2022 Kia Carnival vs 2021 Chevrolet Suburban

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban's design was a topic of debate, with its front-end styling drawing mixed reactions. The vehicle's exterior borrowed elements from the Camaro, resulting in a combination of small headlights and large, busy grilles that did not appeal to everyone. Despite these design choices, the interior of the Suburban remained familiar and functional, with controls in their expected places. The infotainment system was user-friendly, although the chrome strip framing the screen could reflect sunlight into the driver's eyes. The Suburban offered various trim levels, each with distinct features, from the basic LS to the luxurious High Country, which included premium features like an adaptive air suspension and a rear-seat media system. However, despite its high price, the High Country trim lacked the soft-touch materials typically found in luxury SUVs, making it feel more like an upscale pickup.

The 2022 Kia Carnival, on the other hand, presented a unique design approach for a minivan, with SUV-like styling elements such as simulated skid plates and a floating roof design. Each trim level offered distinct design features, with the SX Prestige trim standing out for its luxurious interior, including VIP Lounge Seats and a power rear sunroof. The Carnival's interior was designed with practicality in mind, offering flexible seating configurations and ample cargo space. The second row featured individual captain's chairs with a wide center pass-through, and the third-row seats could be folded into a deep storage well, providing 40.2 cubic feet of volume. The Carnival's smart hands-free power-sliding side doors and liftgate added convenience, although some users might find the automatic opening feature a bit cumbersome.

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban came with a standard 5.3-liter V8 engine, delivering 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. For those seeking more power, a 6.2-liter V8 was available, offering 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. Additionally, a newly available Duramax turbodiesel engine, a 3.0-liter inline-six, produced 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. All three engines were paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, with the option of rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The Suburban's diesel engine provided impressive torque, making it capable of towing up to 8,300 pounds when equipped with the Max Trailering package. The vehicle's truck-based underpinnings contributed to its robust performance, offering a smooth ride over most surfaces, although it was prone to body roll and some road noise at higher speeds.

In contrast, the 2022 Kia Carnival was equipped with a new 3.5-liter V6 engine, producing 290 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, driving the front wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Carnival's towing capacity was 3,500 pounds, and it offered a smooth and steady acceleration experience. The automatic transmission operated seamlessly, providing a sense of quality with each gear shift. The Carnival featured four driving modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, and Smart, with Smart mode being the most commonly used. However, some drivers experienced a delayed downshift response in this mode, particularly when navigating corners or inclines, which could be mitigated by switching to Sport mode. The Carnival's fuel economy was rated at 22 mpg in combined driving, and during testing, it averaged 21.7 mpg, which was slightly lower due to idling during photography and technology testing. The front-wheel-drive Carnival exhibited a taut and athletic feel, with a flat cornering stance, although it could feel stiff over uneven surfaces.

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban was renowned for its massive cargo space, offering 41.5 cubic feet behind the third row, 93.8 cubic feet with the second row in use, and a cavernous 144.7 cubic feet with both rear rows folded. Passengers enjoyed a commanding view of the road, with ample head and legroom, especially in the second-row captain's chairs. The interior layout was user-friendly, with controls in familiar locations, although the button shifter design was less intuitive than a traditional column shifter. The power-sliding center console, while innovative, was seen as an unnecessary feature due to its slow operation.

The 2022 Kia Carnival, designed as a minivan with SUV styling, offered practicality with a unique interior layout. The dashboard and center console had an SUV-like design, which limited storage space compared to some competitors. The Carnival's second row featured individual captain's chairs with a wide center pass-through, and the EX and SX trims offered an 8-passenger Slide Flex seat configuration. The SX Prestige trim included power-adjustable, heated, and ventilated VIP Lounge Seats, which, while luxurious, had some compromises in terms of headroom and cargo volume. The Carnival's smart hands-free power-sliding side doors and liftgate provided convenience, with a deep storage well and 40.2 cubic feet of volume behind the third-row seat. The third-row seats could be folded into the well for additional space, and the second-row seats could be removed in certain trims to create a maximum cargo volume of 145.1 cubic feet, surpassing that of the Suburban.

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban came standard with a 10.2-inch touchscreen running GM's intuitive infotainment system, which included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The available wireless device charging pad added convenience, and a navigation system was optional. The Suburban also offered a rear entertainment system with large touchscreens and an available head-up display with clear graphics.

In contrast, the 2022 Kia Carnival featured a 12.3-inch widescreen infotainment system starting with the EX trim, which included wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, HD Radio, SiriusXM satellite radio, voice recognition, and an embedded modem for UVO Link connected services. The Carnival also offered a dual-screen rear entertainment system with touchscreen control, device mirroring capability, and embedded apps for content streaming. The SX Prestige trim included a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation display and a 12-speaker Bose Centerpoint surround-sound audio system, although it was noted to lack some depth and clarity compared to previous Harman Kardon systems.

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban was equipped with standard safety features such as automatic emergency braking, forward-collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, and rear parking sensors. Optional safety features included adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic assist, front parking sensors, and a surround-view monitor camera system. However, some of these features were standard on competitors like the Ford Expedition.

The 2022 Kia Carnival came with a comprehensive list of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) as standard, including forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, active blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning with collision avoidance, lane-departure, -keeping, and -centering assistance, and rear parking sensors. The Carnival also featured a driver monitoring system and a reversing camera. Starting with EX trim, the Carnival included Highway Driving Assist (HDA), a Level 2 driving aid that pairs adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assistance. The SX trim added a surround-view camera system, and the SX Prestige trim included a camera-based Blind View Monitor.