great review as usual by the SG team but a few corrections as I've owned my '22 Carnival SX for about 8,000 miles so far. 1) No, you actually can't reverse the middle row in the US. There may be a way to do this by modifying one of the latches, though it wasn't approved for our market for some reason. 2) MPG is better than rated and about on par with the Odyssey and Pacifica....I've done a couple of 2,000 mile road trips so far and averaged anywhere from 28.2 - 33 mpg per tank so not too bad. 3) The Carnival's dimensions are different than the other vans i.e. significantly higher ground clearance than the Odyssey (6.8in vs. 4.5in, which is terrible). Also the Carnival is a couple inches shorter yet still has the most cabin room, though the 3rd row legroom is a little less than the others. LAST: the first thing I did after buying was to debadge. The name is just plain dumb.
Thanks Mark. This is very helpful to one considering this vehicle. Especially the clarification on actual gas mileage. SG is great but I have never heard about the second row being reversible in any other reviews. Thanks.
@@paul38501 you bet and let me know if you have any other questions. There's a good facebook owners group and a chat forum too. No perfect vehicle of course but this was definitely the right minivan (or MPV) for my family at the right price
I had seen that mod in forums to switch them, I added a note in pinned comments. Thanks for adding to the info btw its very helpful for future buyers!!
Ok...I've been resisting this for a long time since I'm getting old af and am a newly minted grandpa, but you've convinced me. I'll watch Unhinged tonight.
When my kids were younger, I had a mini-van as a company car. The sliding doors are great - the kids can get in and out on their own and you never have to worry about them dinging up the car next to you. Think of it as a public service
I've only owned one minivan in many years of driving. It was a Mazda "MPV" from the late 80's, early 90's. The only minivan at the time that offered AWD. I learned to love that vehicle when I was able to extract it from a deep, snow covered ditch on an isolated logging road in the Washington Cascades. Without the AWD, I think my wife and I would never have made it back to civilization. In subsequent years I wondered why automakers failed for years to offer AWD in the minivan category. No question that the Carnival is a major step up from the last generation Sedona. However, the absence of any form of AWD and a hybrid powertrain available on versions of both the Pacifica and the Pacifica will, I think, prevent the KIA from climbing out of fourth place in the four horse race that makes up the tiny category of minivans in the US market.
I just purchased a 2025 Carnival and we LOVE the styling both interior and exterior. We have three kids and bought the SX trim with all black interior. The glossy plastic pretty much is gone with the newer models.
KIA has been impressing me lately. The Telluride especially. Boogers everywhere though!! And that lounge seating looks amazing. Not sure it's a "gimmick". Teens everywhere who are forced to be humiliated for being seen in a minivan will love that feature.
Every time I hear "MPV" I can't help but think of the poverty spec shitbox Mazda minivan from my childhood -- silver with grey everything interior. The Carnival is a luxury spaceship by comparison. So many good memories made in that MPV. I'm happy the kids in 2021 minivans have it even better than I did :)
Never would I have expected the sentence "This is not a semen demon, Jack" to have been said here of all places but it was here and it was appreciated.
Great review, you nailed key points. I leased a LX +, it’s utterly fantastic. I cross shopped the other players, I’m normally a “honda guy”, but the price, styling, and rear space usability was better for me. I brought my bicycles to each brands dealership to see how the 61cm road bike fits…. Kia won. I’m not sure of resale of Kia’s, but it’s a lease with warranty past my lease return date (unlike honda/Toyota unless u buy extended). Fuel mileage is way better than the F-150 it replaces, and I just keep a microfibre cloth in the door panel to wipe up the gloss black surfaces…. manufacturers quit the gloss black nonsense!!! Zero buyers remorse here. When you acknowledge the fact you need a van, make sure you check this one out. I was surprised. Anyway great review guys, your honesty is what gives u proper credibility amongst buyers!
I was confused cause a minivan can be a seamen demon. Your seamen are all over the back seats in the form of little snot nosed kids and they’re all demonic
I saw a teluride on the road with the new emblem and if it hadn't been for TELURIDE plastered in large font on the front bumper, I wouldn't have known what the brand was. It's not that great.
Мне понравился коммент на Авторевю про КИ: Корейская Иномарка. :D For those who don't speak Russian: the new KIA logo lettering looks like cyrillic КИ (KI), which already beign disambiguated as "Korean Import" in Russian car community.
Just had one of these as a rental. I was very surprised with the power. Transmission was rather lazy, but responded pretty well in manual mode. Overall good interior and pretty comfortable. I definitely had a stripper model, so didn't get to try out lots of fun features. It drove more car like than I would expect, but I didn't like how little feel the steering had. I had a hard time keeping it just straight without any wandering. The lane keep assist would drive in the lane for you pretty well though. The steering was my only major gripe. I really like having sliding back doors. Made fitting in tight spaces and still being able to use them so much easier. Overall a solid vehicle. Definitely makes more sense than a lot of SUV options.
Looking at other comments I was reminded of a couple things. The driver door had wind noise around the window despite being under 50,000 miles. I also hate how massive the C pillar is and how small the back side windows are. Passenger side blind spot was particularly difficult to see. No blind spot warning on the trim level I had either. The touch screen was very responsive and I didn't mind really basic HVAC controls. Didn't notice anything extremely cheap or bad on the interior and I liked the seat fabric.
I don't see how this will make me change my mind about my 2000 E39 wagon with its m54 engine that is fast, smooth and pretty good on gas 24.2mpg on average. Burns no oil, blows no smoke, loses no water. If only it was paired with the ZF 8 speed automatic. More than anything, transmissions have improved the most in the last 10 years.
