Kia Carnival vs Chrysler Pacifica | The Car Connection (2024)

Newest doesn’t mean best, but when the newest minivan challenges the stalwart best minivan for years running, it promises to make both of them better. Such is the case with the refreshed 2025 Kia Carnival and the carryover 2024 Chrysler Pacifica.

When Kia reimagined its minivan and also changed its name from the Sedona to the Carnival for the 2022 model year, it won our Best Minivan To Buy award. The big top Carnival overshadowed the Chrysler Pacifica, which had won the award since it was last redesigned in 2017.

The Carnival’s SUV style, interior flexibility, and value-loaded feature set only get better for 2025 with the addition of a hybrid powertrain for the first time. We’ll update this compare once we get to dive into the hybrid version of the Carnival. Yet, it still can only be had with front-wheel drive, same as the 2025 Honda Odyssey, which is the only one of four minivans on sale for 2025 without a hybrid powertrain.

With all this talk of hybrids, we’d be remiss in not mentioning the only minivan with a standard hybrid powertrain and an EPA rating of 36 mpg combined. That’s the 2024 Toyota Sienna.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica still stands out with its second-row seats that can be collapsed to hide in the floor, and it’s the only minivan with a plug-in hybrid powertrain and luxury-like feature offerings. At eight years old, however, it’s starting to show its age. Chrysler has been rumored to address that for 2025, but until it does, we’ll go with what we got.

These two minivans rank highest on our scale, but they go about it in different ways. Here are their strengths and weaknesses, and our recommendations in each category important to car shoppers.

Chrysler Pacifica vs. Kia Carnival prices, features, and trims

• Pacifica ranges from $41,000 for base Touring to $61,500 for Hybrid Pinnacle
• Carnival LX starts at $37,895 and runs to $53,995 for Hybrid SX Prestige
• Our picks: Kia Carnival EX, Pacifica Touring L or Pacifica Hybrid Select

Which Kia Carnival should I buy?

The base Carnival LX costs $37,895, including the mandatory $1,395 destination fee. That’s nearly $3,000 less than the base Pacifica Touring L, and it’s equipped with modern conveniences appreciated if not demanded by the modern family: power sliding doors, a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six USB ports, and a suite of driver-assist technology.

We’d step up to the $42,095 Carnival EX for its flashier 19-inch wheels and roof rails as well as a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless smartphone charging, a power tailgate, sound-deadening acoustic glass, and power front seats with memory. It’s still less than a base Pacifica and it comes with a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty.

Available on all but the base LX, the Carnival Hybrid adds $4,000 to the price. An SX Prestige Hybrid has 19-inch wheels, and a power driver seat. Fully loaded, a Carnival SX Prestige with leather upholstery, 12-speaker Bose sound, and a surround-view camera system tops the lineup at $53,995.

Which Chrysler Pacifica should I buy?

The $41,000 Pacifica Touring L has 17-inch wheels, cloth seats that are heated up front, second-row seats that fold into the floor, a power tailgate, power sliding side doors, adaptive cruise control, and a 10.1-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. A steep $1,695 destination fee doesn’t make the Pacifica any closer to a bargain.

Consider the $43,680 Touring L for synthetic leather upholstery and access to an array of packages that include better safety technology, more interior tech, and available AWD for a steep $2,995.

The Pacifica plug-in hybrid starts off in a new Select trim level outfitted similarly to the Touring L for $52,750, though federal, state, and even local rebates may bring it closer to parity with the non-hybrid. With its quilted nappa leather, suede headliner, interior camera system, and automatic parking system, the Hybrid Pinnacle is the most luxurious minivan sold in the U.S., and it carries a $61,500 luxury price.

Every Pacifica has a basic 3-year/36,000-mile warranty, but the plug-in hybrid powertrain is covered by a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty.

Advantage: The Carnival’s a big-top deal.

