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Used 2022 Kia Carnival Consumer Reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
40 reviews
1

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Pros
Cons
4 out of 5 stars

Pretty Sweet Ride

Kayla , 04/17/2021
2022 Kia Carnival SX 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
65 of 68 people found this review helpful

I said I would never drive a minivan but really needed the space of a van and then boom Kia comes out with this MPV Carnival. If you ask why they decided to call it that its because the kids are the circus thats my thought anyways. This Carnival has lots of leg room for all passengers in the second and third row. The seats will actually slide up and back for more or less room as well. It can hold 8 passengers but the middle second row seat can be removed to have captain seats and make easy access to the 3rd row. All the tech in the front is great. The front could have more storage space but over all I still love it. I am very unpleased with the entertainment system in the second row. The car itself does not have wifi so you can't use it unless you have a Hotspot. I am also currently having some issues with it randomly wanting to turn off while using it and the screen sometimes gives off a fuzzy resolution. There is only YouTube and Netflix on the system which I believe there should be more streaming options or I should be able to stream anything I want from my phone but unfortunately that is not an option. I would have been fine with a DVD player in the back so kids could watch what they want whenever and not hace to worry about connecting the system to wifi. The ride is great and very smooth. Overall great vehicle but there are definitely some things I would change or could have been better from a moms perspective and at the price point its at. I would definitely recommend this vehicle to other moms.

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1 out of 5 stars

New car with recalls and Kia dropped the ball

Cac, 12/19/2021
2022 Kia Carnival SX 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
131 of 143 people found this review helpful

In July, I put down a deposit for a new 2022 Kia Carnival. 4 months later on October 27, I picked it up at Safford Kia of Fredericksburg. On November 16, I dropped off our daughter at school, and as I drove out of the parking lot, the side door slid open by itself. It took 2 hours before I could actually get the door to shut and latch. I drove it to Kia of Woodbridge (the closest Kia) so they could look at it. A couple of hours later a service tech says “we were able to replicate what happened and see that the door doesn’t latch. We put in a part order and see that there is a nation wide back order for the part.” I called the dealership I bought it from - left multiple messages. Got a call back from the sales man telling me it wasn’t his fault and he wanted to be sure I knew. I called and emailed Kia headquarters and executives - nothing. Kept calling and emailing- finally heard from Kia that because it was a safety issue, “we’ve escalated it to Jeff”. Not sure who Jeff is because we haven’t heard a word from Jeff and it certainly wasn’t escalated. After another week of reaching out, I got a call from someone who kept telling me she “understood” my concern about the safety of a brand new car that I drove with our 7 year old in, with a door that didn’t secure And could just open. She just kept saying I understand but nothing has really happened. We checked our lemon law and told Kia we wanted them to buy the car back. Safety didn’t seem to be a priority, communication was horrible, and the entire experience has been beyond disappointing. “I understand” is all we have heard for weeks. The lemon law essentially says if a car sits for 30 days unusable that is a reason a car can be bought back by the company. Well surprise - on December 15 (29 days after the door slid open) it’s now a safety recall for the Carnival and fixed. What a miracle - that it can be fixed - 1 day shy of the 30 days. How so very convenient for Kia. We joke now that our problems will just be escalated to Jeff. They won’t get solved but they are escalated so - we’re good. I write this sitting in Kia of Woodbridge as they prepare a check to buy my car for a few hundred dollars less than I paid for it. I know they will flip it today and sell it for $5000 more at least. It’s a rare SX version with a tow hitch - I order exactly what I wanted. This entire process has me tired, sad, and disappointed. Kia didn’t care about safety - if they did they would have owned up right away. Kia didn’t care about us - if they did they would have returned an email or voicemail message. At the least - “Jeff” would have called since it was “escalated to him”. They got their money at one dealership and will manage to get even more at another one. I’m not done with Kia - they still owe me money, but the car is back in their hands and I don’t have to worry about whether a door will open or not when it shouldn’t. The only good out of this was the service department at Kia of Woodbridge who was handed a lemon and did the best they could to make things right - it wasn’t their problem. I will never set foot in a Kia again and I’m still waiting for Kia and “Jeff” to do what is right. I’m sure it will happen soon, it was after all escalated to Jeff.

Safety
1 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
1 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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1 out of 5 stars

Attractive Junk

brig, 05/04/2021
2022 Kia Carnival SX 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
109 of 120 people found this review helpful

This vehicle has some issues, but it's biggest issue is Kia Customer Care. It's brand new and already subject to two recalls. The outlets don't work (minor issue) and there's a faulty fuel pump which makes it a safety hazard to drive. It could have been a simple fix but there are no parts available. Kia blames the dealership. The dealership blames Kia. No one from Kia will call back after NINE days, and there has been no progress made whatsoever. No rental car or loaner vehicle is being provided. Buyer beware! If you do buy it, choose a local dealership you know and trust. Also, there's no Kia tow hitch currently available.

