Kias have gotten to be stylish rides, and the Carnival minivan is no exception. This upscale van packs more luxurious bells and whistles befitting a Mercedes than Lee Iacocca could shake a stick at, at an affordable price point to boot. Right now, Kia is pushing a number of incentives to move old models of the Carnival, which has been redesigned for 2025. You might be able to get an amazing price on a brand new van.
Kia landed in the United States in the mid-nineties guns ablazing, with the compact Sportage SUV and the highly affordable Sephia. Years of embarrassment in the lives of schoolchildren whose parents could not afford a new Ford Explorer or Taurus ensued. Times have changed, however, and as with its corporate partner Hyundai (which owns a controlling stake in Kia), Kia is now dusting its automotive rivals.
Enter the Carnival: Americans of all classes can now haul their kids and their dogs in a van with leather clad captains chairs. This minivan is a far cry from its predecessor, the Sedona, which was frankly an embarrassment. The Carnival is an attractive minivan offering, and not just because of its low price of entry. Starting at $33,200 msrp, the Carnival handily undercuts the roughly $37-38k starting prices of competitors like the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, and Chrysler Pacifica.
The Carnival has best in class passenger and cargo space, and a standard 3.5L V6 with 290 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. It has an 8 speed automatic transmission and powers the front wheels. Other standard features include an 8 inch touchscreen display that has smartphone connectivity, power sliding rear doors, smart key with push button start and rear parking sensors.
The Carnival has five trim levels, including the $35,200 Seat Package upgrade that has 2nd row “slide flex” seating and faux-leather trim. Get crazy with the options and you’ll be in the $46,300 starting msrp SX Prestige trim, which includes 19 inch machine-finished, 12 inch navigation, memory and power front seats, LED head and taillights, genuine leather seats, Bose audio, and a host of other features that make this Kia minivan the envy of the dog beach parking lot.
The Carnival is available in Astra blue, flare red, deep chrome blue, aurora black pearl, snow white pearl, ceramic silver, and panthera metal. There are even two-tone interior options featuring “tuscan umber” and two-tone leather seat trim.
Right now Kia has attractive lease rates on the 2024 Carnival. Carnival also has bonus cash in addition to Kia’s $500 military discount. And did we mention the starting price is only $33,600, which shames the $38,240 starting msrp Honda Odyssey. Be sure to check your local dealers for the best pricing available; a Carnival facelift redesign debuts for 2025, and the 2024 models have to go.
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