Kia’s Carnival minivan, or MPV as it is officially referred to by the Korean automaker, has been part of the Kia lineup here since 2022. Kia’s previous minivan, the Sedona, was replaced by the Carnival after a 20-year run. Now, the 2025 Kia Carnival returns to the fold after receiving a mid-generation refresh and an efficient new hybrid powertrain.
The 2025 Kia Carnival HEV carries a good amount of optional equipment along with its new refresh. It’s built on a joint Hyundai-Kia N3 platform shared with other models like the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Kia Sorento. Four trim levels are available, ranging from the entry-level LSX trim, mid-range EX and SX trims, and the range-topping SX Prestige trim. All trims carry identical power, space, and fuel economy ratings.
Powering the 2025 Carnival HEV is Kia’s 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four paired with a 54 kW electric motor, which utilizes a 1.49 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Thanks to the aforementioned power sources, the Carnival HEV produces up to 242 horsepower and 271 lb-ft torque. A six-speed automatic transmission handles the Carnival HEV’s power, and front-wheel drive is the sole drivetrain option. For those not interested in a hybrid powertrain, the Carnival also comes with a 3.8-liter V-6 borrowed from the Kia Telluride that manages 290 horsepower and 262 lb-ft torque. Handy hybrid-exclusive driving aids include electrification-vehicle motion control that allows users to adjust the amount of regenerative braking and E-Ride, which helps smooth out bumps with the help of a specially-tuned suspension.
The new Carnival HEV’s styling takes inspiration from Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design language that aims to combine the rugged looks of an SUV with the familiarity and comfort of an MPV (aka SUV). The front fascia embodies this motif best, with chiseled lines and a muscular radiator grille. A pair of crystal-like headlights sit above the grille and feature Kia’s Star Map daytime running lights. Down its flanks, the Kia MPV retains much more of a minivan look with typically large windows and doors. At its rear, the Carnival again takes up the SUV look and dons a pair of angular Star Map LED taillights along with a repositioned license plate mounting area, allowing for a cleaner rear hatch look. Those whose tastes run to the dark side will enjoy the optional Carnival Dark Edition appearance package that adds black exterior accents. Buyers have a choice of 17 or 19 inch wheels, the latter offered in two different styles.
Inside, the Carnival is just as novel and futuristic. Designers utilized simple shapes and three-dimensional effects through the use of optional ambient lighting. Seating for up to eight passengers is still a hallmark of the Carnival, along with a class-leading maximum cargo space of 145.1 cubic feet. Second-row seats can be removed and third-row seats can fold into the floor for uninterrupted cargo space.
An available twin-12.3-inch digital display takes center stage and does the job of both the infotainment and digital gauge cluster screens. A 12-inch infotainment screen and a 4.2-inch digital gauge cluster screen are standard. Other optional tech upgrades include a full-color head-up display and a Full Display Mirror, which replaces the standard rearview mirror with a camera and display. Seven USB-C ports are standard within the Carnival along with two handy 115-volt power inverters. Saying the phrase “Hey Kia” will activate the Carnival’s multi-zone voice control, allowing users to control or adjust systems like climate control or open and close windows. Brand-new for the Carnival is an available Connected Car Rear Cockpit system, which uses two 14.6-inch monitors and allows entertainment streaming from select platforms.
Carnival features a litany of standard and available advanced driver assistance features. Among these is standard Forward Collision Avoidance Assist, which detects imminent vehicle or pedestrian collisions and assists with steering and/or braking to avoid them. Other available safety features include Junction Crossing, Evasive Steering Assist, and Lane-Change Oncoming, among others.
The 2025 Kia Carnival is poised to make waves in today’s family mover field, though some competitors like the Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid and Toyota Sienna hybrid won’t make it easy. Pricing for the 2025 Carnival will be released as the model gets closer to going on sale this summer.