@@alh06 look why can't mini van be a luxury product what matters is luxury comfort combine that with understated looks it becomes the perfect limo I know that people outside Asia won't agree with me but rest of the world do
I think the exterior design is great honestly.. If I had to have a van, this one looks really good. The interior not bad either despite the piano black.. I'd say overall solid effort from Kia on this! Wish everyone would keep the NA V6's ...
I miss where you used to talk about the engine in a little more depth. For example, with all the direction injection carbon issues, it would have been worth mentioning that this engine has GDI and MPI. I haven't seen it mentioned in any other reviews either. Odd.
Bought one off these a couple months ago. SX without the prestige pack. Replaced a 2016 Sedona. I’m pretty sure the American market carnivals cannot turn the second row seats around. That feature is conspicuously absent in the American market literature. I spent an afternoon trying to do it and couldn’t. It is WAY better to drive than the old Sedona. The Sedona had some jiggles in the body structure especially over broken pavement. The carnival is totally solid. It’s a lot lighter on its feet, eerily quiet and a lot perkier than the old Sedona even though it still isn’t going to win any drag races. It has noticeably more cargo space than the old one too. But it’s not perfect. They moved the button for the sliding doors from the overhead console to left of the steering wheel. That was pretty dumb. The Sedona has nowhere to put your sunglasses. The carnival doesn’t either. The Sedona had a lot of glossy black plastic. The carnival has more. The Sedona had a dedicated knob to control the temperature in the back. The carnival doesn’t. The Sedona had two glove boxes. The carnival has one and it’s pretty small. You have to go all the way up to the prestige to get a self dimming rear view mirror. Rain sensing wipers are not available. The tail gate on both will open itself up if you have the key and stand behind it but you have to stand there way too long while it beeps and beeps and beeps and finally opens. It has auto high beams but you have to turn them on every time; thus making them not automatic. The black wheels look stupid and they’re impossible to keep clean. You have to provide your own hot spot for the rear seat entertainment system. The wireless phone charger isn’t quite big enough to fit an iPhone 11 max with a case on it. These are all first world problems though. Over all it is a fantastic van and so was my old Sedona.
Regarding the piano black... I checked out the Sedona 2 years ago when I was car shopping. It was nice enough, but I had to pass because there were only 2 interior colors available: light grey, and light beige. For a minivan. I don't think Kia fully understands that minivans in the US are primarily used as kid-haulers.
I ABSOLUTELY love the SUV approach to this minivan. I have 0 shame in being a van person or minivan person. but it does look good and vans are so good. I like this thing a lot but I also love the pacifica. I can't afford either but still.
When it comes to minivans, once you know, you know. My wife and I (with 3 kids) shopped around all the three row SUVs because mostly I was reluctant to buy a minivan. We also tried a lot of 2-Row SUVs just for shits and giggles. Let me tell you this. You get a 3-Row SUV only if you fucking hate the child who has to sit back there. Unless you're getting some massive vehicle with a somewhat useable 3rd row like an escalade or that new wagoneer, forget about it. Even then, the minivan will still be more convenient in every possible way, and doesn't cost 100k. Anyway, once we test drove the car we ended up buying (A Sedona) it was obvious the absolute second you sat down in it that it is the SUPERIOR option for comfort, convenience, and utility. It's like an immediate realization that choosing anything else would be downright stupid. Then the day to day living with it became so clear. Getting groceries? Huge storage well in the back. Hauling large objects? Fold the seats down, now you have a truck. Getting drywall? It fits. Going on a road trip? There is no better option, period. Transporting children to school/daycare... again, the sliding doors and large space make it 1000x better than any other vehicle on the road, especially when it comes to car seats, and still having room for backpacks and all the other junk kids accumulate. Being able to stand in the doorway and mess with seatbelts, put shoes back on, or do any of the other million things you have to do to a child getting into/out of a car...again with the sliders it's amazing. Even though it's a large vehicle, compared to some compact car it still works better in parking spots and other tight spaces specifically because of those sliders! I look at these dads at daycare pick-up cramming their kids into a Civic Si, or even like a Rav 4 and (knowing that used to be me) I sympathize with them greatly. Literally everything you do in a vehicle that isn't just for fun or maybe towing a trailer or hauling gravel/dirt is better in a minivan...and guess what? 95% of the time your vehicle is an appliance anyway, so why not get the appliance that improves every aspect of your day-to-day living in a truly meaningful way? As long as I am driving kids around, I will never NOT drive a minivan. Even if this Sedona blows up tomorrow, I'll be getting another minivan. Obviously this may not apply to single people who are only driving themselves around, but to anyone with a family considering an SUV and not thinking about a minivan because of all the cliché reasons... just do yourself a favor and test drive a Carnival, a Sienna, an Odyssey or whatever else. Unless you're completely obstinate, you'll know immediately what all other minivan drivers already know.
It looks so usable for a family! Seriously don't understand how they don't have wraps for the gloss black by now, like dbrand style stuff. But for a family it's wayy better than dreary SUVs
Guess you haven't sat in the new IS or LX? Granted most of their other models have minimal gloss black, but the faux brushed metal effect plastic really isn't the answer either... especially for something that's trying to be premium.
The US version can't have all second row flip around but the middle seat. They install a plastic stopper in the track to prevent that. There is UA-cam video of people figure it out and remove them so it can be done.
