Experienced by Adrian McQueen
Photography by Adrenaline Lifestyles
This week we find ourselves hitting the road in the 2026 Kia Carnival SX-Prestige. The first-generation Carnival was introduced in January 1998 and is more prominently known as the Kia Sedona. The Sedona name was introduced in the United States in 2001, and used until 2021 when Kia began using the Carnival name.
Upon first look you notice the Carnivals sleek exterior. Even though it is an MPV, it still has sporty appearance with the grille, headlights and fog lights. The ivory silver paint gleams bright, while the orange LED lighting around the headlights truly stands out. The Carnival sits on 19” dark edition alloy wheels. The dual sunroofs are a great touch as well. The SX Prestige trim also has dark exterior accents, LED Rear Combination lights, power-folding heated side mirrors with turn signals, roof rails, rear spoiler and a rear privacy glass.
The SX Prestige Carnival model that we received has seating for 7 people seats when the optional VIP Lounge Seating is optioned. Kia lists the Carnival cargo hold as offering 145.1 cubic feet with the rear seats folded or removed. There is 40.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row. The seats up front are comfortable with driver-seat memory functions, the middle row is comfortable, along with a reasonably sized third row. The Carnival includes a power liftgate, underfloor storage, and a 115-volt power outlet in the cargo area. The interior ambient lighting is a cool feature to have in the vehicle. The interior design is upscale with an impressive cabin filled with high-quality materials and an eye-pleasing design.
Kia equips the Carnival with a stellar infotainment systems starting off with dual 12.3-inch panoramic displays, one for the digital instrument cluster and one for the touchscreen infotainment. The infotainment supports wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Voice recognition, Navigation, a Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth connectivity for multiple devices, and pre-cooling and heating via the Kia Access app. There is a BOSE premium audio system and the cabin is equipped with multiple USB-C fast-charging ports for all three rows, as well as a wireless charging pad. A couple cool features that I really enjoyed were the Head-up display and the Digital rearview mirror.
The 2026 Kia Carnival SX-Prestige is equipped with a 3.5-liter Gas Direct Injection (GDI) V6 engine that puts out 287 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, all pushed through a smooth shifting 8-speed automatic transmission. The gas mileage on the Carnival isn’t bad coming at 18 mpg in the city, 25 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined. The Carnival drives and handles well. Comfort and Eco mode are fine but the Carnival comes to life when in Sport mode. Throttle response is enhanced as well as improvement to the steering and suspension.
The 2026 Kia Carnival SX-Prestige is a very safe vehicle, earning a four-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and mixed safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Kia equips the Carnival with Advanced driver-assistance systems like Highway Driving Assist 1.5, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. The SX-Prestige trim that we reviewed has Highway Driving Assist 2 (HDA 2), a 360-degree camera, blind-spot cameras, and front parking sensors.
The Carnival sits in a competitive class amongst the Toyota Sienna, Chrysler Pacifica and the Honda Odyssey. The 2026 Kia Carnival SX-Prestige model that we tested came in at $53,485.00, which is competitively priced and worth it. An all-wheel drive version would be a Please enjoy the photo gallery.
