Kia will offer an entirely new minivan for the 2022 model year, with a new (old) name to match. The Kia Carnival is not new to the brand – it’s been the global name of Kia’s minivan except in the U.S. where it sells as the Sedona. This next-generation minivan, introduced last year in South Korea, will go on sale under the Carnival nameplate here later this year.
The Carnival has a handsome exterior design, with more SUV-like lines than any minivan currently on the market. Inside, tech features abound, with an available wide, dual-screen setup that replaces the instrument cluster with a digital display. Combined with a transmission dial instead of a shifter, it gives the cabin a look closer to a luxury sedan than to its minivan rivals. We’ll have to get inside to test the materials and the fit before we can say whether that look carries over to feel.
Overseas, two engines are available, but the U.S. is likely to get just one. A 3.5-liter V6 making 294 horsepower, it should more than suffice. The second is a turbodiesel, the sort of thing manufacturers often sell overseas but not here. Power goes to the front wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Prices are not yet known. The current Sedona starts at $30,400, and while we’d expect to see a slight price bump for Carnival tickets, there likely won’t be much of one.