Looks like a nice minivan overall. I like the new Carnival name. Not that I hated "Sedona" before. Best styling in its class. They really screwed up not incorporating door cupholders and using gloss black plastics though. Such bizarrely simple oversights. The ability to face 2nd-row seats rearward will be great for kids and teens on long trips. More like sitting in a living room than in a car. No doubt it'll be a value leader over Sienna and Odyssey.
My take is I would possibly do a faux carbon fiber overhaul of most if not all of the interior gloss black. Idk. I’d have to see how it would play with the other colors and materials. But to me the rest of the vehicle is worth it, and I’m open to modding most any of my own car’s interiors. I would definitely want to overhaul it somehow, even if it’s a matte black wrap or something. Reliability used to be an issue to me, but when I look at the answer to that (sienna), the ugliness of the front fascia and one of the heaviest in class having only a 4banger, I’m not sold on that. I’ll take ample power with acceptable mpg over underpowered with better mpgs. To bandaid it they have a great warranty, and the Sedona that it replaces I have heard nothing but good reports of reliability, but even if it has some issues it’s likely covered under warranty. Now people talk about the Pacifica being best but it’s just not going to be reliable, even though it has awd, power and looks. It’s made by dodge. Enough said. So out of all options, KIA is the sweet spot for me. If they went how Chrysler did and put electric motors on the same v6 for hybrid fuel efficiency but not sacrificing power and kept the crazy good warranty? It would probably sell like a telluride. Good vid!
Two reasons why I think the piano gloss black trim has been so prevalent is because customers associate it with a classy, higher end, product/feel, in the same way wood/faux wood trim was in the past, and because "Shiny!"
It really is amazing how badly they did the materials in the interior on this compared to the Telluride. The Telluride has gloss black on the lower part of the center console (around the cupholders and phone charger) but that’s it. There is no other gloss black anywhere - everything else is matte black, metal-look, or (nice) faux wood, and it stays looking pretty nice even after a week of use in between wipe downs.
IDK, I haven't checked myself at the pump but according to the dashboard I've gotten 32 mpg in eco mode while driving on the highway in my 22 Carnival.
I agree about unhinged. Fantastic! And I do say this vehicle Def changes things for some of the people that don't want a minivan because of the "its a van" but could actually use one. This is the answer. And the van people would buy this for the style. They're grabbing a huge market
Only 2 things I don't love on the 2024 Carnival. 1. The C pillar blocks a lot. 2. The back turn signal are down almost under the bumper. It can be dangerous if you are bumper to bumper and want to changes lanes OR with a trailer and some lights don't work well etc.. OR when you did 14 minutes on a snowy highway and the backlights are hidden OR a 10 wheelers doesnt look that low which is understandable! Other than that, the V6 and transmission is good on "normal or sport" mode. Super comfy. (especially with 17 inch rims)
Note that the lower trim models (like my LX) have NO glossy plastic and no capacitive touch, it's knobs instead in the middle. It's great. Also worth noting is that it wasn't just designed to be "different" because people hate minivans, like you mentioned. It was designed to *look* *like* an SUV. And it does. Hell, my family has told me they thought it was before they saw the doors move and it's the only reasons my wife actually wanted it. She fucking hates minivans (like everyone else)
Father of 3 kids under 8 here. Currently driving a 2014 Odyssey. This Kia looks great. Cargo room is on par with the other competitors, but the fuel economy is a deal breaker. I'd rather get good mileage while hustling my brood around town rather than looking more stylish. My next purchase will probably be the Sienna. Oh, and my wife drives a 2021 Telluride and she loves it.
This category of vehicle is the perfect candidate for hybrid or full electric power. AWD electric power, would leave tons of interior packaging room. Best looking minivan in years.
FYI - Reversing second-row seats requires customer modification in US market. (Applies to US Market) See Carnival forums for details.
Still, that feature would make it a great Fake Taxi!
@@rosgoncharuk2403 😂😂
So does this feature futz with side airbag protection? That’s the reason Toyota gives for its middle seats in the Sienna not being easily removed.
Kia and Hyundai need to improve their plastics. Scratch prone surfaces makes their cars look worn out in little time. Not to mention their plastic back coverings from the front seats that look like cheap tupperware.
The one dealership that would comment on the this said it doesn't pass safety regulations. Something about the actual construction of the Carnival, since in 2010 Chrysler still had their Swivel and Go seats which were allowed. Kia hasn't responded of course.
Really wanted to use this for long road trips with the 2nd row reversed but not sure if I'm comfortable with the safety aspect. Would love to know more details and to be convinced it's safe.
i was a car salesman for a time, without fail people would come in and say "I want something roomy and practical and with lots of seats and cargo space that's comfortable but still decent on gas", and when I'd say "well sounds like you want a van" they'd go "NAH I DON'T WANNA BE A 'VAN PERSON'", and to myself I'm just like you're already a van person you're just in denial.
BUT HOW CAN I LIVE OUT MY BEAR GRYLLS FANTASY COSPLAY IN A MINIVAN?
Yup, still hear that today, "basically you want a giant purse that doesnt look like a diaper bag"
Ha ha, people are stupid!
I very rarely had customers come in looking for a van, with most saying, "Ugh, I'll never get a van!" but the rare few that would give a van a chance, that would take a look, ALWAYS ended up buying a van and would rave about how great it was every time I checked in with them.
@@FurballMK3 and they held their value decently, there is still some old caravans still kickin, although "checking in with them" may also not be part of this vans culture, as far as dealership experience haha, nice work!
