What is the 2022 Kia Carnival? Kia knows that minivans aren’t cool anymore, so it disguised its minivan offering as something else. Is the Carnival an SUV or something else? Minivans are better than SUVs in many different ways, the most prominent being affordability. So why would Kia want to disguise its offering as an SUV?

The 2022 Kia Carnival is a minivan disguised as an SUV

Go to any well-populated area with a big parking lot, and the majority of cars you’ll find will be SUVs. People will park Three-row SUVs, crossovers, and more every which way. One of the main reasons for this is that they’re not minivans. People started buying SUVs to get away from the negative stigma surrounding vans being “uncool” or for “soccer moms.” However, like the 2022 Kia Carnival, true minivans are a better, cheaper alternative.

Fortunately for those who still think minivans are lame, the Carnival wears a disguise. It’s styled to look like an SUV but with a minivan’s capability. However, Kia doesn’t classify it as either one. Instead, the automaker calls the 2022 Kia Carnival an MPV or multi-purpose vehicle. The Kia Carnival is a minivan for people who don’t want to own one.

Kia Carnival: part SUV

As Road and Track point out, most people will never use half the benefits of an SUV anyway. Driving off-road, braving inclement weather, and even a larger tow capacity are all things most people can go without. That’s why the Carnival MPV doesn’t need SUV capability; it just needs to look like one.

It does this using styling representative of a large, chunky SUV. Next, it combines a tall-standing posture and the traditional SUV front dashboard layout. Combine those things with rear sliding doors, a deep trunk, and a spacious cabin, and you’ve got yourself a versatile MPV. Although it’s a proper minivan and is closest in comparison to one, Kia managed to remove the “soccer mom” styling cues that make them less desirable.

Kia Carnival: part minivan

What minivans always lacked in crowd-pleasing good looks, they make up for in comfort, practicality, and luxury. The 2022 Kia Carnival is no different, which is why it’s such a great vehicle. Stripping away the bad parts and changing them to the positives of an ever-popular other vehicle type leaves you with Kia’s minivan disguised as an SUV. A though it might not beat the Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna in some areas, it’ll impress better than any of them.

With enough space to store large amounts of cargo and seat loads of passengers, the Carnival is a van to its core. It comes with removable second-row seats that are massive and comfortable. Other similar options like the Toyota Sienna have permanently-installed second-row seats, so the space you’re given is all you get. Another reason the minivan/SUV hybrid is such a well-rounded overall vehicle.

Should you buy a 2022 Kia Carnival MPV/SUV/minivan?

If you need all the capability of a minivan but don’t want to sacrifice your reputation, the Carnival is suitable for you. While SUVs provide a ton more capability, most people never use any of them anyway. The amenities and comfort a soccer mom car offers for a family are completely unmatched. Get everything you’d expect from a versatile minivan, but stay disguised behind an SUV design the entire time.