2023 Kia Carnival EX - MY PERSONAL DEMO

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[@davidcarroll8735]

Great Review! As our 3 kids grew up, we also used the “delta formation” of seat - my oldest 3rd row passenger side; middle, 3rd row driver side; youngest center seat 2nd row. We started with Pontiac minivans that had 3 individual seats across the 2nd row and used the outer seats for friends or grandparents. Switch to Suburbans from 2004 to 2021, kids grew up and moved out. Now a PHEV Pacifica minivan for ease of entry for us and peers (mid fifties) and all 4 surviving parents right around their eighties. Minivans rule, especially the plug in which means we’re only getting a gas fill up once a month!

[@misfit482]

The hearsay vibes piece is a specific pillar design choice by Kia. Most SUV’s have that pillar angled in such a way. While minivans do not. So Kia did the same thing here and kind of highlighted it to amp up the more SUVish style. But I agree it seems weird and would probably look better if it was just painted the body color. It would still create that angle and give the separation appearance we’re familiar with on SUV’s.

[@spoutingfiction]

Wow. So great to see you have a long term review!! Congrats and another great review!

[@breakonthru5]

You don't have to get the lounge seats with the high trim levels. I think that change is within the past 6 months, but you can definitely get an 8 seater in the SX packages. We're picking ours up tomorrow!

[@melissav.7984]

Can you do one for 2024 SX Prestige 8 seater?! Really debating on getting one! I will be having my 5th baby soon.

[@TexasCat99]

The Sliding door channel looks fine. It meshes with the door and rear tail lights very well that it's almost hidden. On older vans, they are more obvious. Also, I feel the hinges into the glass tend to be a lot smaller and could result in broken glass. The Metal thingy on the side (C-Pillar), it's kind of logical, may look good in dark grey as well. It should be an option. But it's not the worst thing in the world.

[@almassengale]

The big miss interior wise is storage upfront. The big open area of the Odyssey or bridge console from the Sienna are much better. Thankfully the Kia does well in other areas.

[@stantheman2194]

Can the power liftgate be operated by the key fob?

[@angiebrady2739]

Also, would you be able to put a TV on the top even though the Passenger speaker and camera are right where the Tv would be?

[@63device]

Will I be able to install an infant car seat like the upper baby Aria in the middle seat next to an even flo revolve and still have it rotate without getting stuck against the aria base? What are the width of the three seats in the second row?

[@racheldennis3892]

Something I noticed about the Carnival is that the sliding door doesn't have good storage. The Odyssey has a lot more storage space.

[@TracyPodz]

Thank you this was extremely helpful! 🤰 with our fourth and this is what we will probably get!

[@justetip]

Love your honesty!!! ❤ Thank you

[@palomashaw4351]

You can also open sliding doors and trunk without touching anything, just approaching with the key on you .

[@jessieswiger9528]

I’m so close to getting a Kia carnival especially with the upgraded 2025 but the recent IIHS side crash safety failing gives me serious concerns.

[@ifrit024]

Great content as always. thank you! However the audio sounds terrible in this video compared to most of your other videos.

[@bassemb]

I was already excited for a Carnival but now I'm really excited! New viewer, new subscriber.

[@RambhaMKI]

I know this is not related to Kia Carnival but can you please review Mercedes EQE SUV from mom perspective. I bought my last car only after seeing your reviews.

[@carlhammill5774]

thanks for video. If you lower 3rd row seats into floor and remove the 2nd row of seats....is the surface flat so I could slide sheets of wood into?

[@TiffanyWilson1990]

Yes

[@courtneycartwright4975]

Thank you because you are the one who helped me to decide on a carnival for my family!! We love it!

[@brendavanloosen2908]

I love mine!

[@jonathaneverett2662]

We have a kia karnival lxs and we love it however, 2 main things I'll start with the biggest issue which is concerning is, you may be able to take the seats out but where those seats clip in where that rubber strip is, is apparently that whole thing heats up and can burn the crap out of you.....I'm not sure why they don't have the exhaust and things covered between that and underneath but they heat up and while I was cleaning it out they burnt me several times even when my leg would barely touch it so that makes me fear for when my kids crawl into the van that they will get burnt :( the other is the safety feature of like if you wanna auto start the car when you unlock it, if you aren't in the car under a certain time limit it shuts off

[@lindsayyenni8022]

Can you expand on the remote start key fob issue? Has it been an aggravating thing in day to day life?