Safety
1 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
1 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
Value
1 out of 5 stars
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3 out of 5 stars

An okay car

Drew, 01/07/2022
2022 Kia Carnival SX Prestige 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
20 of 22 people found this review helpful

Not much leg room on the passengers side. Some of the controls are in weird locations so you actually have to look for them while you are driving, which means your head is down alot while moving. We have the rear video screens, the Kia ad says it comes with wireless headphones, it doesn't, you have to buy your own. Every time you turn the car off, you need to reconnect them to your Bluetooth, very annoying with little kids. Winter time driving is absolutely horrendous with these piece of crap Continental tires. I give them a -3 on a 1-5 scale rating. No traction at all on the tiniest amount of snow. Less than 1/8" and you are spinning. Get some freezing rain in there and you are not going anywhere. The second row cup holders are in a location where the cups hit the driver and passengers elbows, very annoying. The middle row reclining seats are a cool feature but takes up alot of room to use, not worth it if you have more than four people or are hauling stuff behind this row as the seats are not removable like the lower priced version. I love the interior coloring though. Some of the electronic temperature controls revert back to a factory setting, so once you turn the car off, you need to reselect how you want the airflow. It has some really neat exterior features though, from the driver assisted screen cameras, to how the doors will automatically unlock and open if you are standing next to that door with a key fob.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

Big enough for everyone and turns on a dime!

JW, 06/10/2021
2022 Kia Carnival SX Prestige 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
14 of 15 people found this review helpful

Spacious and elegant.Too many features to list. I love the huge screen especially for navigation. Plenty of stow areas in rear and every seat has its own USB port. There is a 110 outlet in the very back and on the dash. I wish the center console had a few more pockets on the sides as there's only one big tray on driver and passenger doors. Drives really well. Picks up speed in a snap and very tight turning radius. All the rear doors can be opened and closed from driver's seat. The top view camera is very helpful in parallel parking and in tight parking lots. Overall my wife is very pleased, and I enjoy driving it as well. She refuses to call it a "mini van" and refers to it as a "sports van"

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

A great family vehicle with a few shortcomings

Adam Adams, 08/15/2021
2022 Kia Carnival SX 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
33 of 38 people found this review helpful

Bought ours 3 weeks ago and took it for a 7600 miles coast-to-coast-coast family road trip. I wanted an SUV but my wife prefers a minivan, so this is a great compromise! To keep things in perspective, we've had our Sienna for 15 years with over 200,000 miles so this is a huge upgrade for us. Overall a great vehicle, many great features but there are a few annoying ones. To start with the positives - looks really nice with useful features (the many cameras, safety features etc). - Engine is decent, we got an average of about (per onboard computer: 24 mpg) with mostly highway driving. - Seats are, generally, comfortable for long trips. It fits the 4 adults + 2 teens comfortably. - wish they had an AWD version. On the negative side - They could have done a better job with the touch buttons under the media center that are too sensitive to accidental touches. The app cluster panel seems disorganized. For sure these take time to get used to, I wish it were more intuitive. - The entertainment system sucks big time unless you use Android devices. And why this system isn't made as a stand alone without requiring a wifi connection is difficult to comprehend. - No wireless Apple Carplay!??? Incomprehensible. - The second row seat mechanics are poorly engineered making getting into the 3rd row more difficult than it needs to be. I have had the backrest slammed in my face trying to adjust the seats. - The wireless access through the app (UVO) is nice but I don't understand the delay in command execution. It takes 1-2 minutes for the remote start to execute, lock/unlock etc. - I wish for more door/side storage pockets. I love the Odyssey side storage and shelves and on the sliding doors and I especially love the new Sienna's center console storage. MAJOR GRIPES!! I found these really non-logical trim decisions - No roof rails (only on the SX). And even for SXs with roof rails, no crossbars!! We had to opt for aftermarket products. - The rear bumper could have been made an inch wider to allow for safe stepping onto when we need to reach for the rooftop cargos. It's only about an inch wide when the liftgate is closed so stepping on it can be precarious. - The tow hitch is only 6-7 inches above ground, I've had a few incidents of it grazing the streets on steep bumps. In summary, the car looks good for a minivan that looks and feels like an SUV but it does have a number of shortcomings. Overall, we've been happy with the purchase.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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2 out of 5 stars

Mostly looks, not convincing in other areas

TurnuptheBass, 06/03/2021
2022 Kia Carnival EX 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
79 of 95 people found this review helpful