The fact that you can flip the second row seats around and make that space into a living room is so cool to me
Following his feature explanations is probably as tricky as learning how to configure the seats in all possible ways, but for a moment I thought he was explaining that you can flip the third row backwards so you can enter through the trunk and look out the back.
I remember domestic vans having those seating options as a kid in the mid 80s. Even had a removable round table.
so you can create more offspring within your offspring carrier. even enough room to birth them in there.
Rear facing is actually a safer seating position too
This will b very popular with the adult film industry
Also, you called it the "Kia Caravan" in the final thoughts. Can't tell if that was a joke or a slip up. Either way, it was funny
Noticed that.
I thought it was intentional.
god my parents had one when I was a kid. Such a POS. I actually remember that dumb van because I took my first flight because it broke down in Houston on a vacation.
That was completely intentional. The Caravan created the whole segment/class - so why not call it what it is? ;)
@@baddriversofcolga It was international ;-)
I'm starting to think Gloss Black is a strategic move to make cars immediately unappealing once owned so that you'll want to lease/trade in as soon as possible.
lol
@@dragospahontu that glass black is not fun to clean as well... planned obscelence
I had a Car with Glass Black near the cup holder...DROVE ME CRAZY! Never could keep it clean.
Oh no! You're on to them!
I mean it could be but each model seems to keep getting more gloss black which would eventually push certain people away to another brand at some point.
Your review of the 2016 Kia Sedona five years ago made me purchase my first ever minivan and first ever Kia. Would never have looked at a Korean car before. Five years later it’s been the most reliable car I’ve ever owned, including my Toyota and Acura. Great features and value. I’ve seen the light. No longer a Korean car hater.
I've purchased my first car in the US back in 2016 as well. Kia Optima 2014 LX with 68k miles on it. It has 129k now and I put about 500$ in repairs in total and that was all last year since that day. I spent maybe 2k with oil change , brakes and tires all together. :) It started to burn oil last year tho, I'm changing oil every 3k now
I think I remember him saying the old lead designer for Audi works for Hyundai and Kia or maybe it was a different channel but I think it’s cool
thanks for your write up on reliability, looking for a minivan. And Kia seems to be the most price friendly option.
My parents just installed one of the dog cages to keep me out of the adult areas of the used ups truck they bought. I got a bowl of water now and then and they threw goldfish thru the cage openings at times. I turned out fine
thats great
Haha!
Beautiful life story
Define fine
I’ve been binge watching these reviews despite no plans of buying a new car
I don't know what was funnier the overlay of Russell Crowe from unhinged when Jack was driving or the two women trying to buckle C-3PO into the car seat from the Kia b-roll footage
pretty sure that was Dot Matrix from Space Balls.
Kia is working with big vinyl to integrate as much piano black plastic in all its models as possible. The company makes big kickbacks in the form of Arby's cash from certified vinyl wrap shops every time a kia's interior is wrapped.
I did a faux dry weave carbon vinyl wrap on my piano black. No more fingerprints or reflections. Well worth the time and effort, but you shouldn't have to do it. Hopefully, the next idiotic industry interior trend will be more practical than piano black or alcantara....
😂😂😂
@@dougrobinson8602 same. Had to wrap the center console of my 2020 Mazda 3. I went with a black and white speckle pattern
Would love to see a full piano black plastic interior. Dash, seats, floors, and head liner.
LOLOL!
Minivans get a bad rep. They’re literally the most useful types of cars other than full sized cargo vans. But those get a bad rep for being predator vehicles. I get a feeling it’s the big Truck lobby putting those stories out
They should just bring back conversion vans with a V8 and on a truck chassis. They'd sell.
@@Webic33
Yes, you’re right.
They need to bring back vans with early 70’s retro look.
In Iceland I believe, where weather is pretty brutal, they use vans that they modify. they look really nice, too.
here's a guy in a sweet Sprinter van
/watch?v=daSuDDDewrI
Have you ever been in a full size truck. They are pretty practical with covers over the bed
@@Webic33 you can still buy new conversion Van's. They aren't cheap though, 50-60k. You can get a small RV or a nice used RV for that money.
pretty surprised on the lack of cupholders/bottleholder space, seeing as much of its life may be in the starbucks drive thru
But instead plenty of ways to store your fartphone. - Android cars for cyborg people.
There's 4 cupholders available up front plus two large bottle holders in the doors, two more cupholders in the middle, and 3 on each in the rear. There's more than enough cupholders lmao
@@TheNondiscriminatory still seems light for the american market, with reusable yoga water bottles getting bigger and bigger, a door that could fit them would be nice and the grande mocha latte with a splash of soy, hardly looks like it would fit in the console, in all good fun. I am sure it will not have a hard time selling
@@JamesOrtonVideo White girls have moved on, they now drive Crossovers that are basically minivans with down syndrome.
I’d rather watch savagegeese review a minivan than any other channel review a new Lamborghini or Porsche.
I have zero interest in that segment, nor in the kia brand, but your videos are such a treat. Insightful, humorous, very well structured, sound is perfect, video is beyond professional quality, overall editing is perfect. And like every single time, your laughs are communicative.
Keep going, I'll keep watching.
This car as a plug-in hybrid, a dream car to keep for years.
Favorite line of the review: "If you're in a minivan you've got nothing to live for and nothing to lose.." :D
Pretty much sums up minivan drivers
Funny but it’s probably exactly opposite assuming you have a enough kids to need a minivan
@@janoycresnova9156 I got a honda Odyssey and an Audi RS3 with a tune, I don’t care about what people think and I have no kids, I use a minivan to simply haul.
