Could the once-popular minivan
be making its way back into the hearts and garages of American drivers? If so, the Kia Carnival
is the top model in its segment according to a study by J.D. Power
. The Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study surveys owners and measures their emotional attachment and level of excitement with their new vehicle. Read along with the car ownership experts at Jerry
as we unpack why the Carnival came out on top. How the study works
Owners rank their vehicles based on 37 attributes, and those responses are then aggregated to compute an overall APEAL Index score measured on a 1,000-point scale.
For each segment, J.D. Power ranks the top three models. In the van and pickup segment, the Kia Carnival was the best minivan followed by the Toyota Sienna, but no third model met the criteria.
An annotation was given to the minivan segment list stating that no other model in this segment performs at or above the segment average.
The Kia Carnival was one of many newcomers to top its segment along with the Jeep Wagoneer large SUV, Jeep Grand Wagoneer large premium SUV, Genesis GV70 compact premium SUV, and Hyundai Santa Cruz midsize pickup.
It looks like Kia is doing something right, as the Carnival wasn’t the only Kia to win in its segment. Other winners include the EV6 and the K5.
What the Kia Carnival is up against
While the minivan segment is much less crowded than the SUV segment, fewer options make things that much more competitive.
The Carnival debuted last year as an all-new model to replace the Sedona minivan, and it has certainly been a great upgrade for those seeking a sleeker, sportier minivan that can still easily accommodate large groups or families.
Kia even shirks the minivan moniker
itself, instead referring to the Carnival as a multi-purpose vehicle or MPV. While the Carnival does have some similarities, its biggest competitors are other minivans such as the Toyota Sienna, Chrysler Pacifica, and Honda Odyssey.
The Carnival isn’t quite as powerful as an SUV, but for a minivan, it delivers a segment-leading performance. It sports a 3.5-liter V6 that generates 290 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque.
It also leads in terms of load capacity, offering 145.1 cubic feet of cargo space with the middle and rear seats folded down.
The one major downside when comparing the Kia Carnival to rivals is that it doesn’t yet offer a hybrid powertrain. The Carnival however is still quite new, and one could certainly be on the way for the future.
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