In this episode, experience a full roundup of the 2025 Kia Carnival SX. We discuss its standout attributes like the fully reclining second-row seats and state-of-the-art infotainment system, perfect for both children and adults on the go. Get insights into the car’s economic fuel consumption, advanced safety mechanisms, and why it has become a favorite among families searching for a reliable yet luxurious travel companion.
All right, and we are back, and today we are going to do some car reviews. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560, and Richard, before we get started here, sounds like today we will have the battle of the minivans.
SPEAKER 01 :
We will. I was jumping ahead in our earlier conversation, but why don’t you go first, Dad? You drove one recently and kind of came to show it to the grandkids. They loved it, as always, but an exciting segment that we are entering into here.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, I drove a 2025 Kia Carnival SX, the prestige package on this particular car. And I will tell you, first off, the thing about this particular car, and I’ve got a couple of listeners that actually own these. But first things first, it does not look like your typical car. It has a different look to it. It’s got more of a nose to it. And one of the comments that I got from a lot of different people looking at it was, that does not look like a minivan. This thing comes in at $55,000. Sorry, $55,000 to $55,000. 3.5 liter direct injection V6 engine, 8-speed automatic transmission. And I’ll tell you what, Richard, as far as usability, comfortability, all of the creature comforts known to man are inside of it. The rear seats fold down into the floor, which make that really convenient. The two center seats recline all of the way. They’ll adjust in and out depending upon what you’re actually trying to do inside of the car itself. I mean, this thing’s got a laundry list of things that it comes with, all again, for $55,000. And it’s a lot of car for that, Richard.
SPEAKER 01 :
It is. Got to see it this weekend a little bit, and we’ll kind of compare it. But a lot of great features. That second row is awesome, especially if you’ve maybe got some older kids. Or even not, maybe just you and the wife, I don’t know, want to go hang out someplace, or your spouse, whatever it is. Like I said, fully reclining, the integration of the infotainment system, or I should say the entertainment system. There you go. That second row, Dad. Works really, really well. You can kind of slide those seats around however you want to position them. Really comfortable.
SPEAKER 02 :
Great travel car, Richard, to your point a moment ago. Let’s say you’re traveling. You want to pull over, have a little break. You don’t really want to stay in the hotel. Realistically, if you want to take a four- or five-hour nap and just pull over for a little bit, this is the car you can do that in.
SPEAKER 01 :
Absolutely it is, Dad. And like I said, I was really impressed with it, really impressed with what they’ve done, the infotainment. They have sort of the bird’s-eye-view camera, which we’re going to talk about in our next review as well, that it’s got, which, again, I know for you probably doesn’t matter, but for me as a parent and for my wife, it does matter because instead of having to look around at the kids, you can just basically push this button. The rear section pops up on the screen, folks, and you can kind of see what the kids are doing. You can control everything from up front. You’ve got heated and ventilated front seats, which is fantastic. Man, if you could honestly get massaging seats out of that second row, I’m not sure if you’d need one of these other fancy cars.
SPEAKER 02 :
I’ll tell you what, and again, for all of you listening, everything from Apple CarPlay to Lane Keep Assist, all the collision device, the anti-collision stuff, I should say, that are on it. Wireless phone charging, heated and ventilated front seats. Again, on and on we go. Richard, again, the list is very long. The car works extremely well. Very quiet inside. A lot of minivans, by the way, of old that a lot of folks used to have, they were thinking, oh, you know, they’re kind of noisy and clunky and so on. Yeah, not anymore. The other thing about this car, Richard, it’s 21 average, 18 city, 26 highway. But I was in that 26 range all of the time. I literally drove everywhere in this thing that past week. And when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. And I used one tank of fuel, and that was it.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, and again, we’ve talked about that, that this is the segment that, especially with some of these that are going with the hybrid powertrains in a lot of cases, you’re able to really get up there. They’ve done a really good job at sort of maximizing their frames per se, right? They sort of get the most out of these engines. They’re relatively aerodynamic with how they do it. And so, no, it’s a great, like you said, a great value. And for something where, and you know this from all the kids obviously growing up, It pays off as a parent when you don’t have to stop as often for fuel.
SPEAKER 02 :
Right. That’s right. Just keep rolling. Anyways, those of you listening, if this is something you might be interested in, go check one out. I would say test drive one. If you haven’t driven one of these in quite some time, go to your local Kia dealer, ask about it, drive it, tell them that John and Richard Rush, both from Drive Radio and Rush to Reason, both sent you. This is John Rush from Rush to Reason and Drive Radio. Thank you so much for listening. Check out more of our podcasts at RushToReason.com or Drive-Radio.com.
