[newby1]

I am new here. I am new in Raleigh North Carolina. We are a growing family but confused about which Kia to get. We want a 2nd bench seat but also want side blind spot assist . Any advice is appreciated ? Just not sure if Telluride or Carnival offers what we want.
Thanks, Gerry

 

[Phantasm22]

Completely different cars for different purposes. If you want an SUV don't be tricked into thinking the Carnival is one. It's not. A more extreme is comparing a Jeep vs a S class Mercedes but the Mercedes has the same level of comfort for all passengers and the Jeep has an extra row for more people (though they may not be as comfortable). If 99.99% of your driving is on a road in fair/moderate weather conditions, the Carnival is a great choice. Even if it snows, snow tires on the Carnival will significantly out perform AS on a Telluride. If you want something that you can periodically go off road or in the rain/inclement weather have confidence in pulling out, up hill, in traffic, without having to change the tyres, then the Telluride is the way to go. If you want to pay $7-$15K over MSRP, Telluride. $0-$4K over MSRP, Carnival. Blind spot assist on the Carnival (especially the SXP) is fantastic. I think the Telluride is as well but don't have first hand experience. Last, the Carnival swallows a ton of luggage without compromising the enjoyment of passengers. It's simply amazing how much you can stuff in this thing. If that's not a factor then the Telluride may be better.

Good luck and keep us updated with your decision process.

 

[Blackbeagle1]

I've tested driven both. First off, growing family means how many kids and how old? If you have kids, van should always be the way to go because of the room. Get the Carnival in SX trim with 8 passenger seating with back seat entertainment. Kids will love those. After careful consideration, we opted out of the Telluride because of the availability and price. We could be more happier with our SXP Carnival. We have tons of room with only a 6 year old. At the end of the day, both are good choices. But the Telluride wasn't available when we needed it. I would recommend the Carnival over the Telluride.

 

[sdj]

I have driven both several times. Went with the Carnival because it has double the cargo space. However, as we are in Western North carolina right now- I have scraped the trailer hitch on the carnival several times on steep driveways. I also got stuck on a soft shoulder and had to be pulled out. If you are at all considering towing go with the Telluride. When I get back home I will try hooking up my 16' boat but I don't think its going to go well. Just too low for towing. Otherwise, its been great- can get 27-30 mpg on the highway with tons of room.

 

[GoBLUE]

I am new here. I am new in Raleigh North Carolina. We are a growing family but confused about which Kia to get. We want a 2nd bench seat but also want side blind spot assist . Any advice is appreciated ? Just not sure if Telluride or Carnival offers what we want.
Thanks, Gerry

I can offer you good perspective as I purchased an SX Telluride in early 2019 when it came out.

I have 2 kids (6 and 3) and while the Telluride was nice, it's just SO much nicer having the flexibility of sliding doors, the additional cargo space, and the lower height for entry (for kids) and for cargo.

I sold the Telluride as Caravana offered me $3K more than I paid for it new even with 25K miles on it!

Was able to get into the SXP Carnival and absolutely love it. No regrets. I got over the "minivan" hesitation pretty quickly. It's so nice that my 6 year old can get in and out of the car easily and not worry about her opening a door into something.

When they are older I am sure I will go back to a more "manly" SUV. At that point hoping for an EV Telluride.