Toyota’s Sienna minivan is a winner…literally. Introduced as an all-new generation last year, the Sienna has continued into the 2022 model year with few changes other than the notable addition of an adventure-focused Woodland Edition, because honestly, no changes were needed. Sienna is a standout, distinguished as Green Car Journal’s 2021 Family Green Car of the Year™ in its launch year with a back-to-back win as 2022 Family Green Car of the Year™ this year. Green Car Journal had the opportunity to live with the Sienna over the course of a long-term test and found this vehicle indispensable for daily activities.
A look back at the van field’s interesting history lends some perspective on the Sienna’s accomplishment. Green Car Journal editors have a long relationship with vans, from the very beginning of the custom van era in the 1970s to the introduction of the minivan in 1984, then onward as the van field evolved. Stylistically, vans were often boxes on wheels since their mission was function rather than form. Full-size vans were made for work, though many found alternative lives as wild customs or camper vans over the years.
Compared to full-size vans, minivans have a more streamlined purpose. Since the minivan’s introduction, its job has been to conveniently transport families for whatever need, from everyday trips to school, weekend games, or the supermarket to long-distance road trips and quick-weekend getaways. Offering versatile two- or three-row seating to provide options for families of all sizes, minivans also deliver a comfortable riding experience since they feature passenger car-like unibody construction.
While changing exterior designs have been explored over the years and there were some notably futuristic-looking ones that didn’t catch on, most minivans have been predictably straightforward. Their makers focused on elements like family-friendly features, loads of seating, and convenient pass-through access between the seats so parents could tend to the needs of their small passengers in the second or third rows. Designers didn’t devote a lot of attention to soul-stirring style. Over time, families in increasing numbers moved on to sportier SUVs.
Segue ahead and you’ll see how things have changed, with this change no more striking than the image presented by Toyota’s fourth-generation Sienna minivan. Toyota designers aimed high, giving the all-new minivan crisply-chiseled features with well-placed angles and curves, along the way creating a shape and a feel that’s pleasingly aggressive, sporty, and sophisticated for a minivan.
At the front, a large signature grille is striking but not overdone, complemented by angled, wrap-around headlights and a hard-edged lower air dam with LED lights. This sculpted design continues along the sides with angled rocker panels and a distinctive shoulder line. At the rear, there’s an artful blending of curves and angles with a distinctive and integrated spoiler. Matte black accents and darkly-tinted windows add to the Sienna’s sporty persona.
Inside is a spacious and accommodating interior great for daily family duties or longer-distance cruising. The driver is treated to an 8-way adjustable seat with lumbar control while the passenger gets a 4-way adjustable seat. An array of pushbutton controls along the dash complement controls within the vehicle’s 9-inch infotainment touch screen, which is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The instrument panel includes a 7-inch color multi-information display that shows hybrid system output and encourages efficiency driving. A whopping 14 cupholders are strategically placed throughout with eight accessible to the driver and passenger – two always present and visible in the center console, two beneath a lift-up console panel ahead of the gear shift, and two each in the driver and passenger doors.
All the latest safety and driver assist systems are provided with Toyota’s Safety Sense 2.0 suite of active safety features. Among these are dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, pre-collision system with pedestrian and low-light detection, lane trace assist, and road sign assist. Also included as standard equipment is Toyota’s Star Safety System offering brake assist and smart stop, enhanced stability control, traction control, and more.
Seating and storage configurations and options are impressive with seven or eight passenger seating available. Second row seats can slide forward and back or recline, with either folding forward to allow access to the third row through powered sliding doors at either side. Privacy screens lift up at each sliding side door window as needed. Rear air conditioning controls are conveniently located on a ceiling panel at the mid-row. While not in our tester, there’s the option for heated second row captain’s chairs with ottomans and super-long slide adjustment, a real luxury feature for minivans. Recognizing that today’s minivan passengers want to be connected, an array of mini-USB and other power ports are located strategically throughout the interior.
