When I drove the current Kia Carnival I said it was “low-key the best family car you can buy” on account of its reasonable price, extreme comfort, high level of stylishness, and overall luxurious feel. The one piece that was missing? It wasn’t particularly efficient and could definitely benefit from a hybrid system. Kia has listened, and the new 2025 Carnival gets a tweaked exterior and an honest-to-goodness hybrid system.
The refreshed Carnival continues to improve, with a revised exterior package inspired by the Kia Telluride and other modern Kias. Is it a touch Cylon [Ed Note: This is a Battlestar Galactica reference, apparently. -DT]? Yeah, but not in a way that I mind.
Kia calls the Carnival an “MPV” and not a minivan, which is mostly marketing-speak, but I’ll let it pass because the vehicle is just full of smart features like giant cupholders, USB outlets everywhere, sliding seats, and all sorts of other goodies you actually want when you have kids.
Whether you want a hybrid or non-hybrid, all new Kia Carnivals get the refreshed maw, over-the-air-update capability, a new connected cockpit system, an updated ADAS system, and even lights in the seatbelt buckles so kids can find them more easily in the dark (a constant source of annoyance).
But let’s get to the good stuff, because if you’re buying this I think you should skip the 3.5-liter V6 with 287 hp and 260 lb-ft and go straight for this new hybrid. And I say that having never driven it.
What We Know About The Hybrid
As expected, the hybrid we’re getting in the United States is basically the hybrid being offered in South Korea already. Kia takes a 1.6-liter turbo inline-four and pairs it with a six-speed automatic transmission and a 74-horsepower electric motor for a combined output of 242 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque, which is a bit more than the related Kia Sorento Hybrid.
There’s a little bit more detail in Kia’s press release:
Unique hybrid performance upgrades further aim to improve performance and fuel economy, while also working towards an overall comfortable ride. Aerodynamic 17” wheels are exclusive to the Carnival HEV. In Eco/Smart mode, Electrification-Vehicle Motion Control (E-VMC) kicks in with the flick of the paddle shift lever to adjust the amount of regenerative braking with a three-level deceleration control. Other features specific to the Carnival HEV include E-Handling, which is designed to help improve vehicle responsiveness when entering and exiting a corner; E-Ride that can help smooth out the action of going over bumps with specially tuned shocks, and E-Evasive Handling Assist that is designed to help control the vehicle movement during emergency steering.
This is a parallel hybrid system, so it can’t go for long distances on pure electrical power like the Pacifica PHEV, but it should be able to scoot along at low speeds only using the electric motor and 1.49 kWh lithium-ion battery. For packaging reasons, the hybrid is only available with the 8-passenger layout, not the 7-passenger layout.
There are also no details yet on pricing, though we do know the system won’t be available on the lowest-level LX trim (which currently starts around $34k with delivery). If I had to guess I think the hybrid option will probably start around $38k before delivery, to keep it slightly under the 2024 Toyota Sienna (which is hybrid only).
And, finally, there are no EPA range estimates, but this review of the hybrid from The Korea Herald provides some clues:
Despite its sizable frame, the 1.6-liter turbo engine coupled with the electric motor delivered a robust and refined performance. Officially, it promises a fuel efficiency of 13.5 kilometers per liter (about 31.75 miles per gallon) — just a little lower than the latest Toyota Sienna Hybrid at 14.0, which leads this segment in the US.
The reporter’s test reported fuel efficiency of 13 kilometers per liter in mixed usage, including all three Eco, Smart and Sports modes — slightly below the official figure but much higher than its gasoline counterpart, which hovers around 9 kilometers per liter at best.
The Sienna, if you get the FWD version, produces an EPA-estimated 36 MPG city and 36 MPG highway. If the Carnival can pull off even 33/33 that would be a massive improvement over the current vehicle’s 19/26 numbers. Do I wish this was a PHEV? Absolutely. Do I wish that Kia offered AWD like the Sienna Hybrid? Sure. If enough of us buy these things might that be in the future? Only one way to find out.
Kia says the redesigned Carnival goes on sale this summer, so we should all know soon enough if this is an even better deal and if the mileage is worth all this excitement.
It’s nice to see another hybrid minivan in the mix. I began bitching 20 years ago about the lack of hybrid minivans. With our 2010 Mazda5 trashed, rusted, and too small now for our family of 5, we almost pulled the trigger on a Hybrid Sienna last year. Ended up bailing due to lack of choices on things like color and the long wait.
