2022 Kia Carnival vs 2023 Hyundai Palisade

The 2022 Kia Carnival stood out with its unique design elements across different trims. The LX trim featured a standard black grille and 17-inch aluminum wheels, while the EX trim offered a more upscale look with 19-inch machined-finish wheels and simulated leather interiors. The SX trim introduced a mirrored grid-pattern grille and black wheels, appealing to modern tastes. The SX Prestige trim focused on interior luxury with real leather and VIP Lounge Seats. The Carnival's SUV-like styling included skid plates, a floating roof design, and a robust roof rack on higher trims. Despite visible sliding door tracks, the Carnival's design was sharp and angular, setting it apart from competitors like the Chrysler Pacifica and Honda Odyssey. Inside, the Carnival's dashboard and seating arrangements resembled a crossover, with a stylish and upscale appearance even in the base trim.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade, as Hyundai's largest SUV, received a styling update that enhanced its commanding presence. The new front fascia and squared-off grille gave it a stronger look, complemented by standard LED headlights and taillights. The Calligraphy trim featured premium rear accent lighting, a unique grille, and a wider rear spoiler. The XRT trim added a dark grille and black 20-inch wheels. The Palisade's interior was stylish, with premium Nappa leather in the Calligraphy trim and a dual-pane sunroof. The base SE model had cloth seats, while higher trims offered heated and ventilated seats. The Palisade's second-row seats came in a bench configuration for SE models, with captain's chairs in higher trims. The Palisade's design and features made it a standout choice for those seeking a premium SUV experience.

The 2022 Kia Carnival was equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 290 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, driving the front wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. It lacked all-wheel drive and electrified powertrain options, but offered a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds. The V6 engine provided smooth and effortless acceleration, with the automatic transmission operating unobtrusively. The Carnival offered Normal, Eco, Sport, and Smart driving modes, with Smart mode being the most commonly used. However, it had a delayed downshift response in certain situations, which could be resolved by switching to Sport mode. The Carnival's fuel economy was rated at 22 mpg combined, with a tested average of 21.7 mpg. The front-wheel-drive Carnival felt athletic and had a flat cornering stance, but could feel stiff over uneven surfaces.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade featured a 3.8-liter V6 engine with 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, making it competitive in its class. The eight-speed automatic transmission could be controlled with paddle shifters, and all-wheel drive was available as an option. The Palisade's towing capacity was 5,000 pounds, with a dedicated Tow Mode for AWD models. Fuel economy for the FWD Palisade was 19 mpg city, 27 highway, and 22 combined, while AWD models achieved 19 city, 25 highway, and 21 combined. The Palisade offered a comfortable ride and was capable of light off-roading, but lacked clearance for more challenging terrain. Its performance and capability made it a strong contender in the midsize SUV segment.

The 2022 Kia Carnival offered practicality with its minivan design, though the SUV-style dashboard and center console limited storage space. The LX trim featured captain's chairs with a wide center pass-through, while the LX Seat Package added a middle second-row seat for more flexibility. The EX and SX trims had an 8-passenger Slide Flex seat configuration, and the SX Prestige trim offered power-adjustable VIP Lounge Seats with an Ottoman-style leg rest. The Carnival's third-row seat was comfortable for adults, and the rearmost cargo area provided ample space. The smart hands-free power-sliding side doors and liftgate had pros and cons, with a deep storage well and 40.2 cubic feet of volume behind the third-row seat. Folding the third-row seats created 86.9 cubic feet of cargo space, and removing the second-row seats increased cargo volume to 145.1 cubic feet.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade provided ample space for seven or eight passengers, with 44.1 inches of legroom in the front row, 42.4 in the second, and 31.4 in the third. Passenger volume measured 155.3 cubic feet, and the Palisade offered easy access to the third row with one-touch seat slide and ingress/egress handles. Cargo space totaled 18 cubic feet with all seats in place, 45.8 behind the second row, and 86.4 with all but the front-row seats folded flat. The Palisade featured HVAC vents in all three rows, two cupholders per person, and a center console with a phone holder and space for a bag. The layout of physical buttons and knobs was intuitive, and automatic dual-zone climate control was standard in SEL and up.

The 2022 Kia Carnival's LX trim featured analog gauges, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and six speakers. The EX trim upgraded to a 12.3-inch widescreen infotainment system with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, HD Radio, SiriusXM, voice recognition, and navigation. It also included Passenger View and Passenger Talk features, as well as a Quiet Mode for the stereo. The SX trim added a dual-screen rear entertainment system with touchscreen control and device mirroring capability. The SX Prestige trim featured a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation display and a 12-speaker Bose Centerpoint surround-sound audio system. Kia provided a quick reference guide for the technology, which was mostly intuitive to use.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade introduced WiFi hotspot capability as standard on every trim, along with a 12.3-inch color touchscreen infotainment system featuring Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, navigation, HD Radio, SiriusXM, and Bluetooth connectivity. A premium 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system was available in SEL models and standard in Limited and Calligraphy. The Palisade offered a 4.2-inch color driver info display or a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster in higher trims. An in-car intercom and rear-seat quiet mode were available, and Hyundai's Bluelink connected vehicle system was standard on all trims. The Palisade also featured Digital Key 2 Touch, allowing owners to use compatible devices to unlock, start, and drive the car, with the ability to share keys through iMessage or Samsung Pass.

The 2022 Kia Carnival came with a comprehensive list of advanced driving assistance systems, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, active blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning, lane-departure, -keeping, and -centering assistance, and rear parking sensors. EX trim added front parking sensors, cyclist detection, navigation-based adaptive cruise control, and Highway Driving Assist (HDA). The Carnival also featured an ultrasonic rear occupant alert system and Safe Exit Assist. Starting with SX trim, the Carnival included a surround-view camera system, and the SX Prestige had a camera-based Blind View Monitor. Crash-test results were unavailable at the time of review.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade was expected to maintain its Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS, with new active and passive safety features, including second-row side-impact airbags. Hyundai's Smart Sense suite of safety features was standard, with forward collision avoidance, driver attention warning, high beam assist, and lane-keeping and lane-following assist. Blind-spot collision avoidance and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance were newly standard, along with navigation-based Smart Cruise Control and intelligent speed limit assist. Highway Driving Assist I and II were available, and a full-display digital rearview mirror was offered. Safe exit warning and rear seat occupant alert were standard on most trims.