Chrysler Pacifica vs. Kia Carnival size, comfort, and cargo space

• No minivan can match the Pacifica’s second-row stowable seats
• The Carnival has more cargo space, however
• Both seat up to eight passengers in comfort

The minivan outsmarts the SUV in every aspect when it comes to optimized interior space for cargo and passengers, and that includes the recessed tub that can either hold the collapsed third row or be used as a cargo area behind the third row that doubles the space found in most three-row SUVs. The power-sliding side doors show just how much smarter and more practical the minivan is over the SUV when it comes to family needs. No other can match the Chrysler Pacifica’s famed Stow 'n Go second-row seats that hide into the floor to transform the minivan into a cargo van.

How big is the Chrysler Pacifica?

By the numbers, it comes up a little short of the Carnival, measuring140.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats all folded into the floor for work van duty. With the seats all up, the Pacifica carries more than 32 cargo feet of stuff.

The front seats, with heaters and power adjustments standard, only get comfier with more money you spend. The Pacifica seats eight, but it’s an unlikely configuration because the middle second-row seat has to be removed instead of stowed into the floor to optimize that interior space. The captain’s chairs aren’t as well-padded as the fronts of the Carnival, but kids are resilient and they’ll nap just fine on roadtrips with the available rear-seat entertainment center.

One note: Stow ‘n Go seats are not available on the Hybrid or top Pinnacle trim, but you can still get them with all-wheel drive.

How big is the Kia Carnival?

The Carnival can’t match that versatility, but it’s roomier and has the option on the SX Prestige of second-row captain’s chairs with a collapsible leg rest. It’s a trick, though, to slide the seat all the way back and move the front seats up for a rangy teen to spread out. The second row also has a track that lets you move the seats inboard for an easy access lane to the back or away from each other for a lane down the middle. Most Carnivals come with a second-row bench seat with a sliding middle seat that folds down to serve as a console, or stays up to grant it eight-passenger seating. These seats can be removed but don’t fold into the floor.

The front seats have plenty of support and adjustment, so long as you opt for middle or higher-level trims. Storage abounds, in the door pockets and in the console. Cargo space tallies up to 145.1 cubic feet with the third row and second-row seats folded down; it’s 40.2 cubic feet with all seats in use. That’s good enough for hardware store visits or long road trips with lots of luggage.

Advantage: Pacifica for Stow 'n Go, though the Carnival is roomier.

Carnival vs. Pacifica safety

• Both have standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection
• Pacifica earned a Top Safety Pick+
• Surround-view camera systems can be equipped on either

Both the Carnival and the Pacifica have standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitors, and active lane control, but Chrysler adds adaptive cruise control as standard as well. It’s better equipped and has more comprehensive crash-test results.

How safe is the Kia Carnival?

The NHTSA still hasn’t tested the Carnival, and the IIHS gave the 2024 model a Top Safety Pick, so long as it’s fitted with the SX Prestige’s LED projector headlights. Other versions get “Poor” headlights but maintain excellent crash-test scores.

Driver-assist options include blind-spot cameras that project side views into the instrument cluster, adaptive cruise control, high-speed automatic emergency braking, and a surround-view camera system.

How safe is the Chrysler Pacifica?

The Pacifica gets the NHTSA’s five-star nod, and its IIHS award comes with a Top Safety Pick+ designation—stronger headlights across the board do the trick.

Standard equipment includes adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking that can detect and stop for pedestrians, active lane control, a rear-seat reminder, and blind-spot monitors. A surround-view camera system and parking sensors are widely available—and worthwhile since over-the-shoulder vision is not great.

Advantage: Chrysler Pacifica.

Kia Carnival vs. Chrysler Pacifica powertrains and performance

• Pacifica has an all-wheel-drive option, or a plug-in hybrid choice
• The Carnival rides with care but the Pacifica has more aplomb
• Forthcoming Carnival hybrid intrigues

How fast is the Kia Carnival?