It’s not often that all of us + large dog are all going the same place at the same time so it still makes more sense just to take 2 cars.
The lighting in the pictures makes it look like someone put on 1″ wheel spacers all around.
Another strange forced looking restyle, it didn’t work on the Sorento and it doesn’t play well here either IMHO. I like Kia’s but their awful trend of putting the rear turn indicators down low in the bumper and not eye level should have stopped before it ever began! I despise being behind them in bumper to bumper traffic.
I can’t say enough about my Carnival. We’ve done a lot more roadtrips as a family since we’ve got it.
It’s eats up the highway miles and there’s just so much room.
If this keep the same 3500 lb tow rating I could see myself trading up to this.
I’ve been saving this article until my day slowed down. I really like the look of the Carnival, and the hybrid is definitely what Kia needed. The mpg for the standard version is poor and those new numbers will definitely make this compete with the Sienna.
But for me, I really want a PHEV Pacifica competitor. They are the only van in that category, but I don’t think it would take much to knock them off the top there. Kia already has the drivetrain technology. It is the combo that makes me the most excited.
I’m glad they’re offering a hybrid option… but would prefer if they went the all-hybrid route like Toyota.
Any word on the tow rating of the Carnival hybrid? The Sienna can still tow 3500 lbs. And for some reason, the Pacifica hybrid has a 0 lb tow rating which I think is ridiculous.
Other models with the same hybrid powertrain – like Sportage, Sorento, Santa Fe – are rated for 2000 lbs with trailer brakes, so I could see the same for the Carnival hybrid. That would be in line with other models, the V6 Carnival and the 2.5T Sorento are up to 3500 lbs with trailer brakes (same for Santa Fe except the the XRT is up to 4500 lbs).
You can still get the Sienna in FWD as a hybrid?
Hybrid only, AWD optional so theoretically yes
This is very very very very very appealing to me. I have MAJOR issues with Kia right now though, so I will be monitoring this powertrain’s reputation from behind a houseplant, Spaghett-style, until my trust can be restored.
Not sure if that’s possible.
Spaghett! The reference makes me want to now go binge all of the T&E (ASGJ) eps again.
I feel the same way about the Elantra N
Oh f. If this was available last fall it probably would have been our choice over the Odyssey we ended up with.
Purely out of curiosity, why did you not choose the Sienna?
Price, availability, interior quality/features. The interior felt cheap (my wife particularly hated the fake wood center console) and we thought it isn’t as well suited to small children as the others. But the first 2 reasons were the biggest hurdles – we would have had to pay something like $8k more and wait 9 months to get the Sienna we were looking at vs. the Honda we ended up with off the lot, and the Sienna would have less features.
I’d be willing to pay a few thousand dollar premium for a hybrid, but with the higher MSRP and the dealer markups that are still prevalent around here on Toyota hybrids it just didn’t make sense. I’d hope this hybrid Carnival would solve that problem, though I admit it’s rolling the dice more than getting a Toyota.
That’s exactly what we did. Couldn’t get our hands on a Carnival, won’t drive a Chrysler product, and the Sienna was just too damn ugly, the most expensive, and also impossible to find. We got an Odyssey, which has been perfectly cromulent.
Yep, that’s pretty much how it went for us too. Given that the Odyssey is still the best selling minivan even though it’s ancient I’m guessing it’s the conclusion reached by a lot of buyers. The Odyssey isn’t the far and away best option, but it wins on the most important things.
I said at the time my ideal van would have the powertrain of the Sienna, the interior layout/features of the Odyssey, and the tech of Carnival. A hybrid Carnival would get a lot closer to that idea.
Calling a Kia the best is a disservice to consumer’s everywhere. It may be the best driving new van, but it will be the worst driving used van in short order. Assuming it’s financially viable to keep on the road, meanwhile Honda’s with J series V6s go for 300k+ all day every day. And no, before all you Honda haters come out, Honda hasn’t had systemic, catastrophic transmission failures in over a decade, pushing two decades really. Yeah yeah, one of your crack-whore girlfriends will have bought a 10 owner 2010 odyssey for your baby and the transmission grenaded at the drive through cig store, and that can happen to anyone in any clapped out vehicle.
Honda owners are like, “Please don’t take our side.”
So they’re just having random, intermittent catastrophic transmission failures instead? You’re right, that’s much better!
source: Edmunds owner reviews of late-model Hondas
Ah yes. Unsourced reviews from random internet strangers is totally accurate reliability data.
You realise that to everyone else you’re a random internet stranger who just claimed the transmissions were reliable based on no verifiable data?
