2025 Kia Carnival: A Minivan Reimagined
Kia has never been content to rest on its laurels, and the 2025 KIA Carnival is proof of that. This popular minivan has undergone a significant refresh, introducing hybridization, new styling, and many exciting features. But does this make it the minivan to buy? Let’s dive into the details and find out.
Powerful Performance and Hybrid Option
Under the hood, the 2025 KIA Carnival offers two powertrains. The standard 3.5L V6 engine delivers an impressive 290 horsepower, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive, achieving a combined fuel economy of 21 MPG. A hybrid model will also be available later in the year, featuring a 1.6L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine combined with electric components, producing 241 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque.
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Sleek Exterior Redesign
Kia’s latest design language is prominently featured in the 2025 KIA Carnival. The refreshed exterior includes a bold tiger-nose grille, distinctive star-map lighting, and full LED headlights. The rear end matches this updated aesthetic with a full-length tail light design and a sleeker, more cohesive look. I am adding to the SUV-like appearance of the minivan.
Luxurious and Tech-Focused Interior
Step inside the 2025 KIA Carnival, and you’ll notice significant updates, especially in technology. The interior features a new dual-screen setup, which is standard on all trims. The gauge cluster offers a semi-digital display with a fully digital option on higher trims. The infotainment system now includes wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Seat materials vary by trim, with leatherette and genuine leather options available. The mid-level EX trim features a unique navy blue and light grey color scheme, adding a touch of sophistication. Standard features include power-adjustable seats, memory settings, and heated seats.
Safety and Convenience
Safety is a priority in the 2025 KIA Carnival, with all trims now offering a comprehensive suite of safety features as standard. These include adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and more. The Carnival also boasts a hands-free power tailgate, standard power sliding doors, and ample cargo space, making it a practical choice for families.
Family-Friendly Features
The 2025 KIA Carnival is designed with families in mind and offers flexible seating arrangements, including an eight-passenger configuration and VIP lounge seating on higher trims. Rear seat occupants enjoy ample space, climate controls, USB ports, and sunshades. The third row provides excellent legroom and headroom, making long trips comfortable for everyone.
2025 KIA Carnival, The Minivan gets a facelift and Hybrid version
The first North American auto show opens its doors, and one of the first novelties is the renewal of the KIA Carnival Hybrid 2025, one of the few minivans that persist in the market and that reaches its new model year, showing significant changes and renovations; both inside and outside, highlighting the incorporation of a hybrid powertrain.
Following the United Opposites design language, the Korean minivan debuts a new, more prominent grille and a redesigned fascia in which the new cube-shaped headlights accentuated by the amber daytime running lights stand out.
The back also underwent a renovation to make the design cleaner. Similarly, the South Korean brand has made new alloy wheel options available to customers, ranging from 17 to 19 inches, and boasting new designs.
The new features add a new Dark Edition that, as its name says, features darkened exterior elements, including roof bars, protection plates, C-column trim, doors, tailgate, wheels, and exterior mirror housings.
2025 KIA Carnival Interior
Opening the doors, we find a redesigned, cleaner cabin with simple shapes and three-dimensional effects achieved through ambient lighting covering the dashboard’s width. The dashboard features a more minimalist design, with horizontally aligned information and climate controls.
In the technology and connectivity department, the 2025 KIA Carnival features a curved widescreen dual display with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen. A color head-up display and the Full Display Mirror are available as options. The list of new features continues with the lights integrated inside the seat belt clip that lights up to make it easier to locate in the dark;
We also have the voice recognition feature that responds to the command Hey Kia and the optional VIP Lounge Seating Package, whereby we recline the seatback and deploy the leg extension with a single voice command.
Additionally, Carnival now offers Kia’s connected car navigation (ccNC) operating system that allows, among other things, over-the-air updates.
2025 KIA Carnival Engine
Under the hood, this minivan maintains the 3.5-liter V6 and 260 lb-ft.
The novelty, as we mentioned at the beginning, is the incorporation of the 1.6-liter turbo-hybrid engine block paired with a 54 kW electric motor and a 6-speed automatic transmission, which delivers a combined power of 242 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque.
Safety is guaranteed thanks to the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) suite, which includes a comprehensive list of driving aids. KIA Carnival 2025 will soon arrive on sales floors, and prices will be announced later.
Kia Carnival 2025: The minivan with SUV style goes Hybrid
Since its debut, this model has stood out by combining the aesthetics of an SUV with the practical functionality of a family vehicle, better known as a minivan.
To generate higher sales volume and be closer to the Chrysler Pacifica, Toyota Sienna, and Honda Odyssey, the KIA Carnival appears with a series of improvements in the 2025 model year.