Great review as usual by the SG team but a few corrections as I've owned my '22 Carnival SX for about 8,000 miles so far. 1) No, you actually can't reverse the middle row in the US. There may be a way to do this by modifying one of the latches, though it wasn't approved for our market for some reason. 2) MPG is better than rated and about on par with the Odyssey and Pacifica....I've done a couple of 2,000 mile road trips so far and averaged anywhere from 28.2 - 33 mpg per tank so not too bad. 3) The Carnival's dimensions are different than the other vans i.e. significantly higher ground clearance than the Odyssey (6.8in vs. 4.5in, which is terrible). Also the Carnival is a couple inches shorter yet still has the most cabin room, though the 3rd row legroom is a little less than the others. LAST: the first thing I did after buying was to debadge. The name is just plain dumb.
Thanks Mark. This is very helpful to one considering this vehicle. Especially the clarification on actual gas mileage. SG is great but I have never heard about the second row being reversible in any other reviews. Thanks.
@@paul38501 you bet and let me know if you have any other questions. There's a good facebook owners group and a chat forum too. No perfect vehicle of course but this was definitely the right minivan (or MPV) for my family at the right price
I had seen that mod in forums to switch them, I added a note in pinned comments. Thanks for adding to the info btw its very helpful for future buyers!!
I'm glad I'm not only person who saw the cinematic masterpiece that was Unhinged
Ok...I've been resisting this for a long time since I'm getting old af and am a newly minted grandpa, but you've convinced me. I'll watch Unhinged tonight.
When my kids were younger, I had a mini-van as a company car. The sliding doors are great - the kids can get in and out on their own and you never have to worry about them dinging up the car next to you. Think of it as a public service
I've learned over the years that Mark really hates piano black plastic.
And yet the ending scene usually has/had piano music and lots of black.
Don’t we all.
@@bonohyogurt for real, anyone who’s lived with it hates it
It’s not that big of a deal, I don’t think he knows how to click buttons apparently
@@Dowlphin curious
You got a loud chuckle out of me with the title: Spawn lounge. Fantastic.
I've only owned one minivan in many years of driving. It was a Mazda "MPV" from the late 80's, early 90's. The only minivan at the time that offered AWD. I learned to love that vehicle when I was able to extract it from a deep, snow covered ditch on an isolated logging road in the Washington Cascades. Without the AWD, I think my wife and I would never have made it back to civilization. In subsequent years I wondered why automakers failed for years to offer AWD in the minivan category.
No question that the Carnival is a major step up from the last generation Sedona. However, the absence of any form of AWD and a hybrid powertrain available on versions of both the Pacifica and the Pacifica will, I think, prevent the KIA from climbing out of fourth place in the four horse race that makes up the tiny category of minivans in the US market.
The way Jack cackles everytime he makes that left turn at the T Intersection gets me every time!!!
I just purchased a 2025 Carnival and we LOVE the styling both interior and exterior. We have three kids and bought the SX trim with all black interior. The glossy plastic pretty much is gone with the newer models.
Did you cross compare to Sienna and odyssey?
the look on Jack's face when you said "fickle" was great.
KIA has been impressing me lately. The Telluride especially.
Boogers everywhere though!! And that lounge seating looks amazing. Not sure it's a "gimmick". Teens everywhere who are forced to be humiliated for being seen in a minivan will love that feature.
Indeed Hyundai group has been impressing me with the amount of piano black plastic they can procure.
Every time I hear "MPV" I can't help but think of the poverty spec shitbox Mazda minivan from my childhood -- silver with grey everything interior. The Carnival is a luxury spaceship by comparison. So many good memories made in that MPV. I'm happy the kids in 2021 minivans have it even better than I did :)
Kia redefined MPV as "Massive Petrol Vore".
Never would I have expected the sentence "This is not a semen demon, Jack" to have been said here of all places but it was here and it was appreciated.
Great review, you nailed key points. I leased a LX +, it’s utterly fantastic. I cross shopped the other players, I’m normally a “honda guy”, but the price, styling, and rear space usability was better for me. I brought my bicycles to each brands dealership to see how the 61cm road bike fits…. Kia won. I’m not sure of resale of Kia’s, but it’s a lease with warranty past my lease return date (unlike honda/Toyota unless u buy extended). Fuel mileage is way better than the F-150 it replaces, and I just keep a microfibre cloth in the door panel to wipe up the gloss black surfaces…. manufacturers quit the gloss black nonsense!!! Zero buyers remorse here. When you acknowledge the fact you need a van, make sure you check this one out. I was surprised. Anyway great review guys, your honesty is what gives u proper credibility amongst buyers!
2020 pacifica owner here. I wish this exterior is on the AWD Pacifica. It makes the perfect MPV.
"This is not a seamon demon Jack." - Mark 2021.
I was confused cause a minivan can be a seamen demon. Your seamen are all over the back seats in the form of little snot nosed kids and they’re all demonic
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. I LOL' d so hard.
Seamon? Seamen? 🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Chrysler will probably trademark the name "Semen Demon" when they decide to throw the Hellcat engine into the Pacifica.
The only thing sex Hellcat owners will attract are other guys. So if sausage fest is your thing, go for it and call it semen demon.
As long as the rear diff doesn’t blow up
I hope I'm not the only one appreciating how great the soundtrack on this video is.
