There was a time when minivans were immensely popular in the United States, but alas, rising demand for sport utility vehicles rendered the minivan into a has-been. Three-row sport utility vehicles exacerbated the minivan's downfall, which explains why prospective customers are presented with merely four choices in the segment in 2024.
Based on 2023 deliveries in the US market, said choices are the Chrysler Pacifica (120,554 units), Honda Odyssey (74,738 units), Toyota Sienna (47,753 units), and the Kia Carnival (43,687 units). Sam CarLegion has brought three of the four minivans together at the Dunnville Autodrome in Canada for a series of races, namely the Asian competition to the segment-leading Pacifica.
The hybrid-only Sienna and the V6-powered Odyssey are produced in the United States of America, whereas the Carnival hails from South Korea. Both the Odyssey and Carnival are front-wheel drive, whereas the Sienna levels up to all-wheel drive. In combination with the hybrid four-cylinder muscle, the Toyota requires 7.5 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) on a wet track and with winter tires.
The quarter mile is dealt with in 15.9 seconds. Not bad for 245 horsepower and something like 176 pound-feet (239 Nm) of torque, but still, this minivan weighs quite a bit more than the other two. Sam CarLegion lists 4,811 pounds (2,182 kilograms) as opposed to 4,644 lbs (2,106 kgs) for the Carnival and 4,574 lbs (2,075 kgs) for the Odyssey.
This curb weight is obviously explained by the hybrid side of the powertrain, which comprises three motors in AWD flavor or two for the standard front-wheel-drive specification. We also have to remember that an electronic continuously variable transmission is far inferior to a torque-converter auto in terms of acceleration performance.
Photo: Sam CarLegion on YouTube
The Kia uses an eight-speed unit, and Honda levels up to ten speeds for the Odyssey. But alas, the torque-converter automatics and lack of hybrid assistance also means that both of them drink more fuel than the Sienna does. Even so, fuel economy is of no importance whatsoever in a drag race.
The Carnival clocked a respectable 7.2 seconds to 60 miles per hour and 16.1 clicks in the quarter mile, whereas the VTEC-infused Odyssey improved to 6.7 seconds and 15.2 seconds, respectively. The free-breathing V6 of the Odyssey is a SOHC affair with VTEC on the intake valves. By comparison, the 3.5-liter V6 of the Pilot features double-overhead-cam heads and variable timing control rather than VTEC.
At the end of the day, Sam CarLegion and the owners of these minivans all agreed that the Carnival has the best interior of the bunch. The interior got even better for the 2025 model year, which also sees the Carnival gain a hybrid option with a 1.6-liter turbo inline-four engine as opposed to the standard 3.5-liter NA V6.
Pricing information isn't available at the present moment because the 2025 model year Carnival is coming to a dealership near you in late summer 2024. For future reference, the South Korean automaker lists the 2024 model with a starting price of $33,600 (sans destination charge). As for the Odyssey and Sienna, make that $38,240 and $37,685, respectively.
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. Full profile
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