Looking at the 2023 Kia Carnival vs the 2023 Honda Odyssey
A battle between two minivans: How does the Kia Carnival stack up to the Honda Odyssey?
Written by Andrew Kidd
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
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Two
minivans
on the market today consistently earn their spots on various best-of lists: the Honda Odyssey and the Kia Carnival.But how do they compare? Let's take a deeper look.
Interior
According to
Car and Driver
, both the Honda Odyssey and Kia Carnival are capable of seating up to eight passengers and both feature fold-flat third rows. The second rows are a different story; the Odyssey's second row has a three-seat bench with a removable middle seat, while the Carnival has removable captain's chairs and a configurable three-seat option.
But if you opt for the best seats in the Carnival—heated, cooled captain's chairs—you're out of luck when it comes to removing them.
The Carnival has 40 cubic feet of storage behind its third row with 145 cubic feet of space behind the front seats in models with removable seats.
The Odyssey boasts 39 cubic feet of cargo space behind its third row, but 156 cubic feet behind the front seats.
C&D's luggage testing saw 14 carry-on suitcases fit into the Carnival's rear cargo space and 48 with no seats in the way, while the Odyssey held 11 carry-on suitcases in the rear cargo space and 52 with seats removed.
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Infotainment and tech
The Carnival comes standard with an 8-inch touchscreen in its base model, but higher-trim models have a 12.3-inch touchscreen. The Odyssey has an 8-inch touchscreen as well. Both support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but the Carnival does it wirelessly.
Both minivans have rear-seat entertainment systems for passengers, with the Carnival boasting two separate screens on the rear of the front seats while the Odyssey has a drop-down screen from the ceiling.
WiFi hotspots are standard on the Carnival and available on the Odyssey. Both models feature intercoms for drivers to communicate with passengers and cameras facing the rear seats, but they're available for a higher price point on the Honda as opposed to the Kia.
The Carnival and Odyssey have standard driver assistance tech including automated emergency braking, auto high-beams and lane-keeping assist, while only the Odyssey comes standard with adaptive cruise control.
MORE: Critics and Consumers Disagree About Which Minivan Is Best
Powertrain
Both the Kia Carnival and Honda Odyssey have gas-only powertrains, with the Carnival boasting a 290-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission on its front-wheel drive powertrain.
The Odyssey features a 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 mated to a 10-speed transmission. Same displacement and torque (262 lb.-ft.) but the Kia's got a little more oomph.
That doesn't make the Kia Carnival faster; the Odyssey hits a 0-to-60 time of 6.5 seconds, versus the Carnival's 7-second 0-to-60 time.
It's also better at overtaking at highway speeds, with the Odyssey hitting a 50-to-70 passing time of 4.5 seconds compared with the Carnival's 5-second time.
Fuel economy
The Honda Odyssey has a better EPA rating of 19 mpg city and 28 mpg highway for a combined 22 mpg rating. The Kia Carnival is the same sans its 26-mpg highway rating.
C&D tested both vehicles in their 75 mph real-world fuel economy test, showing that both did better than rated, but the Odyssey still came out on top at 30 mpg versus the Carnival's 28 mpg.
Pricing and options
The Kia Carnival is cheaper than the Honda Odyssey in terms of base price; the 2023 Carnival LX starts at $33,935 while the 2023 Odyssey EX starts at $38,635.
The Carnival tends to stay relatively inexpensive compared with the Odyssey without sacrificing features; the Carnival EX starts at $39,435 compared with Honda's equivalent, the Odyssey EX-L at $41,705.
The top models of each minivan's lineup—the Carnival SX Prestige and Odyssey Elite—start at $47,035 and $50,765 respectively. For that price point, C&D states the Carnival is the more exciting option.
The verdict
While it's a little slower out the gate, slightly less efficient and doesn't come with two years/24,000 miles of scheduled maintenance like the Odyssey, the Kia Carnival seems to be the better value.
It's also objectively better-looking, sporting a more SUV-like silhouette versus the traditional minivan look of the Honda.
C&D's readers also prefer the Kia Carnival over the Honda Odyssey, with a website poll showing 59% of respondents choosing the Carnival versus 41% for the Odyssey.
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