The American giant Chrysler and South Korean automaker Kia have revealed their flagship minivans Pacifica and Carnival, respectively, in new avatars. While the 2021 Pacifica is already in the market, the Carnival will land in the US market next year. Both the cars are heavily upgraded on the outside and inside, with all-new powertrains. The electronic and convenience features are also completely overhauled in accordance with the current demands, and customers can also select different trim levels with added features.
Both Chrysler and Kia have launched some fantastic vehicles to date and have been huge competitors of one another, and once again, with their new minivans, the old rivals are back in the arena.
For the 2021 version, Chrysler has added some sporty elements to Pacifica’s look. The front and rear fascia is significantly improved with a sporty design that is featured with new head and tail lighting arrangements. At the front, it has sleek LED headlamps accompanied by fog lights mounted on the bumper. The hood of the Pacifica is slanted with aerodynamic creases, which offers better visibility to the driver. At the rear, the taillights extend from the tailgate to the outer body and merge in a half loop fashion.
The Pacifica’s Pinnacle trim is garnished with platinum chrome accents with an optional ‘S’ appearance package that offers stylish black anodized ink badging with bold black accents. Further, the automaker offers a whole range of wheels in six different designs with a new foreshadow finish. Buyers can choose from 17-inch to 20-inch wheels with various designs. On the sides, the second doors are power-operated that open just by waving a foot below them, which is standard for the tailgate.
For the 2022 Carnival, Kia has adopted a boxy design with a long body measuring 203 inches. At the front, the iconic tiger-nose grille will have modern era iteration with a set of distinctive and aggressive-looking LED headlights. While on the rear, the Carnival will have a body-wrapping tail light, but unlike Pacifica, it will stretch like a single bar. Likewise, a chrome skid plate may also appear to give the vehicle an SUV-like appearance. The base version of the Carnival has 17-inch alloy wheels, and a silver garnished C-pillar gives it a truck-like look with power-operated rear doors. The car shall be offered in three trim levels, namely EX, SX, and SX Prestige, with added features like 19-inch wheels, dual LED headlights, fog lamps, power-operated mirrors, and an automatic sunroof.
Both the minivans can be family tourers and thus offer generous passenger capacity, comfort, and cargo. The Pacifica offers a seven-seater interior with lots of moving parts to increase the cargo space. Chrysler’s Stow-n-Go feature in the Pacifica allows folding second and third-row seats, which disappear in the compartment inside the car floor. This compartment can hold luggage when the seats are not stowed.
The standard seat upholstery is cloth, but the Pinnacle trim is featured with quilted caramel Nappa leather-trimmed seats with second-row lumbar support pillows, satin chrome accents, Berber carpet, and suede headliner for a luxurious riding experience. Upon choosing the S Appearance Package, customers are welcomed with a piano black accent steering wheel and black leather-trimmed seats garnished with diesel gray stitching. A red version of the same is also available that includes red and black leather upholstery for seats. Leveling up the convenience, Chrysler offers a Stow-n-Vac feature that consists of an inbuilt vacuum cleaner to clean the car’s interior.
Pacifica has a 10.1-inch display on the dash powered by the Uconnect five infotainment system for the infotainment. This is an updated version of the system integrated with Amazon Alexa, and for smartphone accessibility, it has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with Wi-Fi and Hotspot. A total of 12 USB charging ports are scattered inside Pacifica’s cabin, including C-type fast charging ports.
The standard infotainment system in Carnival is an 8-inch touchscreen with an optional 12.3-inch dual infotainment and driver information display. The SX trim shall have a rear-seat entertainment system, and the topmost SX Prestige shall feature a 12-Speaker Bose stereo system. The infotainment system is controlled by touch keys aligned beneath the screen. Similar touch controls will also be offered for the climate control system. The drive select lever in the earlier model will be replaced by a rotary dial.
The 2022 Carnival shall offer a variable seating capacity depending on the trim level ranging from 7 to 11. The driver’s seat will be 6-way adjustable, and the passenger seats shall have a 4-way adjusting feature. The second-row seats will be featured with sliding and folding options. In addition, the car has 60/40 split-folding third-row seats for enhanced luggage capacity. While cloth upholstery is standard, the SX-Prestige trim will have premium leather upholstery with reclining second-row seats and pop-up footrests. Customers may also have the option of opting for a wide panoramic sunroof.
The 2021 version of Pacifica Chrysler offers ICE and hybrid powertrains, whereas the Carnival may be released with only the ICE option. A 3.6-liter V6 will power the 2021 Pacifica with an improved Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) and Multi-Port Injection (MPI) fuel delivery system. This engine is capable of producing 287 horsepower. The front-wheel-drive Pacifica delivers a 28/19 highway/city MPG, whereas the all-wheel-drive will deliver 25/17 highway/city MPG. The power is transferred to the rear wheels via a 9-speed automatic transmission. The Pacifica Hybrid has the same V6 with two electric motors powered by a 16kWh lithium-ion battery pack that produces 260 HP. Chrysler estimates the hybrid to have 82 MPGe and a total range of 520 miles.
On the other hand, the Carnival will be powered by a 3.5-liter V6 with double overhead camshafts (DOHC) and 4-valves per cylinder. The engine shall be equipped with a Direct Gasoline Injection (GDI) and Multi-Port Injection (MPI) fuel delivery system. The engine shall deliver 290 HP and 262 lb-ft of torque. The engine mated with 8-speed automatic transmission delivers power to the front wheel. The engine is capable of doing a 0 to 60 mph run in 7 seconds with an estimated EPA of 19/26 in city/highway MPG and a combined 22 MPG.
The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica and 2022 Kia Carnival are both built to offer maximum passenger comfort and cargo space. Since the Pacifica is offered with two drivetrains, including a Hybrid and an all-wheel-drive system, it gives the car an added edge over the Carnival in terms of cost efficiency and multi-terrain performance. On the other hand, although the Carnival is coming with only an ICE powertrain, it offers impressive fuel efficiency and other convenience features.
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