The 2024 Kia Carnival and Toyota Sienna are top choices for family vehicles, offering spacious interiors, comfortable seating, and dependable performance. The 2024 Kia Carnival minivan breaks away from the norm. It has a bold, SUV-like design and offers new features that make it a multipurpose vehicle. The Toyota Sienna, meanwhile, is a well-established minivan with features that are great for families living in Rochester, Minnesota. It offers hybrid fuel efficiency and Toyota’s famous reliability. I
Our team at Tom Kadlec Kia is here to compare the two minivans and help you make an informed decision. In this article, we discuss the main differences between the two minivans to help you decide which to purchase.
Design and Style
The Carnival is a top-tier choice in minivans with its assertive, SUV-inspired appearance. Its sleek exterior and contemporary cabin design cater to families that prioritize both functionality and aesthetics. It features a striking design that combines a boxy form, akin to the Ford Explorer, with a bold grille and sleek LED lights. This combination, along with the low-load floor and tall roof, creates a rugged appearance on the road.
Despite its practical design, the Carnival minivan can easily compete with three-row SUV crossover models. It comes in six color options depending on the trim level: Panthera Metal, Snow White Pearl, Aurora Black Pearl, Flare Red, Ceramic Silver, and Astra Blue. The Carnival provides a spacious cargo area of 40.2 cubic feet with all seats in place. You can expand the storage capacity to 145.1 cubic feet by folding down the second-row seats.
The Toyota Sienna prioritizes practicality and fuel economy and resembles a typical minivan. Its traditional design incorporates contemporary elements, such as a streamlined front, curved rear lights, and optional stylish wheel designs for a hint of style. The vehicle comes in the following color options: Windchill, Sunset Bronze, Ruby Flare, Blueprint, Cypress, Predawn Gray, Midnight Black, and Celestial Silver.
The Toyota Sienna offers 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats upright. Its maximum capacity is 101 cubic feet when folding down the second row. The Kia Carnival has more front legroom and cargo space than the Toyota Sienna and stands out for its spacious and well-equipped seating arrangements.
Performance
The Kia Carnival comes with a 3.5L Lambda III V-6 engine that produces 290 hp, which is more powerful than the Toyota Sienna. It provides a comfortable driving experience, easy handling, and sufficient acceleration for both city driving and highway speeds. While not particularly sporty, its handling is adequate for a minivan. It comes with one drivetrain, front-wheel drive, and features an eight-speed auto transmission. The Carnival has EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 19 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway, with 22 mpg combined.
The Toyota Sienna features a 2.5L inline four-cylinder engine that generates 245 hp. It’s transitioned to an all-hybrid lineup with an eco-friendly engine setup that’s ideal for long drives and frequent use. The Sienna features an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission with sequential shift mode for improved fuel efficiency.
Front-wheel-drive models have EPA fuel economy ratings of 36 mpg in the city and on the highway with 36 mpg combined. The all-wheel-drive models are rated 35 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, with 35 mpg combined.
Interior and Comfort
The interior of the 2024 Kia Carnival emphasizes comfort and flexibility. The cabin makes you forget it’s a minivan with its SUV-esque comfort extending to the inside. The base LX trim offers seating for seven with two second-row captain’s chairs in cloth upholstery. It’ll keep you and your passengers entertained with its 8-inch infotainment system and six speakers. The next trim up is the EX, which has a 12.3-inch infotainment system, eight speakers, integrated navigation, and wireless smartphone charging.
The SX trim also features a 12.3-inch driver information display, along with a 115-volt power outlet and ventilated front seats. Next is the SX Prestige, which adds a 12-speaker Bose sound system, leather upholstery, LED interior lighting, and access to the Seat Package with reclining second-row lounge seats. Passengers enjoy ample ventilation and heating.
The interior of the Toyota Sienna varies, especially in the top trims, such as the XSE, Limited, and Platinum, which have more luxurious features, such as soft, leather-like panels on the doors and stylish wood-like trim on the console. These additions make the cabin feel more upscale, which isn’t the case with the lower trims.
Technology and Safety
The Kia Carnival offers Kia Drive Wise as a standard to give you high confidence behind the wheel. This set of features includes rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance, which assists you in preventing collisions while parking, and lane-keep assistance to keep your vehicle in its lane. Other driver-assistance features include highway driving assist, blind-spot view monitor, surround view monitor, and navigation-based smart cruise control w/ Stop & Go. The Carnival also features a series of advanced cameras and radar-based cameras to detect hazards on the road.
The Toyota Sienna comes with Toyota’s Star Safety System. This includes Smart Stop Technology, brake assist, enhanced vehicle stability control, traction control, and an anti-lock brake system. The Platinum trim offers a panoramic view monitor with a 360-degree overhead view and curb view.
Price and Value
The Kia Carnival has a starting MSRP of $33,200, while the Toyota Sienna starts a little higher, at $37,685. With its lower starting price, powerful engine, luxurious interior, and advanced safety features, the 2024 Kia Carnival stands out above the competition in the minivan category.
Test Drive a Carnival Today
The 2024 Kia Carnival provides comfortable family driving. Equipped with a potent V-6 engine, go for the Kia Carnival to get powerful performance while saving money. It boasts a more luxurious interior design than the Toyota Sienna, along with advanced technologies and an SUV-like exterior. The Kia is also roomier and offers many safety features to ensure a secure journey for your family. Get in touch with us at Tom Kadlec Kia in Rochester, Minnesota, or schedule an appointment for a test drive.
Connect with us
Recent Blog Entries
Categories
Warranties include 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain and 5-year/60,000-mile basic. All warranties and roadside assistance are limited. See retailer for warranty details.