Kia Carnival vs Toyota Sienna

The 2024 Kia Carnival made quite the impression with its bold and SUV-inspired design. Its prominent grille, slab sides, and pronounced hood gave it an SUV-like appearance, although its sliding doors and lack of ground clearance still signaled it as a minivan. The grille had a slightly concave shape adorned with disco-ball-like trim, while the taillights featured filament-like lighting elements. The test car, an SX Prestige model, sported optional 19-inch wheels that filled the wheel wells perfectly, avoiding an overly try-hard look. This design approach granted the Carnival a more distinctive appearance compared to the restrained but handsome Chrysler Pacifica and its two Japanese rivals.

Inside, the Carnival continued the SUV-like theme with chunky switchgear and a big shifter designed to appeal to image-conscious dads. The large buttons and knobs not only looked rugged but were also easy to use. The SX Prestige trim felt solidly built, featuring materials chosen to endure the rough-and-tumble life of a family hauler. While the base LX models got cloth seats, EX and SX trims came with leatherette upholstery, and the SX Prestige featured real leather. Heated and ventilated first and second-row seats and dual sunroofs were available, although the rest of the interior remained mostly plastic, even in the highest trim.

The Kia Carnival boasted a variety of plastic trim pieces, including piano black, metallic elements, fish-scale-like patterns, and textured gray reminiscent of the 1990s. These materials, while not luxurious, were practical for a family vehicle compared to harder-to-clean wood or leather trims.

Meanwhile, the 2024 Toyota Sienna also turned heads with its sleek front and rear fascias and availability in vibrant colors like deep blue, red, or green. The Sienna LE, XLE, XSE, Woodland Edition, Limited, and Platinum trims offered distinctive styling choices. The XSE trim, in particular, added a sporty touch with a black metallic mesh grille, black heated side mirrors, and 20-inch dark wheels. The Woodland Edition stood out with exclusive colors like Cement or Midnight Black Metallic, roof rails with crossbars, a tow hitch, and a half-inch increase in ground clearance.

Inside, the Sienna's interior focused on practicality and kid-friendliness. It featured a lower storage pass-through for bulkier items, four cupholders up front, and additional holders in the front doors. Upper trims included a wireless charging pad on a shelf above the glovebox. The second-row seats offered a sliding feature, but the seats couldn't be removed, affecting maximum cargo space. The third-row seats provided ample legroom when the second-row seats were moved forward. Upper trims even included ottomans for the second row. The Sienna's horizontal design lines contributed to a sense of spaciousness, and it came with plenty of cupholders and storage solutions.

The 2024 Kia Carnival simplified its powertrain options with a single choice: a 3.5-liter V6 engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive (FWD). This engine delivered 290 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, slightly surpassing the Honda Odyssey's engine. The Carnival lacked an all-wheel-drive (AWD) option and didn't offer a hybrid powertrain like the Toyota Sienna or Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid.

Driving the Carnival was a pleasant experience, thanks to its well-tuned steering, which struck a balance between lightness for easy maneuvering in parking lots and precision for smooth handling at higher speeds. The Carnival's chassis provided a comfortable ride, making long road trips fatigue-free. Interior noise levels were low, and an internal speaker system allowed easy communication between front and rear passengers.

The Carnival's V6 engine and traditional eight-speed automatic transmission provided smooth and quick gear changes. The V6 emitted a satisfying growl under full throttle, while the whole powertrain operated without complaint. Although this combination might not be the most efficient, it reminded drivers of why naturally-aspirated V6 engines were once so popular.

In contrast, every 2024 Toyota Sienna was equipped with a hybrid powertrain that combined a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors to produce 245 horsepower. AWD models featured an additional electric motor for the rear wheels. The Sienna's performance, however, left something to be desired. Despite the sport-tuned suspension and Sport mode, it felt sluggish off the line, and the continuously variable transmission (CVT) didn't help with acceleration. The CVT could be noisy and the hybrid system often felt slow, especially during highway merging or climbing steep grades.

Around town, the Sienna provided a mostly pleasant but unremarkable drive. Normal and Eco modes were ideal for city driving, while an EV mode was available for low-speed areas. The brakes were sometimes too grabby, causing spills, but the steering was light and accurate, and visibility was excellent.