[@kimw3284]

I've been super interested in the Carnival so I'm so excited to hear what you think after using it for 6 months. I wish they'd come out with a Hybrid power train for it and/or AWD because I'd get it in a heartbeat.

[@taraturner9408]

That's exactly why I went with the Toyota Sienna - hybrid and AWD.

[@kimw3284]

@taraturner9408 the Sienna is high on my list for those reasons. How do you like it?

[@taraturner9408]

@@kimw3284 I reluctantly love it 🤣. I was a never say never girl in regards to minivans, but it just works really well for our family (two rear-facing car seats and an older kid past car seat age).

[@kimw3284]

@taraturner9408 I have a feeling I will reluctantly love having a minivan as well 😂 we have 2 big dogs and a baby on the way and trying to figure out what vehicle will work for our road trips to my in-laws as well as day-to-day

[@udaykosaraju3851]

@kimw3284 The Hybrid Carnival 2025 is expected to be announced before the end of the year and will be available i believe Apr 2024 or so.

[@angiebrady2739]

Do you have to have your apple phone plugged in for the apple car play to work?

[@TheCarMom]

yes, it does have wireless apple car play

[@downhillskier989]

Safety ratings look poor in some areas on the carnival, do you mention ratings in any of your videos?

[@Zn0nimus]

I would have thought your personal would be the Odyssey, the review for that seems so much more positive(aside from the air vents).

[@ashleytaylor3051]

Mom of 3 kids in car seats. We love our carnival. I actually love the silver strip on the outside because I can always spot my car in a parking lot 😆

[@allthingswithbrezhae9789]

We have the same set up to for same reasons for kindergarten drop off purposes

[@SmackdownsRKO2024-xk9ew]

Car Mom first off gotta say youre very beautiful, like your reviews and truthfully the nicest looking Minivan on the current market now would be the Chrysler Pacifica as my Dad just got one! His is the Touring Limited S in all metallic black with delete chrome package, fully loaded model with a built in vacuum also lol 😂

[@samah83]

Rear facing in middle car seat is not allowed according to the car manual?

[@WithLoveKris]

Can anyone confirm this 😅

[@samah83]

According to the car manual it says safe for forward facing.

[@WithLoveKris]

@@samah83I tried looking it up online and feel stupid because I can’t find that anywhere. Is it for a certain year? Thank you!

[@samah83]

@@WithLoveKris I keep posting the link for you but can’t seem to see it after. There is a page on Kia’s website if you google for installing a rear facing child seat in Kia carnival

[@jeffreyg4626]

I love your perspective from a mother's point of view. You have great attention to detail and good advice on trims. But may I suggest you start to run the vehicle in your reviews. Give us a test drive and some basic engine information. Without an engine the vehicle will just sit in the driveway.

[@MotionMayer]

👍

[@rebeccalacy2792]

Wait did you get rid of the expedition?

[@torocars9227]

Because she already has Big SUV viewers established as her subscriber base. I believe she’s aiming for Van crowd to take her channel to next step. Unfortunately it’s at a cost of her children’s safety. And she says this is a 6month demo van, I believe she was offered to drive this by Kia to market vans on her channel for 6 months risk free of depreciation as long as she brings new van ownership to the brand. So unfortunately how many people trusts Carmom and unknowingly she was bought by KIA on this endeavor.

[@Elizabeth-ke2bz]

@@torocars9227 she sold her Expedition because she was in a good position to sell. She actually wanted to drive an Odyssey but her family doesn’t own a Honda dealership. They do own a Kia dealership so she got a demo Carnival through them. She is open and talks about this on her podcast and Instagram.

[@daniellemartini6411]

She works at a dealership and gets demos all the time. Her family has been in the car business for years

[@palomashaw4351]

@@torocars9227I mean she is reviewing the mini van, she was very neutral, she never said anything like “go to you nearest Kia to buy it” .

[@torocars9227]

@@palomashaw4351 you don’t believe what she admitted in the video ?

[@cleoaor5001]

Please do the 2024 Dodge Durango once is available ❤

[@erecher005]

love your reviews, please buy a new mic setup. My wife is very intrigued about the carnival, we have 2 kids. I Will be sharing your video. thank you

[@jollygreen4662]

If they have a hybrid...

[@Debum11]

Torn between kia carnival or kia telluride (even thought about hyundai palisade) Have a 2yr old and a newborn. Ugh, has to be an easier way to choose 😅

[@TommyGDrive]

The sliding doors were game changing for me

[@torocars9227]

Isn’t your children’s safety the game changer? Vans are not safe according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety IIHS. Watched their KZbin channel.

