2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid consumer reviews

Bought in Dec 2024 with a great deal. We needed a new car to support 3 car seats. The two choices in the category are mainly between the Sienna and the Carnival. Why we chose the Carnival: Availability: You had to pre-order a Sienna or wait 6-9 months to get one. Pricing: The Sienna was on average $10k higher with comparable features and no ability to negotiate down the pricing. Driving: The Carnival is quite speedy off the line given it is a hybrid. We live in a very hilly area (Colorado). The Sienna really struggled and was very loud going up normal hills. Looks: The Carnival looks like an SUV (Chevy Traverse). The Sienna looks like your typical minivan. The Pearl white color is especially beautiful up close. Tech: Large entertainment screen makes reading text / maps very easy. Rear seat camera is nice to see what the kids are doing. Wireless charger, bluetooth CarPlay work great. Expanded rear view camera. Things we wish the Carnival had: AWD: The Sienna is available with AWD (although no models on the lot had it). Instead of AWD we spent $1700 on snow tires, which typically perform better than AWD and all-seasons tires. Auto-dimming mirror / Homelink in the EX trim. I purchased an OEM and installed it myself for ~$275. The dealer price was around $800. Sure wish a $40k car came with an auto dimming mirror when it comes with a rear seat camera! Concerns: Kia has that nice 10 year warranty, but I'm not sure how well the interior will hold up to 3 kids under 5. The Kia connect app also did not work upon purchase and it requires a factory reset at the dealer Overall: Happy with our purchase. It looks like an SUV but has the space and maneuverability of a minivan. It's fast off the line for a car that gets 36 MPG. It's got the tech of more expensive car. Given Toyota's significant number of recalls, I wouldn't default to Toyota as being the safer / nicer option. I don't think it is worth the extra $.