Yes, that’s the paradox. Internet reviews and comments are useless for reliability data. Pointing that out doesn’t mean I’m right. It means don’t believe internet reviews and go get your own evidence/
I personally know Honda tranny’s aren’t an issue anymore, but I’m not about to go dox myself to prove some internet troglodyte wrong.
What even is this comment? It started as standard JDM Bro nonsense and turned into hating women and poor people? Could you not? Thanks 🙂
How about YOU don’t tell what people to do.
Well, that escalated quickly!
It’s way more fun to start the straw man arguments people will come with than to let them bring them on their own. Plus it saves me time.
It’s all in the username, and it checks out.
Wow! This guy has opinions! About minivans!
Eh. I just hate Hyundai’s with a passion.
Huh. Seems like you’d be more of a Nissan fan.
What’s that supposed to mean?
I’d personally rather have a 36 mpg Sienna that’ll also do 300k miles and was designed this decade, rather than spending the same money to have a brand new 10 year old Odyssey, but that’s just me.
As a matter of fact, I personally would likely take the Kia and the Chrysler (and spend my savings on an extended warranty or something) before the Honda. Hondas are not well built enough these days, and big Hondas have never been well built enough, to intentionally choose the worst designed product in the segment.
No idea what you’re talking about, Pilots, Ridgelines, and Odysseys have always been built well after the transmission issues from the 1st gen Odyssey. 1st gen Ridgelines/Pilots regularly go past 300k miles with original drivetrain. The only thing you can complain about is they all get absolutely dismal fuel economy for being a V6.
Thank for covering this aspect of his post. I didn’t have it in me…
I agree.
But some people just don’t want hybrids. My comment was more about saying a Kia is the best option. To be fair and accurate the current Odyssey came out in 2017 as a 2018 model.
Well, the data says your wrong. According to Edmunds, there is no savings at Chrysler and Kia in buying new. You certainly have some opinions on the matter but the data says your wrong. Every mechanic I have ever met says Chrysler’s and Kia’s are built cheaper than Honda/Toyota. Sure the Honda might not have quilted seats and memory foam padded armrests, but that’s not build quality, that’s just features which no one should care about. They should care about running costs.
https://www.edmunds.com/car-comparisons/?veh1=402010873&veh2=402000227&veh3=402010973&veh4=401989174
Over 5 years 15k miles according to Edmunds (link above):
A 2024 Carnival Costs 77 cents per mile, a 2024 Pacifica Costs 74 cents per mile, a 2024 Odyssey Costs 64 cents per mile, and a 2024 Sienna costs 64 cents per mile.
The Odyssey ties the Hybrid Sienna. That’s pretty impressive when you consider every year it’s in the hole $4400 on fuel alone. Again, running costs should matter more than anything, but it obviously doesn’t to some. So, whatever. But, people need to read the data.
Your right about the tranny. Now your Honda will just literally punch you in the face with its defective airbag.
I think you should go look up who is all impacted by the Takata airbag recall and report back. That’s your homework. Due at midnight.
There are so many other cars involved in the Takata recall, along with Hondas. You did mean due by midnight somewhere around March 30th, right?
That’s the point. What does Takata’s failure have to do with Honda’s quality if Takata’s failure impacted 90% of the market?
Honda is not the issue here, man.
HOLD THE PHONE. I see in another comment you own a Kia and the insurance doubled. And you wanna rag on Honda for a market wide supplier quality issue? When Kia quality is so poor it made your insurance double?
My previous Soul and current one has been trouble free. 180k issue free miles on the ’11 before getting a new one. I have no issues with Hondas. I’ve had 5 Civics over my lifetime. I had an Element before, replaced it with the first Soul. Insurance on current Soul came back down to normal after the recall was completed on it.
Serious question: Can you get any Kia insured at a reasonable rate, or at all? It was my understanding that the ignition scandal had caused insurance rates for Kias to skyrocket, and some insurers refused coverage altogether.
(Only a relatively small number of models were affected by the ignition fiasco, but it was causing thieves to break into anything with a Kia badge.)
Yes but it is widely dependent on year, trim, area, company, etc. I would not expect abnormally elevated insurance for a 2022+ redesign but it stands to reason if they cut corners in immobilizes and fixed it, what else did they skimp on? (and we won’t know for a bit)
I had no issues whatsoever insuring our brand new KIA last May. The rate was quite good actually. I asked them to double-check because it was so low.
