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Miami wants to be an efficient city. If a car can shave a minute off the Kendall school drop off, keep everyone cool after a sunbaked soccer practice at the park, and still have enough style to glide across the Julia Tuttle without drama, it earns my respect. The 2025 Kia Carnival MPV Hybrid SX Prestige does all of that and adds a little swagger while it’s at it.
Kia finally gave the Carnival the powertrain Miami families were waiting for — a turbo-hybrid setup with a 1.6-liter turbo four paired with an electric motor and a 6-speed automatic. The system makes about 242 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque, and it is tuned for the kind of low-rpm shove that gets you ahead of the pack when State Road 826 opens up for three precious seconds.
In day-to-day stop-and-go on US1, the hybrid’s electric assist fills in the gaps so you are rarely caught flat-footed, and the payoff at the pump is big, an EPA-rated 33 mpg combined. This can help a lot when you are bouncing between Doral practices, Midtown errands, and a last-minute Publix run before hitting I-95.
Priced at $55,000, the SX Prestige trim is where the Carnival leans into technology. Up front, you get the panoramic twin 12.3-inch displays that sweep across the dash and a crisp head-up display, so Apple Maps, Waze speed traps, and Calle Ocho detours are all right where you need them. The driver-assistance tech, including adaptive cruise control, blind-spot view monitors and several cameras, takes the edge off threading into tight Brickell garage ramps or parallel-parking along Washington Avenue. And when Biscayne’s afternoon squall dumps a sheet of rain across the windshield, the digital rearview mirror stays clear.
The cargo space is very impressive. The well behind the third row swallows folding wagons, umbrellas, and a week’s haul from Costco without a problem. Drop the third row into the floor and you’ve basically got an air-conditioned storage unit for paddleboards or your kid’s deejay gear. Kia even rates the hybrid to tow up to 3,500 pounds, which is enough for a pair of jet skis to turn a Sunday on Biscayne Bay into a proper Miami afternoon.
The hybrid personality suits our roads. In eco or normal, it glides, silent at lights along Coral Way while the A/C blasts. The ride quality speaks to the luxury qualities of this exceptional vehicle.
The 2025 Carnival Hybrid is the rare “everything” family hauler that feels designed for how we live here, with humid summers, dense parking, endless errands and spontaneous beach days. It pampers the second row, drinks fuel like a compact and makes Miami’s daily chaos a calmer place from behind the wheel.
If you swore you would never drive a minivan, take one loop around The Underline in this and tell me it isn’t the smartest move you’ve made since discovering the metered street behind your favorite cafecito spot. Give it a spin and tell me what you think.
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