It’s about average, thanks to a 290-hp V-6 that couples to a smooth-shifting 8-speed automatic. Passing on the highway won’t cause you to pause, but nothing about its acceleration will surprise unwitting drivers, either.

How about the Carnival Hybrid?

We’ll update this with drive impressions once we test it, but here’s what we know. It pairs a 1.6-liter turbo-4 with a 54-kw electric motor for a combined output of 242 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. Similar to the Kia Sorento and Kia Sportage hybrids, this hybrid powertrain has a 6-speed automatic transmission with front-wheel drive only.It has active grille shutters and 17-inch wheels optimized for aerodynamics.

Is the Kia Carnival AWD?

It isn’t, unlike the Pacifica or the Toyota Sienna. It stakes its performance claims primarily on a road-soaking ride that uses front struts and a multi-link rear suspension to stifle any dissent that tries to sneak in through the tires. Numb steering amplifies its inoffensive, practical tuning. It’s just relentlessly minivan in the way it ignores bad roads—and good ones.

How fast is the Chrysler Pacifica?

The 3.6-liter V-6 rates at 287 hp and 262 lb-ft, which goes to the front wheels via a 9-speed automatic transmission. That gearbox’s behavior can fumble some of the expected shifts at low speeds, and while cruising it seems reluctant to step into ninth gear. It works best when driven with authority, which might not match the expectations of many minivan drivers.

Is the Chrysler Pacifica 4WD?

Front-wheel drive is standard, while all-wheel drive is a $2,995 option on non-hybrid models. Good steering heft helps the Pacifica drive confidently down a winding road and it settles into a nice highway cruise. A well-controlled ride with standard 18-inch wheels only becomes a bit firmer with the optional 20s, so try before you sign on the dotted line. It’s a quiet mile-eater, among the best road-trip cars money can buy.

What about the Pacifica plug-in hybrid?

The Pacifica Hybrid pairs two electric motors and a small 16-kwh battery pack to a detuned version of the V-6 for a system output of 260 hp. At lower speeds, it motors around on electric power alone for up to 32 miles, which could handle most daily minivan duties. The downside to this is that the hybrid weighs 500 pounds more than the base Pacifica, which means more body lean when pushed into a corner. Overall, it’s clean, quiet, and can be recharged overnight in a standard 120-volt garage outlet. Hit the road for an extended road trip and you can fill up the gas tank like any other car, and it’s still more efficient and quieter than other minivans and most SUVs. Fully charged, it can even handle highway speeds before the gas engine kicks on.

Advantage: Pacifica.

Pacifica vs. Carnival gas mileage

• The Pacifica gets 22 mpg combined or 30 mpg as a hybrid
• The Pacifica plug-in hybrid has an all-electric range of 32 miles
• The Carnival gets 21 mpg combined; EPA ratings are not final for the Hybrid

Is the Kia Carnival good on gas?

Not until the 2025 Hybrid arrives. The EPA rates the V-6 at 18 mpg city, 26 highway, 21 combined, which is worse than the brand’s burly Telluride three-row SUV that peaks at 23 mpg combined.

Is the Chrysler Pacifica good on gas?

It’s better than the Carnival. The V-6 rates at 19/28/22 mpg, but AWD models drop to 17/25/20 mpg. The plug-in hybrid outbids even the Toyota Sienna hybrid and its 36 mpg combined because it can travel for 32 miles on electric power alone. When the juice runs out, it becomes a hybrid rated at 30 mpg combined.

Advantage: Chrysler Pacifica.

Kia Carnival vs. Chrysler Pacifica: Which one is the better minivan?

It’s hard to beat the interior flexibility or the plug-in hybrid option of the Chrysler Pacifica, which earns a TCC Rating of 6.7 out of 10. It gets expensive, however, and the Carnival has the styling edge by our eyes, and it’s a better value, which is why the 2024 Carnival earned a 7.0 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.) The hybrid option may make it even better for 2025. It’s a tough choice, and Stow 'n Go still could be the difference maker, 20 years after it first came out.