2022 Kia Carnival Lengthy-Time period Street Check: 30,000-Mile Replace

30,000-Mile Replace

Now that the Toyota Sienna has finished its 40,000-mile stay with us, the Kia Carnival is the only minivan doing obligation in our fleet. Granted, Kia’s three-row Sorento SUV has joined the C/D garage, however its smaller cabin and lack of sliding doorways solely serve to remind us that you may’t beat a minivan for passenger consolation and flexibility. And so, we proceed to place the Carnival to good use as we strategy the final quarter of our long-term check, with the Kia flying previous the 30,000-mile mark this summer season because of a gentle food plan of highway journeys.

Over the summer season, the Carnival shuttled assorted staffers and their 93-year-old grandparents, pregnant siblings, and mates. It additionally went tenting on the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Competition in Tennessee. It has garnered reward for its easy experience, quiet inside, and cozy seats, however just a few small niggles have cropped up. It may be troublesome to lift the heavy third-row seats from the properly within the ground that they fold into; extra mechanical help can be appreciated. And the steering-wheel controls strike us as counterintuitive: When listening to music, for instance, as a substitute of urgent the up arrow to go to the subsequent monitor, you press down. The Carnival is so good that tiny points like this stand out.

In earlier updates, we talked about the Carnival’s non-compulsory $360 roof-rail crossbars and their impact on the van’s gas financial system. And we now have extra information to assist the speculation that the bars damage freeway mpg when put in. We carried out our 75-mph freeway fuel-economy check as soon as once more, however with the crossbars eliminated, and noticed an enormous distinction: The Carnival with out the bars achieved 28 mpg, in contrast with 25 mpg with the bars put in. General, our fuel-economy common has continued to rise and now sits at 22 mpg, matching its EPA mixed estimate.

Recurrently scheduled upkeep has continued to be, properly, common. A service at 24,149 miles included an engine air-filter substitute, a tire rotation, and an inspection; the dealership forgot to carry out an oil change, so we went again just a few days later for that. The overall got here to $185. The dealership additionally changed a blown proper entrance speaker underneath guarantee, and at 26,278 miles we changed a broken rear mud flap for $86 after ready just a few weeks for the half to come back in.

With only some thousand miles left in its check, our Carnival SX Status will quickly depart, and we’ll be unhappy to see it go. Hold an eye fixed out for a full recap of its 40,000-mile keep throughout the subsequent few months.

Months in Fleet: 11 months Present Mileage: 34,191 miles
Common Gasoline Financial system: 22 mpg
Gasoline Tank Measurement: 19.0 gallons Noticed Gasoline Vary: 410 mi
Service: $464 Regular Put on: $0 Restore: $0
Injury and Destruction: $86

20,000-Mile Replace

It is solely been just a few months since we final checked in with our 2022 Kia Carnival, but it surely has already gathered one other 10,000 miles and blown previous the midway level of its 40,000-mile analysis. And people miles have not been simple on our Kia minivan, as we made use of its towing capability for the primary time and added Tennessee, North Carolina, Vermont, and Florida to its checklist of road-trip locations.

The Carnival’s largest process recently was to tow a U-Haul trailer filled with stuff from Michigan to New York, which it dealt with admirably. The Kia’s secure freeway manners instill confidence it doesn’t matter what it is pulling, and the three.5-liter V-6 did not really feel overly taxed by the additional weight. Its indicated freeway gas financial system in the course of the trek wasn’t dangerous, hovering round 18 to twenty mpg, and the 19.0-gallon gas tank made it simple to go 300 miles between pit stops. Unladen, we’re typically going over 400 miles per tank, with 457 being the present most. Nonetheless, that’s much less spectacular compared with our different long-term minivan, the Toyota Sienna hybrid, which is averaging greater than 30 mpg and might simply do 500 miles on a tank. Curiously, we now have pumped greater than 19 gallons into the Carnival’s 19.0-gallon tank on two events, and the final miles main as much as these stops weren’t precisely nail-biters. We have requested Kia if there is a reserve quantity that is not accounted for within the tank-size score, and can report again subsequent time.

