Kia’s Dark Carnival Portends Sedona Replacement; Full Reveal Feb. 23
By Brian Normile
February 15, 2021
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2022 Kia Carnival | Manufacturer image
As expected following the reveal of the global-market Carnival last summer, Kia’s minivan also will be named Carnival in the U.S., replacing the Sedona name. We’ve already seen the global market version of the new Carnival, and the darkened teaser image here doesn’t look too far off, but we’ll have to wait until Feb. 23 for full details.
What we do know is that the new 2022 Carnival will have a 290-horsepower V-6, what Kia claims is best-in-class cargo volume — probably room enough for the riddle box — and advanced safety technologies including Kia’s blind spot view monitor. The Carnival will also be the first Kia vehicle sold in North America to wear the new Kia badge.
With seating for seven or eight occupants across three rows of seats, the Carnival should have enough room for a whole posse of clowns (sanity to be determined) and will probably have enough cupholders for everyone to have their own bottle of Faygo.
With its boxy, sturdy design and the automaker’s insistence that the new Carnival is an “MPV” (multipurpose vehicle) and not a minivan, will the Carnival be the brand’s answer to three-row full-size SUVs like the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition, or the marvelous missing link before the Korean automaker expands its lineup even further? We should know more soon.
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Road Test Editor
Brian Normile
Road Test Editor Brian Normile joined the automotive industry and Cars.com in 2013, and he became part of the Editorial staff in 2014. Brian spent his childhood devouring every car magazine he got his hands on — not literally, eventually — and now reviews and tests vehicles to help consumers make informed choices. Someday, Brian hopes to learn what to do with his hands when he’s reviewing a car on camera. He would daily-drive an Alfa Romeo 4C if he could.