2022 Kia Carnival vs 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

The 2022 Kia Carnival presented a unique design across its various trims, each offering distinct elements. The LX trim featured a standard black grille and 17-inch silver-painted aluminum wheels, while the EX trim doubled the available paint colors and added 19-inch machined-finish aluminum wheels, simulated wood trim, and SynTex simulated leather in three colors. The SX trim introduced a mirrored grid-pattern grille and black wheels, and the SX Prestige focused on interior upgrades with real leather and VIP Lounge Seats. The Carnival's SUV 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, standing out in its segment.

Inside, the Carnival continued the SUV theme with a crossover-like dashboard and center console. The LX model offered a two-tone black-and-gray interior with cloth seats, while the EX trim and above introduced a Tuscan Umber interior option. The Carnival's interior was upscale, even in base trim, with the LX Seat Package offering synthetic leather options. The Carnival's design was appealing, with a focus on style and practicality, making it a standout choice in its category.

The 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport embraced a "modernist" and "reductive" design, focusing on clean and simple aesthetics. While not flashy, it offered a Firenze Red paint color and 23-inch diamond-turned wheels for those seeking attention. The test vehicle featured Eiger Gray paint, silver wheels, and a Black Exterior Pack, exuding understated luxury. Inside, the Deep Garnet over Ebony theme with aluminum and shiny black trim added to the luxurious feel. The Range Rover Sport was available in SE P360, SE Dynamic P400, and Autobiography P440e specifications, with various upgrades pushing the MSRP to $98,420.

The Range Rover Sport's design highlights included premium LED headlights, flush-mounted door handles, and surface LED technology taillights. It boasted excellent aerodynamics with a drag coefficient of 0.29. Inside, the cabin featured sustainable Ultrafabrics and Windsor leather upholstery, offering a high-tech and luxurious appearance. The Range Rover Sport's design was refined and sophisticated, appealing to those seeking a blend of luxury and performance.

The 2022 Kia Carnival was equipped with a new 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, with a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds. The V6 engine provided smooth and effortless acceleration, while the automatic transmission operated unobtrusively. The Carnival offered Normal, Eco, Sport, and Smart driving modes, with Smart mode being the most used, despite some delayed downshift responses. The Carnival achieved an average fuel economy of 21.7 mpg, slightly below the EPA's 22 mpg estimate.

Dynamically, the front-wheel-drive Carnival felt taut and athletic, with a flat cornering stance and responsive handling. However, it could feel stiff over broken pavement and bouncy over drainage dips. The Carnival's performance was impressive for a minivan, offering a balance of comfort and agility.

The 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport aimed to balance refinement, comfort, and driver-focused engagement. It featured a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with mild-hybrid technology, producing 395 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque in the SE Dynamic model. The SE P360 offered 355 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) drivetrain was available in the Autobiography P440e, providing 434 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque with an estimated 51 miles of electric range. The Range Rover Sport also offered a 523-hp twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine in selected early-build models.

The Range Rover Sport's 395-hp inline-six provided ample power, with a 0-60 mph time of 5.4 seconds. It featured an eight-speed automatic transmission and Intelligent All-Wheel Drive, with a towing capacity of 7,716 pounds. The SUV achieved an average fuel economy of 22.3 mpg, exceeding the EPA's 21 mpg estimate. The Range Rover Sport's new architecture increased torsional stiffness by 35%, and its adaptive damping air suspension adjusted up to 500 times per second for optimal ride comfort and handling.

The Range Rover Sport offered Dynamic driving mode, cornering brake control, brake-induced torque vectoring, and roll stability control. However, it struggled to match the driving dynamics of sport-tuned SUVs from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. The steering lacked involvement, and the SUV felt tall and heavy in tight curves. Off-road, the Range Rover Sport excelled, with advanced suspension and technology providing a smooth and capable experience.

The 2022 Kia Carnival was a practical minivan with an SUV-style design. The LX trim featured individual captain's chairs with a wide center pass-through, while the LX Seat Package added a middle second-row seat for increased flexibility. The EX and SX trims offered an 8-passenger Slide Flex seat configuration, and the SX Prestige included power-adjustable, heated, and ventilated 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 Carnival's smart hands-free power-sliding side doors and liftgate offered convenience, 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 Carnival's interior was versatile and spacious, catering to families and their needs.

The 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport maintained the Range Rover Command Driving Position, offering a tall and airy feel. The air suspension could kneel for easier entry and exit, and the front seats were comfortable with 20-way power adjustments, heating, and ventilation. The rear seat, however, was less accommodating, with limited legroom and hard front seatback panels. The back seat provided excellent support but had a reclined angle, and narrow door openings made entry and exit challenging.

The Range Rover Sport's cabin offered decent storage space, with a deep bin under the center armrest and a second bin under the sliding cupholder tray. The power liftgate revealed a 31.9 cubic-foot cargo area, with controls to lower the air suspension and power the back seat down for added space. Maximum cargo space measured 53 cubic feet, with a full-size spare under the cargo floor. The Range Rover Sport's interior was luxurious but had some limitations in rear-seat comfort and cargo space.

The 2022 Kia Carnival's LX trim featured traditional analog gauges, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and six speakers. The EX trim and above offered a 12.3-inch widescreen infotainment system with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, HD Radio, SiriusXM satellite radio, voice recognition, and UVO Link connected services. The Carnival also included Passenger View and Passenger Talk features, a Quiet Mode for the stereo, and a dual-screen rear entertainment system in the SX trim.

The SX Prestige trim added 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 intuitive to use but required time to set up and learn.

The 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport featured a 13.7-inch digital instrumentation display and a 13.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with haptic feedback. It included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Amazon Alexa compatibility, SiriusXM satellite radio, and an Online Pack with connected services. However, the Pivi Pro infotainment platform was often confusing and frustrating to use, with difficulties in finding and accessing features.

The Range Rover Sport offered impressive Meridian audio systems with up to 29 speakers and 1,430 watts of power, and an Active Noise Cancellation system. A wireless smartphone charging pad was located under the infotainment screen, but it was challenging to access. The Range Rover Sport's technology had potential but fell short in user-friendliness and functionality.

The 2022 Kia Carnival came equipped with a comprehensive list of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS), 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. The 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.

The SX trim included a surround-view camera system, and the SX Prestige offered a Blind View Monitor. Crash-test results were unavailable at the time of review.

The 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport was equipped with numerous advanced driving assistance systems, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assist. It also featured automatic high-beam headlights, a driver monitoring system, front and rear parking sensors, and a surround-view camera system with ClearSight Ground View camera.

The Range Rover Sport's adaptive cruise control with steering assist was slow to respond and not as smooth as expected. The steering assist technology was dissatisfactory, especially on freeway curves with inconsistent lane lines. The Range Rover Sport's safety technology had room for improvement in terms of responsiveness and reliability.