I’ve Officially Crossed Over To The Dark Side :: Why I LOVE My New Kia Carnival Minivan
Let me start this post by saying that I swore I would NEVER own a minivan. I swore I’d never even look at one. Well … I am currently eating my words and then some.
About 2 months ago, I quickly realized that when we have to evacuate for a hurricane, my car (a Honda Pilot) would literally not have enough space to fit both my kids, my two 60 pound dogs, their crates, and all our luggage. And before you ask why I can’t just have my husband pack some stuff in his car, he’s active duty national guard so he ALWAYS has to stay for storms. This means I am on my own for evacuations. And the last time we had to evacuate, I did not have said 60 pound dogs. So, the Pilot had more than enough space. In addition to the current lack of space, the Pilot was an old girl, with many miles. She had a good run, but she was beginning to have some very expensive challenges. So I began my search for a new vehicle.
I immediately began looking at a Chevy Tahoe. This has been my DREAM car since I was in high school. My search quickly revealed that my dream car was well outside my budget, even for a pre-owned Tahoe. But I wasn’t deterred. I crunched numbers, researched for hours, and convinced myself I could save enough for a large down payment. In the meantime, my husband and SEVERAL friends were trying to convince me to consider a minivan. And let me tell you …. minivan people are serious. They LOVE their vehicles … I mean LOVE. I wasn’t initially convinced.
Then one night after a long, fruitless search for a pre-owned Tahoe, I had an epiphany. Why was I scrounging for a used car that was still at the very top end of my budget, and had over 50 thousand miles on it when I could get a BRAND NEW van with all the bells and whistles? That’s when my research led me to the 2025 Kia Carnival. (Fun fact, they call vans “multipurpose vehicles/MPVs” now). The Kia Carnival seemed to check all the boxes: great gas mileage, TONS of cargo space, 8-passenger seating, all the tech, AND it was half the price of a pre-owned Tahoe once I traded in my Pilot. I found one at our local Kia dealer and was picking it up the very next day. And let me tell you, I LOVE this vehicle!
I fully understand the minivan obsession now. There is truly not a single negative thing about this car. It has incredible gas mileage (26 miles to the gallon on average), 180 cubic feet of cargo storage space, 360 camera view for parking and driving assist, middle-row seating where you can change the configuration to be bench or captain seating, all the tech of a high-end vehicle. It even has a rearview, in-cabin camera so you can visualize your littles if need be, and so much more. The best part … the 2025 body style looks much more like an SUV than a van. We are taking a road trip to Universal Studios next week and I can’t wait to take the van. The fact that we have so much more space will be a huge plus.
So, if you’re on the fence about whether or not a van is worth it, take the plunge! You won’t regret it. And if you’re in the NOLA are, head on over to Premier Kia and ask for Anthony. He was GREAT! Tell him Emily sent you!
