The Kia Carnival replaced the Sedona as the automaker’s minivan. This seven- to eight-passenger vehicle comes with attractive styling and impressive features in five different trim levels. The 2023 Kia Carnival boasts interior updates over the previous model. In the market, it competes with the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, and Toyota Sienna. Here’s more about the 2023 Kia Carnival and whether it has Android Auto as a standard feature.

An overview of the 2023 Kia Carnival

The 2023 Kia Carnival is available in five trim levels: EX, SX, SX Prestige, LX, and LX Seat Package. According to Kia, the LX comes at a starting price of $32,900, the LX Seat Package at $34,900, the EX at $38,400, the SX at $41,600, and the SX Prestige at $46,000.

The Kia Carnival adopts a different approach as a minivan; it’s billed as a multipurpose vehicle (MPV) inspired by the very successful Kia Telluride SUV. The Carnival includes crossover-like dimensions, premium design elements, large wheels, and an enhanced interior. For the 2023 model, the vehicle adds a few new features across its five trims.

Does the 2023 Kia Carnival have Android Auto?

Yes, the 2023 Kia Carnival has Android Auto. Kia is among the first automakers to recognize and use utility apps in its vehicles. The 2023 Kia Carnival is fully compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It also features a standard 8.0-inch touchscreen display that integrates wirelessly with your Android Auto or Apple CarPlay systems.

Each of the five trims has a 3.0-inch navigation display and a 3.0-inch complete digital instrument cluster. Drivers also have access to wireless smartphone charging and multi-Bluetooth connectivity.

Android Auto is Google’s in-car assistance designed to work with various apps such as Waze, Google Maps, and Google Voice Assistant to make it safer to use your phone while driving. With this, Android Auto can play music, navigate, make calls, send and receive voice text messages and listen to audiobooks as you fully concentrate on the road without distractions.

Standard Android Auto works with your phone via a USB connection, while Android Auto Wireless works without a cable. With the latter, you don’t have to keep connecting and reconnecting the cable to your car’s infotainment system.

Android Auto Wireless has been around since 2020 and is compatible with a smartphone with Android 11 or earlier and only phones with 5GHz Wi-Fi. If you lack such as phone, you’ll be stuck using a cable until you upgrade.

In some vehicles, the system will query if you’d want to use a wireless connection in the future when you plug in your USB cable. If you say yes, your phone will connect to the system automatically with Android Auto. The system uses Wi-Fi Direct for data and music instead of Bluetooth for wireless Android Auto, while phone calls go over Bluetooth.

Useful tech and infotainment features in the Carnival

The 2023 Kia Carnival comes with some helpful tech and infotainment features. For instance, the LX trim features an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, while the other trims have a 12.3-inch touchscreen display. The SX Prestige is the only trim with a 12.3-inch instrumentation panel.

Other impressive tech and infotainment features in the 2023 Kia Carnival include Bluetooth pairing for two devices, HD radio, voice recognition, SiriusXM satellite radio, and navigation capability.

According to Edmunds, the 2023 Kia Carnival has a multitude of parking cameras and USB ports. It also has three sound systems: the six-speaker system with Bluetooth capability, the eight-speaker system, and the spectacular 12-speaker Bose system with a subwoofer, external amp, integrated roof antenna, and Bluetooth capacity.

Other standard entertainment equipment in each trim level includes voice-activated radio programming, a Wi-Fi hotspot, steering wheel infotainment system controls, and six USB ports.