Stowing family gear and transporting requisite necessities from home improvement centers is easy. When additional seating isn’t needed, the third row can fold down for more stowage behind the second row, or fold forward vertically to offer storage on the seatback with a deep rear storage well in the floor behind. For large or bulky items, Sienna’s second and third row seats can fold to deliver a flat load floor from behind the front seats to the rear liftgate.
The Sienna is a joy to drive. It’s quiet, offers confident handling, and all the power you need courtesy of its Toyota Hybrid System II powerplant that integrates a 2.5-liter engine and a pair of electric motors energized by a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack. This 243 horsepower hybrid system, the exclusive powertrain in the Sienna, connects to a constantly variable transmission with sequential shift mode. This delivers an EPA estimated 36 combined mpg in front-wheel drive Siennas, dropping slightly to 35 combined mpg on electronic all-wheel drive models. Three driving modes – Normal, Eco, and Sport – are driver selectable to tailer the driving experience.
This power enables additional functionality like the Sienna’s ability to tow up to 3500 pounds when equipped with an available tow hitch. Also available is a factory optional 120-volt AC outlet and 1500 watt inverter for power at campsites or other uses.
Our thousands of miles behind the wheel of the Toyota Sienna illustrated that this is no mere minivan. Sienna is a champion of family transport, a minivan presented in the guise of a long and low – and might we say quite stylish – luxury sedan that happens to feature three-row seating and a pair of power sliding side doors. Not once did we feel our sporting image challenged during our drives . In fact, along our travels we received many compliments on the Sienna's styling and also its distinctive Sunset Bronze Mica exterior.
In the not-so-distant past, if you were driving a minivan of any kind then you pretty much felt like you were driving…a minivan. Your role was clear: parent, family man, soccer mom, a person whose identity was defined by responsibility and not by your cool or sporty nature. Remember that time-worn adage, “You are what you drive?” By that measure, every time we carved a crisp turn, drove in welcome comfort, monitored our impressive mpg, or pulled up to any venue in our stylish Sienna we were driving in high style and feeling mighty sporty, indeed.
Clearly, Chrysler’s original minivans had a great run, and for good reason. All were based on the same platform featuring a low floor and an overall design that allowed the ability to park in a typical garage. Plus, they drove like cars and not trucks due to their passenger car-like construction. Offering different flavors of the minivan under the Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler brands – with varying levels of sophistication – was a smart move as well. But alas, change is inevitable even within notable success stories. Enter the Pacifica Hybrid.
The company’s sixth-generation minivan broke new ground in 2017 as the Chrysler Pacifica replaced the Town & Country. Featuring an exciting new design on an all-new platform, among its many innovations was the inclusion of the Pacifica Hybrid variant, the first and only plug-in hybrid minivan in the U.S. market to this day.
Four years later, the Pacifica Hybrid now features a redesign with deeper sculpting and sport-utility influences. It’s available in Touring, Touring L, Limited, and Pinnacle iterations, all powered by a 3.6-liter Atkinson V-6 engine mated with electric motors and a nine-speed electrically variable transmission.
This transmission incorporates two electric motors that drive the front wheels via a clutch, rather than using just one motor for propulsion and the other for regenerative braking. The one-way clutch is located on the input side of the transmission and the output shaft of the motor. This one-way clutch enables power from both ‘A’ and ‘B’ motors to act in parallel, delivering the full torque of both motors to the wheels. The system provides a combined 260 horsepower. All Pacifica Hybrid models feature front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive available on the Touring L model.
Energizing the electric drive system is a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery pack comprised of six 16-cell modules. The pack is located under the second row of seats. The benefit of this battery placement is that it doesn’t infringe on interior space, so cargo-carrying capacity is not sacrificed. The battery pack provides 32 miles of battery electric range and charging to full capacity can be done in two hours using a 240-volt charger. Total hybrid driving range is 520 miles.
