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2023 Kia Carnival Debuts With Minor Enhancements, Base Trim Level Costs $32,600

A replacement for the Sedona, the Carnival mid-size MPV is entering 2023 with a little more standard content for the most well-equipped trims.
Kia Carnival 32 photos
Photo: Kia
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The SX, priced at $41,300 excluding destination charge, now comes with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The Blind-Spot View Monitor also needs to be mentioned, along with the available dual-screen rear entertainment system. Customers who prefer the range-topping SX Prestige will get Side-Flex Seating for eight, a multi-function seat for the second row’s center, as well as a few options.

Extras include second-row VIP Lounge Seats and the aforementioned rear entertainment system, which supports media streaming. The SX Prestige retails at $45,700 excluding destination charge for the 2023 model year.

Lower down the spectrum, Kia is much obliged to take $38,100 for the EX, $34,600 for the LX Seat Package, and $32,600 for the entry-level LX. For a minivan with crossover looks and plenty of kit, it’s pretty darn good.

All versions come with the 3.5-liter Lambda III engine, a naturally-aspirated V6 that packs 290 horsepower and 262 pound-feet (355 Nm) of torque at 5,000 rpm. Front-wheel drive is your only choice, and the same can be said about the torque-converter automatic tranny with eight forward ratios.

Tipping the scales at 4,376 pounds (1,985 kilograms) in the most spartan of configurations, the good-looking minivan is good for 22 miles to the gallon (make that 10.7 liters per 100 kilometers) on the combined test cycle.

As opposed to some modern powerplants, the direct- and port-injected V6 in the Carnival is much obliged to gulp 87-octane gasoline. Regardless of configuration, the fuel tank boasts a capacity of 19 gallons (72 liters).

Based on the Hyundai-Kia N3 platform that also underpins the Santa Cruz pickup truck and Sorento mid-size crossover, the Carnival isn’t exactly a big hit. Last calendar year, it sold 25,155 units in the United States of America. By comparison, the hybrid-only Toyota Sienna moved 107,990 copies.
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Editor's note: 2022 model shown in the gallery.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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