Long-distance road trips are a litmus test for new relationships. Is Kia’s minivan up for a transcontinental move?
I tell friends that they should never get serious about a new relationship unless they’ve traveled together. And I’m not talking about a romantic weekend at a nearby bed and breakfast. I’m talking serious travel with a bit of challenge or potential hardship baked in. Long days. Time zone changes. Unfamiliar locations and atypical foods. You can tell a lot about someone from the way they travel, and even more so, you can tell a lot about interpersonal compatibility. Long-distance travel is a make-or-break forge for new relationships. Not to put too fine a point on it, that same notion applies when establishing connections with new vehicles, too. After logging 2,300-plus miles over six days of driving to permanently relocate my family across the country, I’m excited to say that CNET remains in a happy long-term relationship with our 2022 Kia Carnival.
Moving is inherently stressful. Even more so when it’s not a small move, but a major one after a long-term house sale. Add in a transcontinental relocation that involves serious downsizing, transporting multiple senior pets and so on, and you have a recipe for pressure and tension. With all the stress of packing, saying goodbye to friends and neighbors, all I really wanted was a spacious, quiet and comfortable cocoon to shepherd my family from Detroit to Los Angeles. This minivan more than delivered. In fact, it aced the test.
I actually did this exact epic schlep more than once in the last year. My family previously took our long-term Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV on a monthlong dry run to see how we liked SoCal life, and that drive didn’t go nearly as smoothly for any number of reasons. Even if both cars have three rows, a crossover and a minivan don’t exactly make for an apples-to-apples comparison, so I won’t belabor the point. Suffice it to say, the Carnival was not only far roomier and easier to get in and out of, it delivered a better ride, superior seat comfort and far better cabin technology.
Atypically posh and stylish
The Kia even garnered more admiring glances and compliments than most SUVs, which is unusual for a minivan and not something I’m used to. I hadn’t even made it out of Western Michigan when a young Starbucks drive-thru employee exclaimed, “Wow, this is the bougiest Kia ever!” Now, that kind of remark might not always be a compliment, but in this case, it clearly was. The barista gushed about the Kia’s huge screens (dual 12.3-inch displays, one for the gauge cluster and another for the touchscreen infotainment) and the cabin’s strikingly premium-looking Tuscan umber and off-black leather upholstery.
The Carnival’s smart exterior styling probably didn’t hurt, either. It’s worth mentioning that many automakers have periodically tried to remove the stigma around minivan ownership by giving their models SUV-like styling cues, but nobody has successfully negotiated this trick as well as Kia. This design’s taller, boxier nose doesn’t look like a tacked-on afterthought the way that General Motors’ old GMT201 minivans did. In fact, this Kia looks more cohesive than the recent mid-cycle refresh exacted on Chrysler’s otherwise-excellent Pacifica. Were it not for the placement of the Carnival’s door handles and the track channel for those rear sliders, you might not even notice that this is a minivan (at least until you clambered inside).
Dog approved
Our senior rescue jindo, Doug, didn’t take advantage of Carnival’s rear seatback entertainment screens or the business-class-style reclining seats, but he did appreciate having his own climate zone, especially the b-pillar-based air vents, because they don’t get blocked by a rear-seat pet platform/barrier like most vehicles’ center-console outlets. Better still, the fact that the Kia’s Side-Flex functions allows for the second-row VIP Lounge captain’s chairs to be slid together laterally not only enabled easier access to the third row, it makes for a more-solid pooch perch.
The Kia Carnival’s Rear Passenger View second-row camera is great for keeping an eye on pets. Kia
By the way, shout-out to our newly purchased Amochien Backseat Extender For Dogs — you’re expensive, but you’re well built and your solid platform was a huge quality-of-life upgrade for our arthritic old boy versus our previous sling-style contraption.
One more note about the Kia’s unmatched fido friendliness: This top-shelf SX Prestige ($47,970 delivered) includes a novel Rear Passenger View Camera feature, a bit of tech that might be even more welcome for pets than it is for children. It was both reassuring and fun to be able to use the touchscreen to keep a watchful eye on our dog (even after dark thanks to the included night vision).
Road impressions and fuel economy
The one-way relocation road trip took me through rain, sleet, snow and withering sun, venturing from Michigan to Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and finally, California. Given the late February, early March timeframe, it came as no surprise that we’d encounter some bad weather, so we left the Carnival on snow tires to minimize concern in the Rocky Mountains without all-wheel drive. I needn’t have worried, as the Kia never set a foot wrong. The 3.5-liter V6 and 8-speed automatic transmission handled climbs and ascents smartly, with only a couple of the highest peaks having me wishing for a turbocharger to counteract the power-robbing thin air.
This being a road trip, you’re no doubt curious about the fuel economy. The answer isn’t great — I averaged 17 mpg spread over 10 tanks and 2,238 miles (I actually drove about 80 miles on the remnants of a previous tank to start our journey). That pales in comparison to the EPA’s 26 mpg highway rating for this model, but the observed efficiency comes with a pile of asterisks that doesn’t even include my lead foot. Mitigating factors included a filled-to-the-headliner cabin and cargo area, varied weather, mountains, traffic and most importantly, the huge, drag-inducing Yakima RocketBox Pro 14 roof box mounted on a set of freshly installed factory cross bars.
Bougiest. Kia. Ever. (Or so I’ve been told.) Steven Ewing/CNET
For comparison’s sake, on a road trip from Detroit to New Orleans, our less-capacious (but all-wheel-drive) long-term Hyundai Palisade Limited averaged 19.5 mpg with the same roof box over a less-mountainous route in warmer weather. Our other editors have logged above-EPA efficiency when driving this long-term Carnival under more typical usage cases, but either way, there’s no disguising the fact that Kia doesn’t offer a more parsimonious hybrid version of its minivan like Toyota’s Sienna or Chrysler’s plug-in Pacifica.
Overall, this 2022 Kia Carnival proved to be an enjoyable and well-rounded road-trip warrior, every bit as impressive as it’s on the daily. In my normal life, I have no need for a minivan, but that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t have welcomed having this Astra Blue Kia in my driveway a lot longer — even without any more road trips on the calendar.
Keyword: 2022 Kia Carnival Long-Term Update: Detroit to LA Relocation A-Go-Go