10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Toyota Sienna Shows Pros, Kia Carnival Fares Well


The Toyota Sienna is a minivan. There’s no getting around that, so if you’re “never going to drive a minivan,” you can skip straight to the numbered list below and find something about SUVs or Corvettes to read among Cars.com’s most popular articles of the past month. But if the only reason you opt for an SUV over a minivan is because you want all-wheel drive to ensure you can get your family where they need to go in any weather, the Sienna just shot to the top of your shopping list. Among those aforementioned popular articles is our rapid fire roundup of the 2024 Sienna’s pros and cons to help you in your purchasing decision.
Related: 2025 Toyota Sienna Up Close: New Features for Your Family
Working in the Sienna’s favor are its electric-motor-boosted 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine, good for a total of 245 horsepower and ample oomph for merging speeds; a segment-best combined fuel-economy rating; a firm-but-fine ride that balances driving and comfort concerns; spacious seating for any occupant in any row and abundant storage space (and stuff-stashing spaces) to boot; and a well-positioned, user-friendly infotainment system that eschews touch-sensitive controls for physical knobs, switches and buttons. Working against it are a harsh-switching electric-to-gas situation that’s noisy when it happens as well as when you have to step on it at highway speeds; and a small rear window that limits rearward visibility, while a low-resolution backup camera limits confidence when Reverse is engaged.
For full details on what we love and loathe about the 2024 Toyota Sienna, follow the link below to the No. 8 news story from all of October.
Elsewhere in the family-ferrying field, the Kia Carnival also is a minivan — though it fancies itself the MVP among MPVs (that is, multipurpose vehicles). Per Cars.com reviewer Conner Golden’s comprehensive critique, also among the month’s most popular stories, the refreshed-for-2025 Carnival continues its distinction with aggressive, fang-flashing SUV looks and demeanor. Notable updates for the new model year include infotainment upgrades like available 12.3-inch displays for driver functions and multimedia, but the all-new hybrid powertrain is the big news: a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder and an electric motor channeling a combined 242 hp and 271 pounds-feet of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission, good for an EPA-estimated 34/31/33 mpg city/highway/combined (nearly lapping the standard 3.5-liter V-6’s highway rating).
For Golden’s full take on the 2025 Kia Carnival — including how it drives and accommodates occupants in all three rows of seating — follow the link below to the No. 10 article on this month’s countdown of most read stories.
Beyond all that, we have headlines on the Toyota RAV4, Chevrolet Corvette, Nissan Frontier and much more, so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past month:
1. How Do I Find Out if a Car Is Still Under Warranty?
2. Tesla Launches 0% APR Deal on Model Y, Model 3
3. Which Electric Cars Are Still Eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit?
4. Breaking Barriers: 2025 Toyota RAV4 Starts (Barely) Above $30,000
5. 2025 Chevrolet Corvette: America’s Budget Supercar Still Under $70,000, But Only by a Lincoln
6. Approximately 1.7 Million Acura, Honda Vehicles Recalled for Steering Gearbox Issue
7. Is the 2024 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X a Good Pickup Truck? 5 Pros, 3 Cons
8. Is the 2024 Toyota Sienna a Good Minivan? 5 Pros, 2 Cons
9. 2024 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Review: Sensational Screamer
10. 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid Review: Excellence in Efficiency
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.

Former Assistant Managing Editor-News Matt Schmitz is a veteran Chicago journalist indulging his curiosity for all things auto while helping to inform car shoppers.
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