This new КИ logo is hilarious
It is terrible
I saw a teluride on the road with the new emblem and if it hadn't been for TELURIDE plastered in large font on the front bumper, I wouldn't have known what the brand was. It's not that great.
Мне понравился коммент на Авторевю про КИ: Корейская Иномарка. :D
For those who don't speak Russian: the new KIA logo lettering looks like cyrillic КИ (KI), which already beign disambiguated as "Korean Import" in Russian car community.
@@TheDagraner4576 'I can tell U ride'.
@@Dowlphin KoЯn is much funnier. It reads as "Koyan", which sounds very silly.
Just had one of these as a rental. I was very surprised with the power. Transmission was rather lazy, but responded pretty well in manual mode. Overall good interior and pretty comfortable. I definitely had a stripper model, so didn't get to try out lots of fun features. It drove more car like than I would expect, but I didn't like how little feel the steering had. I had a hard time keeping it just straight without any wandering. The lane keep assist would drive in the lane for you pretty well though. The steering was my only major gripe. I really like having sliding back doors. Made fitting in tight spaces and still being able to use them so much easier. Overall a solid vehicle. Definitely makes more sense than a lot of SUV options.
Looking at other comments I was reminded of a couple things. The driver door had wind noise around the window despite being under 50,000 miles. I also hate how massive the C pillar is and how small the back side windows are. Passenger side blind spot was particularly difficult to see. No blind spot warning on the trim level I had either. The touch screen was very responsive and I didn't mind really basic HVAC controls. Didn't notice anything extremely cheap or bad on the interior and I liked the seat fabric.
Saw one in person the other day. I actually wouldn't mind buying this for the family
Got to get this for my wife so she can take our five strangely multiracial kids to soccer practice, school and karate.
And by "multi" you mean >2.
get SIENNA.
@@Dowlphin one looks half black, the other half Hispanic and another very middle eastern
Does it have room for your wife's boyfriend?
@@janoycresnova9156 lmao
"This is not a semen demon Jack. This is a pure hauler."
Love that they even have the Unhinged movie soundtrack playing on the infotainment during the test drive
9:15 fast cornering, tire squealing, plus Mark and Jack both giggling? now that's hilarious LOOL
I gave a thumbs up just for the video title 😂 Already more entertaining than most videos before I even start watching.
I love the complaint about fuel mileage when the driver leaves every stop sign squealing tyres with his foot to the floor. Epic!
i drove my moms old sienna in my college days. Honestly, the best car I've owned to date.
Love hearing you rant about piano black in every review, haha best channel on you tube. Wishing you guys the best!
Some of these minivans look actually good, why would anybody pick a cuckover over this is beyond me.
What’s a cuckover? Asking for a friend
Minivan is an ultimate cuckold mobile. No matter how you spin it.
@@janoycresnova9156 are you saying family men with enough kids to need a minivan are getting cuckolded?
I don't see how this will make me change my mind about my 2000 E39 wagon with its m54 engine that is fast, smooth and pretty good on gas 24.2mpg on average. Burns no oil, blows no smoke, loses no water. If only it was paired with the ZF 8 speed automatic. More than anything, transmissions have improved the most in the last 10 years.
Good looking vehicle. I wonder if the lower trims have less of the piano black.
Ive wondered that too.
When I see that crap, I think it is the lower trim models. Like a lot of Mercedes
You dont know how long i have been waiting for this and the santa cruz
You can drive this from Tallahassee to Burlington and not need a hotel.
You’re right and you can easily pick up Lot Lizards in this on the way. Plenty of room
Need to refuel 8 times though on that 17mpg
What do you mean? The Carnival is a hotel in itself, especially with that available lounge 2nd row seats.
9:59 In Korea this summer, I saw a lot of Carnivals used as VIP transport. Given this comment, I wonder if a Hi-Limousine version would sell here?
I love this infact minivans are now luxury products thats more luxurious than any e class or c class.
Things like the Alphard crown vellfire this Kia Hyundai stari v class gl8 so thats my case
Too bad Korea will never get the Alphard. Makes the carnival look like a pleb mobile.
@@ekgcanadianenthusiast9961 This is not more luxurious than those lmao. Although those are rapidly declining in quality
@@alh06 look why can't mini van be a luxury product what matters is luxury comfort combine that with understated looks it becomes the perfect limo I know that people outside Asia won't agree with me but rest of the world do
1:06
Hey Mark, Where can you get a Rental Toddler? You rent them by the hour or the day?
Why are you asking buddy?
I think the exterior design is great honestly.. If I had to have a van, this one looks really good. The interior not bad either despite the piano black.. I'd say overall solid effort from Kia on this! Wish everyone would keep the NA V6's ...
I HAVE OWNED 4 MINIVANS, LOVED ALL OF THEM!
I miss where you used to talk about the engine in a little more depth. For example, with all the direction injection carbon issues, it would have been worth mentioning that this engine has GDI and MPI. I haven't seen it mentioned in any other reviews either. Odd.
They need to have a hybrid version
I agree, give it an extra 500 lbs and 20 mile range electric only and charge $10,000 extra.
Hybrid model is coming soon
Bought one off these a couple months ago. SX without the prestige pack. Replaced a 2016 Sedona.
I’m pretty sure the American market carnivals cannot turn the second row seats around. That feature is conspicuously absent in the American market literature. I spent an afternoon trying to do it and couldn’t.
