New minivans don’t emerge fairly often—and whereas the 2022 Kia Carnival is new and replaces the fuddy outdated Sedona, it’s no groundbreaker. 

It does throw a fastball proper at our favourite minivan, the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. The eight-passenger carry-alls rating identically at a TCC Score of seven.2 every. (Learn extra about how we price automobiles.)That’s earlier than the Carnival will get crash-tested, so it’s potential it’s going to rating increased than the Chrysler in due time.

However ask us which we’d purchase, and our cash’s nonetheless on the Chrysler, our Finest Minivan To Purchase yearly since 2017.

Styling isn’t the deciding issue. Each vans have eye-pleasing our bodies; Chrysler’s is extra suave, whereas Kia’s is extra SUV-like. The Carnival whittles off sq. corners to look extra like a Telluride with sliding facet doorways than like all of Kia’s minivans from the previous. The Pacifica’s upturned rear pillars and its gently curved roofline have a modish attraction, identical to its swoopy inside—finest ordered with open-pore wooden in high trims, in keeping with us.

2021 Chrysler Pacifica

2021 Chrysler Pacifica

2021 Chrysler Pacifica

2021 Chrysler Pacifica

Powertrains separate the 2, in favor of the Chrysler. Each vans steer and journey nicely sufficient, however Chrysler’s plug-in powertrain garners some extent the Carnival leaves on the desk. Kia’s strapping 290-hp V-6 and 8-speed computerized peel off admirably fast stoplight runs, and it omits the bobbly minivan strikes of its previous efforts. However why hassle with gasoline when you may plug within the Pacifica for as much as 32 electrical driving miles, and extra taut dealing with? Take away the hybrid system and the Pacifica turns into extra the Carnival’s equal—nevertheless it’s nonetheless accessible with all-wheel drive. The Carnival’s front-drive solely.

Flexibility goes Chrysler’s method, too. Each minivans max out inside area, however they work it in another way. Kia leans into luxurious with accessible second-row airline-style seats with heating, cooling, and power-up footrests; they’re business-class seats for positive, however who buys their youngsters these expensive tickets? Chrysler’s fold-away seats provide supreme flat-floor flexibility with out flunking the consolation take a look at. We’d fairly tuck a seat than crush a backbone with Kia’s technically detachable however hefty sliding second-row bench seat. Take note the hybrid Pacifica can’t have AWD—and it can also’t have second-row stow-away seats due to the battery system.

2022 Kia Carnival

2022 Kia Carnival

2022 Kia Carnival

2022 Kia Carnival

All Pacificas include computerized emergency braking, however the same and cheaper Voyager fashions don’t, which prices Chrysler some extent within the security rankings. (Voyagers additionally lack second-row stow-away seats.) Each upsell adaptive cruise management and a surround-view digicam system; Kia additionally has blind-spot cameras that mission information within the instrument cluster, however they’re not as helpful in follow as they appear in principle.

Worth leans in Kia’s route, as does normal tools. The $33,275 Carnival LX has touchscreen infotainment, energy sliding facet doorways, and wi-fi smartphone charging, however we’d decide in for the mid-range EX for lower than $40,000—or the $42,275 Carnival SX and its 12.3-inch touchscreen, cooled energy entrance seats and surround-view digicam system. Kia’s 5-year/60,000-year guarantee outstrips Chrysler’s common protection. For about $40,000, the Pacifica Touring L has a ten.1-inch touchscreen, 13-speaker audio, navigation, and superior utility. You’ll be able to swap a few of that usefulness for extra environment friendly electrical driving or for all-wheel drive—or you may comply with the Carnival out of city.