General, our Carnival’s common gas financial system has risen 1 mpg to 21 mpg, and several other freeway journeys have approached its 26-mpg EPA freeway estimate. We have even often exceeded that quantity, recording just a few tanks upwards of 27 mpg when all the celebrities align. Whereas it is troublesome to isolate variables, we did take away the roof-rail crossbars and remount the inventory all-season tires since our final replace, each of which appear to have helped its effectivity.

Whereas preliminary opinions have been blended on the Carnival SX Status’s commonplace VIP Lounge second-row seats attributable to their restricted versatility (they can not be eliminated or folded flat), our passengers have began to understand these hedonistic thrones. Senior affiliate editor Eric Stafford described the recliner-style chairs as a “good refuge for hungover our bodies after a weekend-long bachelor social gathering in Nashville.” Certainly, the seats’ heating and cooling capabilities and power-adjustable ottomans appear to shock and delight our family and friends members each time we put them again there. Technical assistant Jacob Kurowicki additionally had good issues to say in regards to the Carnival’s entrance seats after a 1200-mile spherical journey to Florida, noting that they supply higher consolation than the Sienna’s entrance seats on lengthy journeys.

The Carnival visited the vendor for routine service at 17,000 miles, which included an oil and filter change, tire rotation, multipoint inspection, and a brand new cabin air filter. This value $174, and we have been additionally in a position to persuade the service techs this time that the audio speaker within the passenger’s aspect A-pillar was actually blown. A substitute speaker has been ordered and ought to be put in earlier than the Carnival reaches 30,000 miles, which at this price should not take lengthy.

Months in Fleet: 7 months Present Mileage: 20,270 miles
Common Gasoline Financial system: 21 mpg
Gasoline Tank Measurement: 19.0 gallons Noticed Gasoline Vary: 390 mi
Service: $279 Regular Put on: $0 Restore: $0
Injury and Destruction: $0

10,000-Mile Replace

It did not take lengthy for our long-term 2022 Kia Carnival to begin doing minivan issues. We have had it for only some months, and we now have already used it as a household conveyance on highway journeys to South Carolina and New York, as a every day commuter, and sometimes as a cell workplace. Some have likened it to a “Telluride minivan,” which is excessive reward contemplating how a lot Kia’s 10Best-winning three-row SUV impressed us throughout its own 40,000-mile stay.

Preliminary reward has revolved across the Carnival’s easy experience and quiet on-road demeanor, together with its interesting heart stack, which options useful menu buttons that make navigating the 12.3-inch infotainment display simple. We discovered the entrance seats to be comfy, however we nonetheless aren’t bought on the second-row VIP recliner-style captain’s chairs, which seem like tailored for adults getting chauffeured round moderately than for youths. Not solely do they scale back legroom within the third row, however additionally they make it troublesome to get again there as a result of they have to be slid nearer collectively—leaving solely a slender passageway between them—to allow their full vary of rearward journey and permit for the ottomans to be prolonged.

Whereas we usually equip all automobiles in our long-term fleet with winter tires, we determined to go a barely completely different route with our Carnival for the chilly months. We’re testing out Nokian’s new Outpost APT tires, which belong to a class of all-weather tires meant to supply higher snow and ice efficiency than all-season tires with out having to be swapped on and off just for the chilly months like true winter tires (though we’ll nonetheless be doing that). The Nokian Outpost tires even have knobby treads that add to the Carnival’s SUV-esque picture.

Up to now, we have discovered these tires to carry out about as anticipated: not as competent within the snow as a real winter tire, however extra assured within the slippery stuff than an all-season tire. They are often noisier than the inventory Goodyear Assurance rubber at sure speeds round city, however aren’t so bothersome on the freeway, the place wind noise drowns out the extra tire thrum.