Mine went up on my Soul last year, almost doubled. After I submitted proof the recall had been done on it, my rates went down a bit over 40% on my recent renewal.
Nice but walking into a Kia dealership is a hard no.
Too bad they’re not using the 2.5 non-turbo, which will also be replacing the 1.5T on the 2025 K5
I don’t think they have the 2.5 paired as a hybrid in anything, but it seems like they are aligning the 1.6T as the hybrid powertrain overall and maybe why the Sonata/K5 dropped it in favor of the NA 2.5 (which K5 didn’t offer at all before). Doesn’t account for the 1.6T Seltos/Kona though, and the Sonata hybrid uses the NA 2.0. On that note, I am surprised the K5 didn’t add a hybrid variant either for 2025, I guess they feel they’re covered in that pricepoint with the Niro and the base Sportage hybrid which is less than an equivalent Tucson hybrid.
The big question is how long lived are the Kia/Hyundai 1.6 turbo motors? I hear some class action lawsuit level horror stories with regard to the 10 year old or so 2.0 turbo motors. The Settlement was in the Billions as I recall. This is why I tend to be wary of the small displacement turbo motors in general though. the Trax/Encore 1.4/1.5 turbo motors (also Korean I believe) have a bad reputation, as does the Ecoboost 4’s with regard to the water jacket and head seals in #2 or #3 cylinders or then the Nano Ecoboost 6’s with valves dropping and OIl leaks causing fires.
I am probably too cautious, but I feel like if I was shopping a Honda VS Kia, the simple, basic and reliable NA V6 regardless of actual power output would be hard to look past. I do see the possible benefit of a hybrid I suppose, but again that is just another layer of complexity to worry about.
You might be thinking of the Hyundai/Kia Theta II engines, which are known to throw bearings at random with no warning or way to prevent it. Both Turbo and N/A versions of the engine family are affected AFAIK.
It’s unclear. They couldn’t build a solidly reliable GDI 4 cylinder for a decade and the question is whether they’ve improved enough now. I’d rather shell out for a Toyota hybrid anyway. Buy once, cry once. (and while HyunKia have a rock solid 6-speed auto, I rather have the simplicity of the eCVT in Toyota/Fords.
Small turbo motors work well for highway use where the turbo is loafing along or at a steady amount of boost. Spiking the boost all the time like city driving is harder on everything. A turbo hybrid seems good since it smooths out the spikes with electric torque. Less wear on the ICE bits. At least in theory.
The 1.6T Gammas are largely free of the 2.0T and 2.4L Theta engine issues and are known only to experience the typical GDI engine issues. It’s too early to judge the H/K 2.5 Smartstream engines but the most consistent negative comments from reviewers are about 2.5L is terribly underpowered for their CUVs.
My friend has one of those new basic Santa Cruz and honestly, for being like $29k and AWD, the engine is perfectly adequate. Sure it’s a little loud and needs more revs, but decent enough as a DD. I hope it stays reliable for him as his former 2015 Sportage ate a motor @ 75k miles and was out of a car for 3 months before he got a new free motor.
I feel like a mild Luddite for saying this, but 1.6L and a hybrid sounds fine for the Sportage or if Kia saw the light and dusted off the Rondo, but in a modern maxivan? The Sienna’s 2.5 sounds like minimum adequacy for that size of vehicle, even if 240hp also sounds adequate.
Its going to be enough torque to get you around, but you are going to really hear and feel the fuel getting gulped down on long climbs with a full load. Once that hybrid traction battery is depleted, that 1.6 is going to be hating life.
Must be laying on a LOT of turbo boost. Hopefully they’ve learned some mechanical durability lessons from the Theta series problems.
I predict it’ll have a similar amount of boost that a typical ~1.5T would use nowadays. 242hp total – 72hp e-motor = at least 170hp from the 1.6T, and the average compact crossover comes with this size of engine making 180hp. Hopefully the Theta problems were expensive enough for them to care.
Reviews of the Sienna have said the same thing. That unboosted 4-cylinder is absolutely wheezing when the battery is depleted and you are carrying a big load and/or climbing a grade.
It’s probably just ok for around town use and as commuter on the freeway, but the I’d choose the V6 if hauling around people stuff on the freeway often. Also a 1.6T is roughly equivalent to a 2.5L N/A, but it’ll have no match for the Sienna’s 41% thermal efficiency.
the hybrid option will probably start around $38k before delivery, to keep it slightly under the 2024 Toyota Sienna
They really ought to beat the Sienna’s pricing by more than $1K. If I was cross shopping a Kia vs a Toyota in the same segment, it would take more than $1K to make me choose the Kia.
it probably has more features for the price, as is the Kia/Hyundai way
[Edit: comment was not meant to be a reply, system won’t let us delete…sorry all]
Siennas still haven’t recovered from supply shortages, and they’re very hard to find at all, let alone at MSRP. They could price it the same as a Sienna and still be very competitive for the next year or so.
