2025 Kia Carnival Debuts With Efficient New Hybrid Powertrain

For 2025, the Kia Carnival will get more efficient and comes with a fresh face. A new hybrid variant arrives for four of the Carnival’s five available trim levels: the LXS, ES, SX, and SX-Prestige will all see the optional powertrain. The new hybrid powertrain pairs a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with a 72-horsepower electric motor for a combined 242 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels. Unfortunately, EPA fuel economy estimates aren’t in yet. The Carnival’s standard 3.5-liter V6 is still part of the equation and will be the only powertrain option on the entry-level LX trim. Speaking of the V6, it produces 287 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, down 3 hp and 2 lb-ft from last year.

Hybrid models also get their own set of changes for 2025. These include a set of 17-inch wheels, three levels of braking regeneration, and Kia E-Handling and E-Ride systems. The former is software that will supposedly improve handling via acceleration or deceleration of the electric motor. Meanwhile, the E-Ride system “helps smooth out the action of going over bumps with specially tuned shocks.”

All models for 2025 will sport a new design. This includes a new grille with larger inlets, as well as revised front and rear bumpers. There are also new L-shaped lighting arrangements, and a new Dark Edition offers black roof rails, skid plates, c-pillar, a grille, and wheels. Kia will complete the look with a series of 17-19-inch wheel designs.

Kia has added larger screens to the Carnival’s interior, and the design shifts somewhat as a result of the newly standard 12-inch screen. The climate controls now sit separate from the rest of the console, and a rotary gear selector is now present instead of the old lever. Kia also offers a color head-up display and digital rearview mirror as options. Tech and connectivity stretch further into the cabin, with a new voice recognition system, too. It will recognize where in the cabin a voice is coming from and can open the corresponding window or adjust the climate based on this.

A new digital key system allows drivers to use their phones as a key, which can be shared over text, and a new operating system called the “Connected Car Navigation Cockpit” promises to be quicker and more user-friendly. Speaking of friendliness to users, safety systems have seen a refresh too, with Highway Driving Assist 2. The revised system will, on certain pieces of highway, keep the Carnival a set distance behind the car ahead and centered in the lane. Kia says the system can also perform lane changes under some conditions. For now, pricing is a mystery, and the new model will hit dealers sometime this summer.

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