It is WAY better to drive than the old Sedona. The Sedona had some jiggles in the body structure especially over broken pavement. The carnival is totally solid. It’s a lot lighter on its feet, eerily quiet and a lot perkier than the old Sedona even though it still isn’t going to win any drag races. It has noticeably more cargo space than the old one too.
But it’s not perfect.
They moved the button for the sliding doors from the overhead console to left of the steering wheel. That was pretty dumb.
The Sedona has nowhere to put your sunglasses. The carnival doesn’t either.
The Sedona had a lot of glossy black plastic. The carnival has more.
The Sedona had a dedicated knob to control the temperature in the back. The carnival doesn’t.
The Sedona had two glove boxes. The carnival has one and it’s pretty small.
You have to go all the way up to the prestige to get a self dimming rear view mirror.
Rain sensing wipers are not available.
The tail gate on both will open itself up if you have the key and stand behind it but you have to stand there way too long while it beeps and beeps and beeps and finally opens.
It has auto high beams but you have to turn them on every time; thus making them not automatic.
The black wheels look stupid and they’re impossible to keep clean.
You have to provide your own hot spot for the rear seat entertainment system.
The wireless phone charger isn’t quite big enough to fit an iPhone 11 max with a case on it.
These are all first world problems though. Over all it is a fantastic van and so was my old Sedona.
Until Minivans go full EV, I'm sticking with my tried and true 2013 Toyota Sienna with its awesome 3.5L V6. VVT-i just kicked in Yo!
VVT-i is not the “lift” version, that would be VVTL-i, so no, it didn’t “kick in yo..”
@@trumpetplyrmatt it was a joke. I forget I even wrote this...
Regarding the piano black... I checked out the Sedona 2 years ago when I was car shopping. It was nice enough, but I had to pass because there were only 2 interior colors available: light grey, and light beige.
For a minivan.
I don't think Kia fully understands that minivans in the US are primarily used as kid-haulers.
I have no idea why I just watched 12 minutes and 49 seconds on this car. Thumbs up.
I ABSOLUTELY love the SUV approach to this minivan. I have 0 shame in being a van person or minivan person. but it does look good and vans are so good. I like this thing a lot but I also love the pacifica. I can't afford either but still.
Don’t mind me, just here supporting my favorite car review channel.
where did i take a wrong turn in life to hear the word 'semen demon' uttered in a car review
and it wasn't even Regular Car Reviews
OMG that title is so good... gave me a chuckle before I even started the video
Jamming "Rage and Fury" as you do your best Daddy Bear Russell Crowe impression >>>
I'd love to see them throw in the 3.3T from the Stinger and AWD.
The glossy material is the best material to clean. All you need is a baby wipe and it'll be so easy to be cleaned.
When it comes to minivans, once you know, you know.
My wife and I (with 3 kids) shopped around all the three row SUVs because mostly I was reluctant to buy a minivan. We also tried a lot of 2-Row SUVs just for shits and giggles. Let me tell you this. You get a 3-Row SUV only if you fucking hate the child who has to sit back there. Unless you're getting some massive vehicle with a somewhat useable 3rd row like an escalade or that new wagoneer, forget about it. Even then, the minivan will still be more convenient in every possible way, and doesn't cost 100k.
Anyway, once we test drove the car we ended up buying (A Sedona) it was obvious the absolute second you sat down in it that it is the SUPERIOR option for comfort, convenience, and utility. It's like an immediate realization that choosing anything else would be downright stupid.
Then the day to day living with it became so clear. Getting groceries? Huge storage well in the back. Hauling large objects? Fold the seats down, now you have a truck. Getting drywall? It fits. Going on a road trip? There is no better option, period. Transporting children to school/daycare... again, the sliding doors and large space make it 1000x better than any other vehicle on the road, especially when it comes to car seats, and still having room for backpacks and all the other junk kids accumulate. Being able to stand in the doorway and mess with seatbelts, put shoes back on, or do any of the other million things you have to do to a child getting into/out of a car...again with the sliders it's amazing. Even though it's a large vehicle, compared to some compact car it still works better in parking spots and other tight spaces specifically because of those sliders! I look at these dads at daycare pick-up cramming their kids into a Civic Si, or even like a Rav 4 and (knowing that used to be me) I sympathize with them greatly.
Literally everything you do in a vehicle that isn't just for fun or maybe towing a trailer or hauling gravel/dirt is better in a minivan...and guess what? 95% of the time your vehicle is an appliance anyway, so why not get the appliance that improves every aspect of your day-to-day living in a truly meaningful way?
As long as I am driving kids around, I will never NOT drive a minivan. Even if this Sedona blows up tomorrow, I'll be getting another minivan.
Obviously this may not apply to single people who are only driving themselves around, but to anyone with a family considering an SUV and not thinking about a minivan because of all the cliché reasons... just do yourself a favor and test drive a Carnival, a Sienna, an Odyssey or whatever else. Unless you're completely obstinate, you'll know immediately what all other minivan drivers already know.
It looks so usable for a family! Seriously don't understand how they don't have wraps for the gloss black by now, like dbrand style stuff. But for a family it's wayy better than dreary SUVs
Clicking for the title. Spawn Lounge. This will forever be my description for every minivan now. Lol the marketing dude at the end.
Lexus will deliver us from the glossy black plastic plague. It is the true messiah.
Guess you haven't sat in the new IS or LX? Granted most of their other models have minimal gloss black, but the faux brushed metal effect plastic really isn't the answer either... especially for something that's trying to be premium.
The US version can't have all second row flip around but the middle seat. They install a plastic stopper in the track to prevent that. There is UA-cam video of people figure it out and remove them so it can be done.