My takeaway from this article is that David Tracy has never seen Battlestar Galactica.
So say we all.
YEEEEAH BUDDY
I’m glad the bit about the real world fuel economy was included. Everything I’ve seen indicates this 1.6T + hybrid setup they use everywhere underperforms its EPA ratings especially on the highway.
In any case I’m sure it does better than the V6 and this is a welcome addition to their lineup.
I’ve had 2 products with this drivetrain. Saw owners complaining on forums/reddit about MPG, but here were my real world results. I used both vehicles to commute 50-60 miles each day, 75-85mph, with adaptive cruise set most of the way.
Cold weather (real winter, not CA) : 31-34 mpg
Mild-Hot weather : 35mpg-40mpg
First was a Tucson AWD Hybrid Blue trim (died via tree limb), second is a Santa Fe AWD Hybrid Blue trim.
I feel like most of the people complaining didn’t want to admit, or didn’t realise that it is, in fact, how they drive.
Honestly…the hyundai hybrid system with the 1.6t is fun to drive. More fun than a toyota hybrid, although I will admit the toyota system is a bit more efficient and probably more reliable long-term.
I’ve seen mixed on the 1.6T hybrid real-world numbers, so that’s good to hear. We have an older Niro in the family that has typically outperformed its EPA numbers on the highway (or should I say, matched that of the trims with smaller wheels and a higher rating). Even though the MPG scandal was 10+ years ago, another negative news piece isn’t something they need right now.
And in other good news, it looks like the turn signals have maybe moved off the bumper and into the main taillamp assembly! The clear section in the bumpers looks smaller so it would only be the reverse lights. Let’s hope anyway.
Pricing estimate seems right on the money, a hybrid Sportage runs about $2-3k over the standard engine, less of a premium on the Sorento. A 2024 Carnival LXS is $37k with destination, so that would edge it in just under 40k.
Seems all the more likely then that they’ll add the hybrid system to the Palisade and/or Telluride before long to match Toyota.
Turn signals in the bumper should be illegal and I will die on this hill
I will die on that hill alongside you. I own a Hyundai/Kia product with that design, and it’s one of the very few things I don’t like about the car.
Yup, I full expected them to not change that since other H/K products have kept bumper signals in a facelift (like the Forte), but the updated Carnival bumper looks to be a reverse light + reflector and the taillights themselves are larger now, so seems promising.
And this is why I can’t write car news. I am completely incapable of having an opinion about this thing. It exists entirely outside my universe, like TGI Fridays or Matchbox 20. It simply is, and I neither like nor dislike it, and this is probably the only time I’ll even acknowledge it.
What are we talking about again? Some sort of van?
We are talking about inexpensive transporation, for a family on a budget, who desires to buy something new, yet not feel as though they are driving around in a Redwings penalty box.
Everyone feels that way, until they own a good van or minivan. Then they fall in love.
Minivan hate is so 20th century.
If Mazda rebooted the MPV/Mazda5 with a plug-in hybrid, it’s be at the top of my list.
Idris Elba lived in an Astro van on the streets of NJ/NYC. He claims to still want one, he loved that van.
I think we can all move on from saying anything bad about minivans.
Who said anything about hate? I just said I can’t think of anything to say about it (or the overwhelming majority of new cars, for that matter) one way or another. I actually quite like minivans, and I think they’re a great solution for a lot of people. I was simply acknowledging the fact that I don’t have the capacity to write about a new one as “news.” Just trying to be funny. Apparently it didn’t work.
God dammit… can they please just make this AWD with the hybrid drivetrain?
The Sienna hybrid is awesome, but you can’t easily remove the 2nd row, which is what I require so that I can use it for camping trips, which means I won’t get the Sienna.
*Everyone liked that*
Can we start a petition for The Autopian to get one of these as a long term press car/official site mascot? Other than a manual brown wagon I’m not sure if there’s anything we’ll all agree on more than a hybrid minivan
Damn Kia, are you sure you’ve E-named E-Enough E-systems to make sure people understand that its E-Electric?
How did they pass up E-Vasive Handling Assist?