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The automaker tells us why it hasn’t brought rear-facing second-row seats to the USA and we answer your other queries
The 2024 Kia Carnival is one of the segment’s most attractive options but how does it fare in the real world? After over two weeks of driving it between Colorado and Florida, we came away impressed with its personality-plus nature. Before we set off we opened up the floor to you for questions on the spacious people mover. Today, we answer them all.
As a quick recap, the Carnival performed well overall. It’s not the most featureful, the most fuel-efficient, or the most nimble MPV necessarily but it does offer a few unique touches. Ours even had the luxury lounge seats in the second row. Most of what you wanted to know about was less about the flash and more about the function.
Why can’t I lock the vehicle while any of the doors are still open?
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This is a great question and it took some digging to find a roundabout answer. The question posed in the comments helped to clarify the concern. What if the driver exits and wants to immediately lock the vehicle while other passengers are in the midst of exiting other doors? We asked Kia and they told us that in fact, it’s not just the Carnival that does this. The entire Kia lineup is this way but they didn’t clarify as to why exactly this is the case.
Review: 2024 Kia Carnival Is A Minivan That’s Not Afraid To Have Some Fun
After a little digging online we’ve found that it’s not just Kia who does this. Toyota, Honda, and even Subaru have models that behave similarly. The commonly accepted reasoning is that it’s a safety feature to keep one from locking their own keys in the car. Engineers protecting us from ourselves evidently.
Are the seat rails hard to keep clean?
Surprisingly no. At least not over the course of two weeks and a few thousand miles. The rails have thick rubber that covers the vast majority of the track. It also helps that it sits up just a bit higher than the carpet so particles almost have to fall straight in to make it to the bottom of the rail. Even when they do, an everyday vacuum attachment makes cleanup easy. At least in our case, that is.
Still no rear-facing 2nd row seats?
This is absolutely a bummer but don’t blame Kia. It told us directly that “The Slide-flex (8-passenger) seats can’t be reversed in this market because of FMVSS.” So it’s federal standards that stop Kia from introducing those seats here more than it’s a lack of interest. After riding in the lounge seats I’m confident that Kia isn’t worried about being unconventional.
Did you have any major issues?
No. Not at all. The Carnival was an excellent road trip companion and we have a special piece on why it’s the pragmatic person’s choice of vehicle over a three-row SUV coming soon!
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