“This is not a seamen demon Jack.” Best quote for a minivan review ever.
10:56 When did the Dodge Caravan become a Kia Caravan?
Looks like a nice minivan overall. I like the new Carnival name. Not that I hated "Sedona" before. Best styling in its class. They really screwed up not incorporating door cupholders and using gloss black plastics though. Such bizarrely simple oversights. The ability to face 2nd-row seats rearward will be great for kids and teens on long trips. More like sitting in a living room than in a car. No doubt it'll be a value leader over Sienna and Odyssey.
We still call minivans MPV here in Asia, and oh boy it's also everywhere especially in SE Asia where people like to breed
My take is I would possibly do a faux carbon fiber overhaul of most if not all of the interior gloss black. Idk. I’d have to see how it would play with the other colors and materials. But to me the rest of the vehicle is worth it, and I’m open to modding most any of my own car’s interiors. I would definitely want to overhaul it somehow, even if it’s a matte black wrap or something. Reliability used to be an issue to me, but when I look at the answer to that (sienna), the ugliness of the front fascia and one of the heaviest in class having only a 4banger, I’m not sold on that. I’ll take ample power with acceptable mpg over underpowered with better mpgs. To bandaid it they have a great warranty, and the Sedona that it replaces I have heard nothing but good reports of reliability, but even if it has some issues it’s likely covered under warranty. Now people talk about the Pacifica being best but it’s just not going to be reliable, even though it has awd, power and looks. It’s made by dodge. Enough said. So out of all options, KIA is the sweet spot for me. If they went how Chrysler did and put electric motors on the same v6 for hybrid fuel efficiency but not sacrificing power and kept the crazy good warranty? It would probably sell like a telluride. Good vid!
"You are not going to drive this like a monkey." ...and the back middle shoulder stamp falls down right on cue. Brilliant!
Great review, your channel is so underated. Subscribed and following now, keep it up.
Who has rated it poorly?
I like the reverse seats in the van. I wish the driver's passenger seats up front swiveled around for more space.
The outro with all that piano black got me
Two reasons why I think the piano gloss black trim has been so prevalent is because customers associate it with a classy, higher end, product/feel, in the same way wood/faux wood trim was in the past, and because "Shiny!"
I agree completely. It looks classyunder showroom lighting and that’s it.
No idea why I'm excited to watch a van video
It's one quarter of Jean Claude Van Damme.
Semen demon.
Only savagegeese can expand my vocabulary in an automotive video.
That intro music reminded me of my childhood so I subscribed.
That grey shirt looks great. I'd buy multiple if they were for sale
6:13, about sums it up for me! Minivan life.
looooooool "you're gonna fuckin find out" clip killed me
It really is amazing how badly they did the materials in the interior on this compared to the Telluride. The Telluride has gloss black on the lower part of the center console (around the cupholders and phone charger) but that’s it. There is no other gloss black anywhere - everything else is matte black, metal-look, or (nice) faux wood, and it stays looking pretty nice even after a week of use in between wipe downs.
IDK, I haven't checked myself at the pump but according to the dashboard I've gotten 32 mpg in eco mode while driving on the highway in my 22 Carnival.
I agree about unhinged. Fantastic! And I do say this vehicle Def changes things for some of the people that don't want a minivan because of the "its a van" but could actually use one. This is the answer. And the van people would buy this for the style. They're grabbing a huge market
Only 2 things I don't love on the 2024 Carnival.
1. The C pillar blocks a lot.
2. The back turn signal are down almost under the bumper.
It can be dangerous if you are bumper to bumper and want to changes lanes OR with a trailer and some lights don't work well etc.. OR when you did 14 minutes on a snowy highway and the backlights are hidden OR a 10 wheelers doesnt look that low which is understandable!
Other than that, the V6 and transmission is good on "normal or sport" mode.
Super comfy. (especially with 17 inch rims)
Ugh I did hate the huge C pillar and tiny back windows. Didn't realize that about the rear blinkers. I did like it overall.
This car is extremely popular in Asia, it's 3/4 of a Toyota Alphard for like 1/2 the price
I'm curious, is that Alp Hard, or Al Fard?
@@ekscalybur Alp Hard for sure
Note that the lower trim models (like my LX) have NO glossy plastic and no capacitive touch, it's knobs instead in the middle. It's great.
Also worth noting is that it wasn't just designed to be "different" because people hate minivans, like you mentioned. It was designed to *look* *like* an SUV. And it does. Hell, my family has told me they thought it was before they saw the doors move and it's the only reasons my wife actually wanted it. She fucking hates minivans (like everyone else)
Gotta love that SG T-shirt
Father of 3 kids under 8 here. Currently driving a 2014 Odyssey. This Kia looks great. Cargo room is on par with the other competitors, but the fuel economy is a deal breaker. I'd rather get good mileage while hustling my brood around town rather than looking more stylish. My next purchase will probably be the Sienna. Oh, and my wife drives a 2021 Telluride and she loves it.
Glossy Black : fingerprints
Matte Black : cheap look
Fake Wood : fake look or tacky sometimes
Real Wood : so expensive
There are some nice imitation carbon fiber.
I mean they have nice fake wood that looks and feels good in the k5 and telluride
Mmmm yes, another addition to the mini van series 🤤🤤🤤
Been waiting for this one 😁
This category of vehicle is the perfect candidate for hybrid or full electric power. AWD electric power, would leave tons of interior packaging room. Best looking minivan in years.