Overall a nice car, but a number of annoying details that make us regret our choice To start with the positives - looks good, some nice gadgets (like the camera / microphones to talk with the rear passengers). - Engine is decent from a power perspective but not very fuel efficient. On the negative side - Seats (front) are not great for long trips. - Relatively noisy - not the engine but the wheels - The touch buttons under the media center are misplaced and way too sensitive. More than once you will accidentally touch one of these buttons which will take you to a place in the Interface you didn’t want to get to and then you have to use the clumsy interface on the screen itself to get back to where you were / wanted to go. - No wireless Apple Carplay (only the cheapest edition (LX) with the smaller screen has that for some mysterious reason). That is ridiculous in a 2022 car - The second row seat mechanics are poorly engineered. Getting to the third row is not easy. As we use this daily with our family of 7, this is a major frustration. It is easy to have the rails for the seating misaligned if you want to take them out. I have had the back rest slam my face trying to adjust the seat with it being stuck in a certain position. - Iffy electronics. As one example: More than once I have had that the car doesn’t want to lock with a non-comprehensible accessory warning. The only thing that helps is to restart the car and turn it off again. Very annoying. - The wireless access through the app (UVO) is essentially useless. It takes minutes to process a command (e.g remote start). By the time you get to the car, it is still waiting and when you then open the door, it concludes a minute later that it couldn’t do it. In addition to that if you try minutes later something else, it will randomly complain that the “previous command is still being executed”. Compared to my other car (a BMW), this is not ready for prime time Non-logical trim decisions - No roofrails (only on the SX and up). Need to opt for aftermarket solutions as Kia is not willing to help. Weird decision. The rest just need to glue the roofbox to the car? . SX prestige only as 7 seater configuration. Another weird choice as a lot of useful features are only available in the SX Prestige and you can’t get those options in the SX or lower. - Wireless charger is hit and miss - with a standard iPhone it works 50% of the time. It has to be aligned perfectly. - ‘Ceiling panel’ non-illuminated - if you are parked in a dark spot and would like to use the dome light, it is easy to trigger the Uvo service through that same panel instead. Poor choice. As a summary, the car looks good for a van but it does have a number of shortcomings that are really annoying (at least for us) in day to day use and there are better alternatives out there. Not recommended after a month of intense usage.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
2 out of 5 stars
Comfort
3 out of 5 stars
Reliability
3 out of 5 stars
Value
3 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Best MPV Ever!

Shane, 04/23/2021
2022 Kia Carnival EX 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
18 of 21 people found this review helpful

Hands down one best purchase ever... From the luxrious ride quality. To tons safety features and tech. The 12 inch touch display in the EX trim was amazing and backup camera is high resoultion and beautiful! Easy to drive and drives like an suv and looks like an suv.. So far had an amazing stress free road trip.. The navigation is amazing on this also. What an amazing family car and this from for Toyota owner!!

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Great family car without the soccer mom feel.

Karen Parker , 08/09/2021
2022 Kia Carnival LX Seat Package 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
11 of 13 people found this review helpful

I am a mom of 4 rapidly growing kids. We are a blended family and they are ages 10, 12, 12 and 14. So a third row was obviously needed. I hated the idea of a minivan. Didn't want to make the jump from an SUV to a van. So we started looking at our options. We had an older Mazda CX9. Which I honestly liked but the legroom in the back was starting to become an issue. We looked at the Traverse, Acadia, Pilot and Explorer. The third row just wasn't enough for the kids. I didn't want them to feel like squished sardines back there. Then we looked at the Odyssey and Sienna. They were nice and all but they just felt so overwhelming like...a minivan. Then for the price, you had to really empty the bank to get any of the nicer features on it. So then it was on to the Carnival. It had the best of everything. The room and convenience of a minivan but the style of an SUV. All of which came together without breaking the bank. It's very comfortable inside. The kids absolutely love it and love all of the USB ports everywhere. I also love the safety features and Android Auto. I don't feel like I'm driving around a "mommy mobile". It's a sharp looking and great feeling vehicle. So very happy I bought it!

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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1 out of 5 stars

Looks nice, feels cheap.

Megan, 07/06/2022
2022 Kia Carnival LX Seat Package 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
23 of 29 people found this review helpful

When we bought our Carnival it looked so nice from our first impression. Within a week or so of owning it we started noticing random things. Weather stripping came loose from the inside of the windshield and above the sliding door, door will close on a child with no safety sensors, radio comes on at odd times for no reason, engine shut off on the highway, super loud wind noise on the interstate, most uncomfortable seats ever. After a few weeks the whole care just started feeling cheap. We decided to take the loss and trade it in on a better, higher quality vehicle.

Safety
1 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Interior
1 out of 5 stars
Comfort
1 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
Value
1 out of 5 stars
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