A suite of driver assistance systems is available either as standard or optional equipment, depending on trim level. Among these are a 360° Surround View Camera, Rear View Camera, Full-Speed Forward Collision Warning with Active Braking, Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Monitor, Adaptive Cruise Control, Parallel/Perpendicular Park Assist, and Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist.
Pacifica Hybrid’s Uconnect 4 system comes with a standard 7-inch or optional 8.4-inch touchscreen, standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and available 4G Wi-Fi. Uconnect 4 with the 8.4-inch touchscreen displays vehicle performance, power flow, driving history, and adjusts charging schedules for less expensive off-peak hours.
The conventionally-powered Pacifica minivan offers a base price of $35,045, while the Pacifica Hybrid starts at $39,995 for the Touring L model and travels upward to $50,845 for the Pinnacle edition.
The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica has earned 50 awards to date, the most unique its latest one awarded by Altair Corporation. This 2017 Chrysler minivan has been honored with the “Altair Enlighten Award” for weight loss, the only award of its type in the automotive industry. Altair recognizes advanced automotive engineering and its impact on fuel efficiency through the reduction of vehicle weight. Lighter by 250 pounds than its predecessor, Pacifica claims the highest mpg in the minivan segment.
"The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is a testament to our team's engineering capability," says Phil Jansen, Head of Product Development at North America. "It's not only lighter than the vehicle it replaced, it's longer, wider, and more efficient. The Pacifica has also earned superior safety ratings and widespread media acclaim. We are proud to add the Altair Enlighten Award to its list of team achievements."
Jensen further acknowledged weight reduction as a contributing factor to improved fuel economy. The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica earns a best-in-class EPA rating of 28 highway mpg and a combined city/highway rating of 22 mpg.
Chrysler’s all-new Pacifica was further distinguished as a finalist for the 2017 Green Car of the Year® award at last year’s LA Auto Show. The Pacifica Hybrid is the only minivan among 40 plug-in models available during 2017 in the United States.
Chrysler, the company that literally created the minivan with its Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager models introduced more than three decades ago, now seeks to redefine the segment with its all-new Chrysler Pacifica. So unique is the Pacifica that it merits new terminology from the marketing department to underscore its versatility.
Classified as ‘Multipurpose’ by EPA, Pacifica transcends the traditional role of the venerable minivan with more on its plate than merely taking the kids to school or handling family errands. The Pacifica is now ready to play starring roles previously cast only for trucks, SUVs, or luxury cars.
In part, that’s because the Pacifica brings something to the segment not seen before: style. The model‘s sleek and sculpted exterior is not only wind-cheating but also pleasing to the eye, cutting a sharp image while offering a remarkable drag coefficient of 0.30, a figure low enough to typically be reserved for sports cars.
Image-conscious dads need no longer take a hit on their psyche while driving a minivan to the hardware store. Not that you’d necessarily want to, this amazingly versatile vehicle can carry 64 quarter-inch, four-by-eight foot sheets of plywood in the rear. For a double date night on the town, clear out the construction materials and fold down the Pacifica’s Stow ’n Go seats to provide limo-like spaciousness. In fact, make it a triple date night with the neighbors since the model’s choice of 2/2/3 or 2/3/3 front/mid/rear seating configurations handle the need with little effort.
Notably, while third row passengers typically get squeezed, not so in this vehicle. Third row legroom is 36.5 inches with 38.7 inches of headroom. That compares favorably with the typically roomier mid-row seat that offers legroom of 38 inches and 39.6 inches of headroom.
When it arrives later this year, the Pacifica Hybrid will be the industry’s first plug in hybrid minivan. That’s a pretty big deal since families have been waiting for a hybrid minivan for years with no options in sight. The Pacifica PHEV will feature a 30 mile range solely from its 16-kWh LG lithium-ion battery, with total gas-electric range an exceptional 530 miles. The Pacifica Hybrid is EPA rated at 80 MPGe (miles-per-gallon equivalent) while operating on electricity. The conventionally-powered Pacifica is rated by EPA at 18 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway while driving on its 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6. There are five versions of the standard Pacifica with the Hybrid coming in Touring and Limited trim levels.