The 2024 Kia Carnival came standard with seven-passenger seating and sliding, removable second-row seats on the base LX trim. Other trims offered an eight-passenger configuration. The SX Prestige model featured second-row captain’s chairs with footrests, and optional VIP Lounge seats with one-touch sliding and recline functions. All trims had power-sliding rear doors, with higher trims getting a power liftgate and tri-zone automatic climate control.

The Carnival's headroom across all three rows was comparable to other minivans, but it had the least third-row legroom. Nonetheless, its cargo space was impressive. With all seats in place, it offered 40.2 cubic feet of cargo room, thanks to a deep cargo well. With the third and second rows folded, it expanded to 145.1 cubic feet, surpassing the Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Pacifica, and Toyota Sienna.

Up front, the Carnival had a well-organized space with chunky controls, a large shift lever, toggle switches for heated seats and steering wheel, and plenty of cupholders and a phone charger. The raised center console made controls easily accessible. The Carnival could also tow up to 3,500 pounds, matching the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna and slightly trailing the gasoline-powered Chrysler Pacifica.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna offered practicality with some tricky seating features. It featured a lower storage pass-through for bulkier items, four cupholders up front, bonus holders in the front doors, and a shelf above the glovebox housing the wireless charging pad. Both side doors were powered, and second-row passengers could close them using the interior handle or a button on the B-pillar. The second-row captain’s chairs could slide 25 inches, providing up to 40 inches of legroom in the second row. Upper trims included ottomans for the second row, adding to passenger comfort.

The third row was easily accessible, and with the second row moved forward, it provided 39 inches of legroom. Tri-zone climate control was standard, with an extra zone for the front passenger in the XSE trim. The rear liftgate, activated with a kick motion, revealed 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space. With the third row folded, it offered 75 cubic feet, and with the second row also folded, it expanded to 101 cubic feet.

The 2024 Kia Carnival offered a variety of tech features depending on the trim level. The base LX trim included an 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Higher trims upgraded to a 12.3-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, though these required wired connections for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. An optional 12-speaker Bose premium audio system was available. All trims had a Wi-Fi hotspot and USB ports for all three rows.

The Carnival's infotainment system was user-friendly, with great graphics and a dark background for easy readability. It featured dedicated buttons for essential functions, like the surround-view camera system. Higher trims included a cabin camera system displaying video feed of the second and third rows on the touchscreen, an intercom system, and a Quiet Mode to disconnect rear speakers.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna lagged behind in infotainment technology. It had a nine-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an older system with physical buttons for common menus. Its backup camera quality was grainy and disappointing for a 2024 model year vehicle. The gauges were analog, with a seven-inch digital display in the middle showing essential information.

The Sienna came with a Wi-Fi hotspot, SiriusXM satellite radio, and an optional 12-speaker JBL stereo system. Higher trims offered a rear-camera mirror that streamed video directly to the center rearview mirror. The Sienna also had plenty of USB ports and a 1500-watt inverter with 120-volt outlets in the second row and rear cargo area.

The 2024 Kia Carnival received mixed safety ratings from the IIHS. It earned “Good” ratings in the driver and passenger-side small-overlap front crash tests, moderate-overlap front and side tests but “Marginal” and “Poor” ratings in the updated versions of these tests. The SX Prestige model’s headlights received a “Good” rating, while other trims were rated “Poor.” Front-crash prevention systems scored high in daytime but not nighttime testing, and it was rated “Acceptable” for child-seat anchor ease of use. The NHTSA safety ratings were unavailable at the time.

Standard safety features included blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, driver attention monitor, automatic high beams, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking. Higher trims added adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, Highway Driving Assist, a surround-view camera system, and a blind-spot camera system.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna boasted the Toyota Safety Sense suite, which included lane departure alert, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, road sign recognition, full-speed adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert were also standard.

The Sienna’s adaptive cruise control worked well in stop-and-go traffic, though the lane-keeping assist sometimes caused side-to-side movement. The Sienna had side curtain airbags for all three rows, rear seat belt reminders, and a reminder to check the rear rows for passengers or cargo.

The NHTSA gave the Sienna four out of five stars for frontal crash and rollover protection and five out of five stars for side crash protection. The IIHS awarded it “Good” ratings for crashworthiness and child restraint systems but rated it “Average” for front crash prevention.