Through these adjustments, plus the styling with which it appeared in its new generation to replace the Sedona, this model is destined to redefine the multipurpose vehicle segment with its impressive features and advancements.
Specifically, it seeks to make a dent in the Pacifica and Sienna by introducing a hybrid power system, sophisticated design enhancements, and attractive next-generation technology. Let’s dive into the details of this groundbreaking vehicle.
Now, you can Choose a Hybrid Version.
Of all these improvements, it is a fact that the one that stands out the most about the KIA Carnival 2025 is the new powertrain composed of a hybrid system that unites the power of a 1.6-liter turbo engine combined with a 54 kW engine and a six-speed automatic transmission, giving a total of 242 hp and 271 pound-feet of torque.
For those who like more power, KIA keeps the 3.5-liter V6 engine that produces 287 hp and 260 pound-feet of torque,
Exterior and Interior Improvements
On the outside, the design of the Carnival continues with that style of resembling more an SUV than a minivan; only it contains a redesign in the grille, bumpers, headlights, in the housing of the license plate that is relocated to the bottom of the tailgate, the rear lights and the wheels ranging from 17 to 19 inches.
More Technology in the 2025 KIA Carnival
Meanwhile, the information and climate controls aligned horizontally on the dashboard have a minimalist design, as does the spacious center console with large double cup holders that accommodate a large drink.
A curved widescreen dual display features a 12.3-inch instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen integrated into a single panel. It also has a head-up display, a digital rearview mirror, and seven USB-C ports.
Also new to the 2025 KIA Carnival is Kia’s next-generation Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) system, and the available Connected Car Rear Cockpit (ccRC) systems enhance the passenger experience.
The CNC system, which goes on the dashboard screen, offers faster processing and higher fidelity, with frequently used quick controls accessible with a simple screen swipe. The ccRC system offers rear passengers an entertainment system with two 14.6-inch monitors and Full HD resolution.
In addition, this minivan offers over-the-air software updates and an ultra-wideband-based digital key,
It was also improved in Safety.
In the face of the philosophy of constantly evolving with advanced driver assistance systems, Kia has equipped the latest advances in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). An example is the standard Forward Collision Avoidance Assist, which alerts the driver and can automatically assist with braking to avoid collisions, or Highway Driving Assist, which maintains a predetermined distance from the vehicle in front and assists with lane changes on certain roads.
A Different Kind of Minivan
The 2025 KIA Carnival Hybrid is a minivan game-changer, offering a unique combination of SUV aesthetics, exceptional passenger and cargo space, and advanced technology. Carnival sets a new standard for multipurpose vehicles with its hybrid powertrain, sophisticated design enhancements, and next-generation technology.
The 2025 KIA Carnival is available in five trim levels (LX, LXS, EX, SX, SX Prestige), while the Carnival HEV will be available in four trim levels (LXS, EX, SX, SX Prestige) when it goes on sale (expected in summer 2024).
2025 KIA Carnival MPV Redefined: Elevating Multipurpose Appeal With Hybrid Power
Improved Presence
Embracing the distinctive Opposites United design language, Carnival confidently embodies a bold, modern SUV look. Characterized by a superb sculptural grille, the front fascia features a chiseled and assertive design juxtaposed with intricate and high-tech details in cube-shaped headlights accentuating Kia’s signature amber Star Map daytime running lights.
At the rear, the Carnival looks more refined, with smooth surfaces and clean lines. The license plate housing has been relocated to the bottom of the tailgate for a polished look, while the crisp contours of the Star Map taillights add depth to the rear. An available wide, contoured skid plate that contrasts with the black coating on the lower rear fascia completes the exterior redesign.
The technical shapes extend to the Carnival’s available alloy wheel options ranging from 17 to 19 inches, which display a variety of geometric angles. For those more interested in design, the Carnival Dark Edition4 has blacked-out exterior elements, including roof rails5, skid plates, C-pillar trim, side door trim, tailgate trim, exterior side mirror covers, front grille, and wheels.
A Haven of Comfort and Convenience
The horizontally aligned information and climate controls in the center fascia have a minimalist design, as does the spacious center console with large-capacity dual cup holders that accommodate a large drink. A curved widescreen dual display features fully digital instrumentation with an available 12.3-inch cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, elegantly integrated into a single panel for ultra-modern appeal. An optional front display7 In full color, it projects group and navigation information onto the windshield directly into the driver’s line of sight.
The available full-screen mirror8 Replace the traditional rearview mirror with a camera view by simply adjusting the bottom tab. The lights integrated inside the seat belt buckle illuminate, making locating them accessible in the dark. Mobile devices in all three rows. At the same time,
first-row and second-row speakers, recognizing key triggers like opening windows or adjusting with the optional VIP Lounge Seating Package, second-row passengers can activate their seat’s relaxation mode by reclining the backrest9 and deploying the leg extension with a single voice command.