[@Nonya2055]

@@torocars9227why are vans unsafe for families? How are SUV’s any safer?

[@udaykosaraju3851]

@@torocars9227 Minivans are very safe, This is because Rear Seats don't have Pretension seat belts, It is a new test which IIHS came up with very recently, Everyone will adapt soon. it is same for SUVs as well, all of them are not tested yet.

[@alexmassengale433]

They've made their tests tougher and worth noting other classes of vehicle also did really badly on their newer tests. When retested pickup trucks and compact SUVs also did really poorly. For compact SUVS one out of 20 was rated "good" on their new side impact test. Every single full size truck flunked their tougher tests too. They haven't tested the Telluride yet on their newer tests but I would imagine it might also struggle. Almost everything else has.

[@SuperP123]

Did anyone else feel like the steering wheel was tiny? Also I checked out one with captains chair and was disappointed on how little space they moved to allow access for adults to access third row. It’s almost like Hondas magic seat but then it stopped after barely moving and was a total let down. I just wish Honda would pick up some of this Tech! We’re bored Honda ! Give us more !

[@laurav11235]

Would you put a forward-facing car seat in the middle seat of the 2nd row? Just curious from a safety standpoint. Your videos have been soooo helpful as our family car shops. Love your channel so much!!

[@nataliedavis890]

What do you think of the 2025 reveal? I love the updated aesthetics, including the dark trim, but the middle captains chairs are HORRIBLE and RUIN third row access 😢

[@amandakelley1331]

My son heard your voice and said "are you watching that car lady?" Yeah. I'm kind of a super fan. 😊

[@clangbang.4370]

Hey she knows whats good she is a certified child safty technician lmao

[@jakes5530]

Apprently Minivans have pretty poor crash test ratings for rear occupants (ie. kids) according to IIHS’s most recent study. Even for brands like Toyota and Honda. Buyers beware…

[@torocars9227]

Bingo, must watch. “Minivans rate marginal, poor in new crash tests- IIHS news” video

[@jakes5530]

@@torocars9227 as a caveat, most SUVs have not been tested in this category yet. Only time will tell how well if the 3 row minivan alternatives do any better.

[@torocars9227]

@@jakes5530 ru sure? I thought, they’ve been testing this new moderate overlap test all year according to their KZbin upload history.

[@jakes5530]

@@torocars9227 not positive, but the focus on rear seat occupant safety is something somewhat new that they just started. I think their big thing earlier this year was the updated side test with a heavier weight vehicle. I havent seen too many of the rear occupant safety tests, but again I could be wrong.

[@dman7668]

Survival ratings from big accidents for children are significantly higher in a mini van then an SUV. So buyer do not beware. 😊

[@nephi30]

Like if I should get buy this Carnival over the Sienna. Comment if I should get something else.

[@amomslife869]

In my opinion the Honda odyssey will always be my number one favorite pick

[@hosseinb82]

why? please explain it .thanks

[@carlhammill5774]

are 2nd row seats easily removed?

[@user-cm1xn2vf5z]

여기는 전자식 변속기를 안넣어주네 ㅋㅋㅋ

[@jshdjejs6600]

Why just buy a sienna?

[@lexuslife5491]

So let me get this right you drove many Toyota,Hondas please don't ever purchase a Kia or Hyundai everrr these other car companies because of SIMPS

[@jonawankenobi]

The 2025 carnival facelift looks amazing, with all the features this car brings makes both Honda and Toyota looks like loser

[@BlackDiamonds615]

In a review tell everything you do like. I work for kia and I just tried to show your video to family but you saying everything you dont like made me click off so fast. I made the sell but i had to come back and say it.

[@torocars9227]

So it will be her 0:10 demo van for 6 month car to experience pros and cons of Vans …just to find out same result IIHS crash test video answered in 5 seconds. Horrible crash tests.

[@mihaelisaev]

Quality of car is same as the queality of mic

[@tomfuller4205]

A babe who knows her way around minivans. Well done.

[@stephenblasco8557]

This video is unbearable with this audio quality. It really takes away from the Car

[@amandapercival]

I hate to agree, but it’s true. Sorry Kelly

[@Official_Jkadiri]

Get a better mic 🎤 my ears hurt 😢

[@javadriahy4704]

Her body language and hands drives me crazy ....👎👎👎