Here at Jim Butler Kia of St Louis, it’s easy to miss out on some of the most practical day-to-day drivers we have, as our stunning offerings such as the Stinger and Telluride command so much attention! This is no surprise; sometimes the vehicle that you didn’t have your eye on at first may be the best companion you could ever imagine. The 2022 Kia Carnival had passed a test with flying colors this past month given by the Cnet.com drive team, who reported back in detail on their blog.
Their staff auto writer had been assigned the task of bringing home the new family dog and was grateful to have had the Kia Carnival on hand to make the long commute home. He took a highway to retrieve his new best friend that offered up “America at its finest”, with abundant winding roads and two-lane highways. The Carnival was able to navigate seamlessly over road imperfections, all while making a smooth, comfortable ride.
Here was the perfect opportunity to test out the Highway Driving Assist, which won this team’s opinion as having the best system short of a true hands-free highway driving assistant. With fashionable styling, a well-equipped cabin, and a refined V6 powertrain, the Carnival stands out amongst all the vehicles.
The driver-assistance features, offered as standard now, include automated emergency braking, a dual-display setup with digital gauges, and a navigation-equipped center touchscreen. There are four available trim levels ranging from the budget-minded LX to the deluxe SX-Prestige. The EX represents the sweet spot between robust features and economy. The EX offers up a power-operated rear liftgate, an in-cabin intercom, and a voice-control system that allows rear-seat passengers to send their commands to the Carnival’s infotainment system. The Carnival also possesses a towing rating of up to 3,500 pounds for the days you need the extra help.
At the Car and Driver Test track, the Carnival launched to 60 mph in just 7 short seconds. Fuel economy ratings from the EPA for the 2022 Carnival are 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined. The SX-Prestige trim comes with leather upholstery and reclining second-row seats with pop-up footrests. During testing 14 carry-on suitcases fit behind the third row of seats, and a total of 48 inches with all seats folded. Up to 9 USB ports are situated in the cabin, and you can enjoy the excitingly booming sounds of a high-quality 12-speaker Bose stereo in the Prestige.