These new tires is likely to be partially responsible for our Carnival’s disappointing 20-mpg common gas financial system up to now. That’s 2 mpg under the EPA’s 22-mpg mixed estimate and a whopping 10 mpg under our long-term Toyota Sienna hybrid’s 30 mpg real-world common. Our check automobile’s crossbars between the roof rails, a $360 possibility, are definitely compromising aerodynamics on freeway journeys, so we’ll attempt eradicating them and remount the inventory all-season tires in hotter months to see whether or not these changes make a distinction.

Our first service appointment for the Carnival value us $105 and included an oil change, a tire rotation, and inspections. We requested the dealership to take a look at a speaker on the passenger’s-side A-pillar that sounded blown to us, however they did not discover any issues.

Months in Fleet: 5 months Present Mileage: 10,745 miles
Common Gasoline Financial system: 20 mpg
Gasoline Tank Measurement: 19.0 gallons Noticed Gasoline Vary: 380 mi
Service: $105 Regular Put on: $0 Restore: $0
Injury and Destruction: $0

Introduction

Though Kia is pitching the brand new 2022 Carnival as an “MPV” (multipurpose automobile), we see it for what it truly is: a minivan. And that is no dangerous factor in our eyes. Fairly the alternative, as we unabashedly love vans, with their emphasis on practicality above all and the spectacular engineering typical to this section. A 2022 Kia Carnival SX Status joined our cadre of 40,000-mile check automobiles alongside a 2021 Toyota Sienna Limited, since one folks hauler isn’t sufficient.

The Kia follows a extra conventional van path than the Toyota, which is now accessible solely as a hybrid and affords an all-wheel-drive possibility. Whereas styling cues equivalent to an extended hood and snazzy C-pillar trim are supposed to make the Carnival look extra like an SUV than the earlier Sedona, it stays a big field with sliding doorways, seven seats (eight can be found in decrease specs), and a relatively old-school powertrain consisting of a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6 driving the entrance wheels via an eight-speed computerized transmission.

We opted for the Carnival’s prime SX Status trim as a result of it has all of the extras that make its inside extra nice. For a beginning value of $47,275, it comes with an upgraded audio system, a rear leisure system with two screens, and second-row “VIP” seats, every of which options heating, cooling, and a foldout footrest. We did not love the clunky changes for these nonremovable lounge-style seats in our first expertise with the Carnival. We’ll monitor how they maintain up and see whether or not we acclimate to the controls over time.

The overall as-tested value for our van rings in at an excellent $49,000. Apart from the $495 upcharge for Astra Blue paint, our Carnival’s non-compulsory extras principally improve usefulness. The $360 crossbars for the roof rack will assist us tether issues to the highest extra simply, the $575 tow hitch will permit us to utilize the 3500-pound towing capability, and the $95 cargo mat and $200 ground mats will assist hold the cabin comparatively clear. And our black leather-based seats ought to present much less filth and dirt than the non-compulsory brown leather-based—or the light-beige leather-based in our Sienna, which is trying worse for the damage.

On the check monitor, our long-term Carnival was barely slower and fewer agile than a 206-pound-lighter non–Prestige SX model we examined earlier this 12 months. This minivan turned in a 60-mph run of seven.3 seconds, stopped from 70 mph in 186 toes, and recorded 0.79 g across the skidpad; these numbers are 0.3 second, 13 toes, and 0.03 g within the rears of the lower-spec van. Up to now, we’re averaging 21 mpg, which predictably pales compared to the Sienna hybrid’s 32-mpg common in our arms.

We’ll hold this story up to date with all of the Carnival’s adventures over the subsequent 36,000 miles or so, that are certain to incorporate a number of highway tripping, child hauling, and cargo schlepping. In any case, the one factor we like greater than minivans is placing them to good use.

Months in Fleet: 1 month Present Mileage: 3904 miles
Common Gasoline Financial system: 21 mpg
Gasoline Tank Measurement: 19.0 gallons Noticed Gasoline Vary: 470 mi
Service: $0 Regular Put on: $0 Restore: $0
Injury and Destruction: $0