The “2025 KIA Carnival” cavernous and flexible interior space is unchanged for 7 or 8 passengers while maintaining its best-in-class 145.1 cubic feet cargo space10 behind the front row. The Slide-Flex seats for the 8-passenger versions continue to allow for multiple configurations with a sliding center seat in the second row that allows the front passenger to access an infant or child riding in it quickly. Removable second-row and folding third-row floor seats remain a Carnival staple (second-row seats are not removable on the SX-Prestige).
A Connected Carnival
Moving into the future of in-car technology, This advanced system processes faster and with higher fidelity, with fast, frequently used controls that can be conveniently accessed with a simple swipe across the screen. Over-the-air updates 11 help the Carnival to stay updated.
Rear passengers are invited to enjoy Kia’s new Connected Car Rear entertainment system. Developed in-house, the dual 14.6-inch monitors and Full HD resolution system allow streaming from popular platforms, potentially adding future over-the-air content. Passengers can connect their Bluetooth headphones and mirror from external devices with an HDMI port.
The advanced Ultra Wideband-based Digital Key 2 allows customers to use their compatible smart devices or an NFC-enabled smart card as virtual vehicle keys to lock, unlock, and drive. This innovative technology allows the driver to unlock the Carnival without holding their smartphone. In addition,
Enhancing Multipurpose Usage with New Hybrid Option
The motivation in the Carnival still comes from an available 3.5-liter GDI V6 engine that produces 287 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque bolstering its position as a multipurpose for 2025 with a 1.6-liter turbo hybrid engine paired with a 54kW engine, with a combined output of 242 horsepower, 271 pound-feet of torque.
Unique hybrid performance enhancements aim to improve performance and fuel economy while contributing to an overall comfortable ride. The 17″ aero wheels are exclusive to the Carnival HEV. In Eco/Smart mode, Electrified Vehicle Motion Control is activated by the movement of the gear lever to adjust the amount of regenerative braking with a three-level deceleration control.
The vehicle’s responsiveness when entering and exiting a curve and E-Ride and E-Evasive Handling Assist are designed to help control the vehicle’s movement during emergency steering.
Progress in ADAS:
Carnival’s standard and available advanced driver assistance systems are updated with the latest Kia trims. Central to Carnival’s advanced driver-assistance technology is the standard forward collision avoidance assist12, designed to alert the driver if it detects a risk of collision with an object or person in front and can automatically assist with braking to help prevent collisions under certain conditions.
The system now offers crossover, changing language in the opposite direction, Switching the language side, and evasive steering assistance.
First introduced on the EV6, Carnival is also a driver comfort system designed to maintain a predetermined distance from the detected vehicle in front, keep the car within lane markers detected on certain roads, and assist in lane changes under certain conditions.
Other available ADAS features include navigation-based intelligent cruise control 13 and the Intelligent Speed Limit Assistant.
1. Over-the-air features and upgrades may require additional cost and vary by model, model year, and trim level. Features, specifications, and rates are subject to change. A Kia Connect subscription is required, and Kia Connect terms and conditions apply.
2. Inventory is expected to be extremely limited.
3. Roof rail crossbars and roof rack accessories are sold separately and are omitted. Always carry the load safely.
4. Distracted driving can lead to loss of vehicle control. Never use a system that distracts you from the safe operation when operating a vehicle.
5. Failure to pay attention to the travel conditions and operation of the vehicle could result in loss of vehicle control. Always drive safely and use caution.
6. Full Display Mirror is a registered trademark of Gentex.
7. Best-in-class cargo space: Comparison based on publicly available data on cargo space in midsize minivans as of January 2024. Midsize MPV class as defined by Kia segmentation.
8. Over-the-air features and upgrades may require additional cost and vary by model, model year, and trim level. Features, specifications, and rates are subject to change. A Kia Connect subscription is required, and Kia Connect terms and conditions apply.
9. When activated, navigation-based intelligent cruise control is not a substitute for safe driving or cruise control procedures. This is not an autopilot feature. It may not detect all objects around the vehicle. Always drive safely and use caution.
10. Intelligent Speed Limit Assist is not a substitute for safe driving and can only operate under certain conditions. Always drive safely and use caution.
Conclusion
The “2025 KIA Carnival” combines powerful performance, cutting-edge technology, and family-friendly features in a stylish package. Whether you choose the robust V6 or the efficient hybrid, the Carnival is set to be a top contender in the minivan market. Hybrid model and experience the ultimate in-family transportation with the 2025 KIA Carnival.