Being a minivan, or say, MPV, the Carnival offers three rows of seating with the capacity to accommodate seven or eight people, depending on trim level. The SX Prestige model swaps the regular second-row bench for “VIP lounge seats”, which is luxurious but cuts down the seating to seven and cargo space by 60 cubic feet as you can't fold them. However, the passenger room inside is appreciated - legroom measures 41.1 inches up front, 40.5 inches in the second row, and 35.6 inches in the last row.
Other strong points of the new Kia Carnival are a high-quality cabin material, user-friendly infotainment system, and clever family-friendly features like a cabin camera and intercom system. Kia offers countless charging ports and cupholders for extra convenience.
Moreover, the third-row has enough room to fit three adults, but since the ground is slightly high, and thigh support is not too great, they would start to feel uncomfortable. In Carnival, the cargo space behind the third row is rated at 40.2 cubic feet, which expands to 86.9 cubes behind the second row. Most trims offer an impressive 145.1 cubic feet of space behind the first row, which is on par with the max cargo capacity of the Odyssey.
The base trim comes with nominal cloth upholstery, but as you upgrade to upper SX trims for faux leather or real soft leather. Moreover, there are soft-touch materials all around, while a large center console and an optional Mercedes-style dual-screen infotainment system with a digital gauge display are notable design changes. The cabin is modern as compared to the Sedona, with a brilliant dashboard design and metallic inlays with hexagonal patterns.
The word ‘minivan’ is synonymous with comfort, practicality, and spaciousness, and all these rivals stand true to these claims. Each of them is spacious and can take the form of a luxurious cabin in their top-spec. Buyers will find the Kia Carnival and Honda Odyssey more spacious in the third row. The interior highlights of the 2022 Kia Carnival include:
- Power Sliding Rear Doors
- Smart Key w/ Push Button & Remote Start
- Rear Park Distance Warning - Reverse Sensors
- 7 USB Ports (6 Charging, 1 Media)
- Rear passenger air-conditioning
- Sliding and removable 2nd-row seats
2022 Kia Carnival Infotainment and Features
It’s not just the relaxing cabin, but the 2022 Kia Carnival also boasts advanced tech-laden features too. The dash houses an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, but we’d advise fitting a dual 12.3-inch display that is spread across 2/3 of the Carnival’s dashboard. Pick any of these and you’ll have the latest UVO infotainment interface. The interface is quite intuitive and the sharp graphic display makes it effortless to access the menus.
The Carnival can also equip Rear Passenger View & Talk feature that allows the front driver and passenger to communicate with the third-row passenger(s). It includes a camera mounted on the roof that displays the view of the space behind the front seats on the infotainment display. Kia even added a one-button smart open-and-close for the rear power-sliding doors and tailgate, making the 2022 van more practical. The system is also equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. Various quirky features include:
- Optional Rear seat entertainment system
- 12-speaker Premium Bose audio system
- Voice recognition
- Bluetooth wireless technology, Hands-free phone, and audio streaming
- 6-USB charging outlets
- 4.2-inch trip computer display
- Interior and Map Lighting, Bulb Type
- Optional wireless charging
- Optional 12.3-inch Supervision Meter Cluster LCD Display
- Optional heated and ventilated front seats
