It all started with a game of Tetris.
Not a literal game, but one where I had the goal of fitting seven people into a 2025 Kia Carnival along with all of our luggage and heading to the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Now, Tetris is a game of skill as much as timing. You would think there would be more time to configure the luggage, connect up all of the devices to the many USB-C ports in the Carnival, and get everyone situated. If you think that you likely have not traveled with kids. There are mere minutes to pack up and figure out how to make it all work before the younglings get restless.
Here’s my biggest takeaway from the trip: The Kia Carnival is surprisingly spacious. With 40.2 cubic feet of space behind the third row seats and with a deep cavernous compartment, I had no problem lining up all of the carry-on sized suitcases. Another big surprise: They fit side by side and lengthwise, meaning you don’t have to turn them sideways to make them fit. This was ingenious on the part of Kia, and likely involved a lot of testing.
When you can fit in suitcases like that, it means you make the most of the lower cargo space (see photo below) and can stack camping supplies, boxes, and backpacks on top and even cram in a few pillows and game consoles. I was amazed at just how much we could fit into the rear compartment.
And that’s good news when you need to fit seven people in the vehicle as well. It means the second (and sometimes even third row) seats are not captain’s chairs like so many crossovers and SUVs, but instead work as a full bench seat. Technically, the second row has a removable seat that also happens to shift back and forth by quite a lot, so the second row is highly customizable to your needs.
What it meant for us with seven people driving 600 miles one way is that the middle seat in the second row could be pushed far back for more legroom, or could be scooted forward for a smaller child to sit comfortably, leaving even more room in the third row.
All reports from the passengers were consistently good — not a bumpy ride at all, no feeling of “hold on for the ride” around tight corners. This is harder to accomplish than you might think, because many larger vehicles have the downside of making it seem like you are in a roller coaster in the back careening over bumps and around corners.
The Carnival SX Prestige I tested is spacious and stable on the road. I did miss having passenger screens, which are available at a higher trim level, but honestly you can always grab an iPad or a portable DVD player to accomplish the same goal. There’s a full outlet plug-in for devices as well. And even one in the rear cargo area which we used to inflate some water toys.
I don’t normally say this, but I had to look for things I didn’t like on this long road trip. It took me a while to realize that the Passenger View feature (which shows a live view of the passengers and their smiling faces to the driver) also allows you to talk to passengers. Whatever you say is relayed through the speakers, which is nice. But I couldn’t find a way to enable or disable that audio feature.
I loved being able to disable the windows from being opened, which is a common feature these days, but I’d like to be more selective. I hope some automakers realize you might want to disable windows for one passenger but not the other. Wow, I loved that second and third row windows have a privacy screen. I am used to only the second row passengers having that pull down shade. I thought it would have been cool to automate those and make them electronic.
These are obviously amazingly trivial issues — and they are not unique to the Carnival or any minivan. I loved the space, loved the Passenger View mode, and most importantly the passengers loved the smooth and stable ride. Even in the far back, where we usually stuck the adults, there are no issues with the space or the ride even after the full 600 mile route to the Black Hills.
There are also plenty of chargers for the connected generation. No one said they didn’t have access to a USB-C port or a full outlet charger, and no devices died on the route. The wireless charger for the driver also worked perfectly, although I had to remove my iPhone case to make it work.
More than anything, I just can’t recommend the Kia Carnival enough when it comes to rear storage. Don’t just look at one at the dealership. If you can, ask to put in a few boxes and see how they all fit so easily. It takes more time, but you’ll appreciate playing Tetris in the long run.