There’s more than exterior beauty and functionality to the Pacifica. These themes are also carried through in the interior, with the posh look highlighted in the Limited model’s perforated leather seats, a look that’s right out of a European luxury sedan. The same is true with the rest of the materials selected for the Pacifica with the vehicle offering an upscale look and feel. Cloth seats are standard with leather and premium leather as options. Four interior color choices are offered to accent the 10 exterior colors available, from Jazz Blue Pearl Coat to Molten Silver Metallic.
The Pacifica is as quiet as a luxury car due to its all-new platform that brings class-leading noise and vibration characteristics, something that was also noted by two fellow journalists during our test drives at Chrysler’s Chelsea Proving Grounds. While the Pacifica Hybrid was not available to drive at this time, the standard version tells a lot about the model’s overall performance, exhibiting quite impressive handling for a vehicle of its size and curb weight of 4,330 lbs (the hybrid will weigh in at 4,943 lbs). The Pacifica’s independent front and rear suspensions play a key roles in its cornering and comfortable ride as do the vehicle’s electronic stability and traction controls.
Manufactures realize that sales are now driven by tech as much as any of the traditional buying touchstones of the past. Chrysler designers and engineers have delivered big time by offering over 100 standard or available safety and security features. Among the model’s many notable tech features is a 360 degree Surround View camera that includes a bird’s-eye view of a driver’s surroundings. The Pacifica’s UConnect Theater system offers 7- or 8.4- inch displays with accompanying sound systems featuring six to 20 speakers and brands like Alpine to Harman Kardon. Six USB ports are standard.
Perhaps the most beneficial option is Pacifica’s Stow ’n Go seating that allows the rear compartment to be configured entirely flat for optimizing storage and hauling capability. Aluminum sliding doors are hands-free and the liftgate opens by raising your foot at the rear, both will sure to be favorite options as well. The most practical offering is the model’s Stow ’n Vac, a system hidden in the door that allows for quick and efficient cleaning of the massive carpeted interior without requiring a stop at the car wash. For animal owners there’s even an optional tie-down pet kennel. When removed it also doubles as a kennel for hotel or campsite.
Power comes from a transverse-mounted 3.6-liter V-6 with 287 horsepower and 262 lb-ft torque, a combination that delivers more than adequate performance for two-lane road passing. The coming Pacifica Hybrid is expected to provide 260 horsepower, although the addition of an electric motor with its immediate low-end torque will surely up the performance ante. The conventional Pacifica runs on unleaded regular fuel so there’s additional savings to be had at the pump. Both variants are front-wheel drive and well-balanced with a front-to-rear weight distribution of 56.5/43.5 in the Hybrid and 55/45 in the standard model.
A contributing factor to Pacifica’s performance and fuel efficiency is its use of a nine-speed electronically-controlled automatic transmission and a torque converter clutch. Gears six through nine are all overdrive ranging from 0.81 to 0.48. Translation: maximum fuel efficiency gained by tall gearing that keeps engine rpms low. The Hybrid will have an electronically variable transmission standard with dual-motor electric drive capability and start-stop technology.
Unlike the standard model, the Pacifica Hybrid is not recommended for towing. The Hybrid comes with a smaller gas tank at 16.5 gallons compared to the standard 19 gallon, although higher fuel efficiency will clearly make up the difference. Expect braking to live up to the model’s performance with standard 13 inch vented rotors front and rear plus ABS braking.
The final question for some will be, “Does it fit in my garage?” But of course. Pacifica features a length of 203.8 inches and a width of 79.6 inches. With the foldaway powered mirrors extended the width increases to 90.4 inches. The Pacifica will also fit in most folks' budgets with prices starting at $28,595 and moving up to the high $40,000s. As is customary, pricing for the Pacifica Hybrid will be announced closer to its debut.
