Hyundai Staria v Kia Carnival 2022 Comparison

There’s no doubt the 2022 Kia Carnival and 2022 Hyundai Staria are keeping the full-size people-mover alive in Australia.

While the vast bulk of brands and buyers opt for SUVs, the Korean relations (both owned by the Hyundai Group) are new in the past 18 months and keep the flag flying for sensible family transport.

In fact, the Kia Carnival and Hyundai Staria currently account for the vast majority – 81 per cent – of all mainstream people-mover sales in Australia this year. And even then it’s lopsided, with the Kia accounting for more than two-thirds of total MPV sales across all brands.

By the way, in the same period to the end of May 2022, more than 50,000 large SUVs were sold (not including prestige brands) compared to 4240 people-movers.

Here’s another fun fact. While they look very different, the Staria and Carnival are built on versions of the same front-/all-wheel drive Hyundai-Kia platform dubbed N3. So are the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento SUVs. It’s a pretty good example of economies of scale.

Both Staria and Carnival are eight-seaters arranged in 2-3-3 layout, but from there things diverge.

While the Staria looks like a spaceship it does double duty as a delivery van and that shows up in its height, length and wheelbase. Only in width does the lower, more SUV-like Carnival get on level terms.

The two vehicles use different 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engines (3.5-litre petrol V6 engines are also available) mated to eight-speed automatic transmissions.

The Staria drives all four wheels and even has a centre diff lock. The Carnival has a newer engine that only drives the front wheels.

Here we are testing out the top-spec 2022 Hyundai Staria Highlander and the 2022 Kia Carnival Platinum.

The Staria is priced from $66,500 plus on-road costs and the Carnival $67,580 plus ORCs, so game on when it comes to pricing.

The Carnival offers more seat versatility. The second-row seats fold down individually and the third row splits 60/40. The middle pew in row two can become a coffee table or flip around to face the rear.

The Staria middle row folds 60/40 and the rear seat in one piece. The middle rows in both can also slide.

The Carnival second-row and third-row seats can be folded away to create a flat floor, but only the back rests fold flat in the Staria. The bases slide but don’t sink away so there’s a distinct step in height from the boot floor.

Speaking of which, the Carnival – as per tradition – reveals impressive underfloor storage space in the boot when the third-row seats are in use. The Staria still outdoes it (831 litres to 627 litres), according to official numbers, simply because it’s so big back there.

But the Carnival gains the space advantage (an astronomical 2785 litres to 1303 litres) when row three is folded away. Again, they are official figures and they certainly look closer than that to the naked eye.

So, what’s the story with equipment? Features these two high-grade models share include power-sliding side doors and a power tailgate that can be remotely operated, alloy wheels (18s for the Staria and 19s for the Carnival), dual sunroofs and smart key access and push-button start (including remote start).

Inside, both vehicles have powered, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, power front windows, separate rear climate controls and vents, an electronic park brake, smartphone wireless charging, large centre console touch-screens, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connection, AM/FM and digital radio, satellite navigation, side blinds in row two and three and LED interior lights.

The Staria has six USB outlets spread across three rows, one 12V outlet, six bottle holders and eight cup holders. The Carnival’s equivalent numbers are seven, two, four and nine.

There are a heap of detail differences. The rear sunroof in the Staria is much larger. The Hyundai also is alone in featuring real leather trim (artificial in the Kia), a digital instrument display that can be tuned through four different looks including a funky 3D cubed design (the Kia gets an analogue display – blame the microchip shortage) and a full-size spare tyre (Carnival has a temporary spare).

But the Kia also has some big-ticket items missing from the Staria: dual-zone rather than single-zone climate control up front, a 12-speaker Bose audio (six speakers for the Staria), a larger infotainment touch-screen (12.3-inch versus 10.25), two-position memory for the driver’s seat, heated rear seats and power windows in row two (manual sliders in the Hyundai, but also pop-outs in row three).

The Kia also has a longer warranty than the Hyundai at seven years/unlimited kilometres versus five years/unlimited.

Service intervals for both vehicles are 12 months and 15,000km and both have capped-price servicing offers. The first five services (75,000km) will cost $1800 for the Staria and seven services (105,000km) $3767 for the Carnival.

As always, the devil’s in the detail so check the fine print for what you get and what you don’t for the money.

Both the 2022 Hyundai Staria Highlander and Kia Carnival Platinum come with five-star ANCAP safety ratings based on the current protocols.

The Kia outscores the Hyundai by just a few percentage points in each of the four test categories.

Importantly, both vehicles come with head-protecting curtain airbags that stretch to the third row. Only front-row passengers get side protection though.

The Staria also offers a centre airbag to prevent head knocks between front-row passengers while the Carnival comes with front knee airbags.

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) is a key part of the safety package for both cars. They employ both radar and camera sensors and will detect other vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists during the day. Full – rather than partial – braking can be achieved in both up to 85km/h.

Both systems also feature a new junction turning function that brakes if turning right across traffic and a collision is anticipated.

Being flagships, both vehicles are loaded down with a lot of other driver assist features. Their sensors help them stay in their lane, correct them when they stray, warn of potential rear-end collisions and brake if that warning is ignored.

They’ll also alert the driver when the vehicle in front in a queue is moving and have adaptive cruise control that allows them to autonomously slow and speed up in heavy traffic.

Traffic sign recognition also prompts the driver to reset the speed based on the local limit.

Both cars remind you to check in the rear seats before leaving (hey, there’s potentially a lot of kids back there), sound an alert and even keep side doors closed if it’s not safe to exit. They also invite the driver to take a rest if judged to be drowsy.

Both have surround-view cameras incorporating rear views and front and rear parking sensors – very handy in such big vehicles.

The Staria alone has a blind spot view in its digital instrument dials activated when the indicator is switched on, plus a front view camera that gives it true 3D viewing ability adjustable on the screen by finger.

The Carnival easily wins the child-seat argument with five top tether strap points and five ISOFIX mounts across the second and third rows. The Staria has three top tethers and two ISOFIX mounts in row two, but none in row three.

The Staria does help the driver keep an eye on the passengers with a rear-view monitor mounted in the infotainment screen. It’s also alone in having tyre pressure monitoring.

As we’ve already discussed, the 2022 Hyundai Staria Highlander and Kia Carnival Platinum use the same underpinning monocoque platform, even if you wouldn’t know it to look at them.

Like the Hyundai iMax (and iLoad) that came before it, the basic Staria concept serves as both a people-mover and cargo van. That helps explain why the Highlander is about 100mm longer than the Carnival at 5253mm, more than 200mm taller at 1990mm, has an almost 200mm longer wheelbase at 3273mm and weighs in approximately 200kg heavier at 2325kg.

It uses an older-spec engine that makes less power and torque; 130kW at 3800rpm and 430Nm at 1500-2500rpm, versus 148kW at 3800rpm and 440Nm from 1750-2750rpm for the Carnival. It also chews more fuel at a claimed 8.5L/100km versus 6.5L/100km.

While both engines are double-overhead-cam with 16 valves and employ common-rail direct fuel injection and variable-geometry turbochargers, the slightly smaller Smartstream engine in the Kia (2151cc v 2199cc) has a lighter aluminium rather than cast-iron block of the Hyundai’s engine.

Extra weight contributed by its bigger body and all-wheel drive system no doubt helps explain the Staria’s extra thirst. It was something validated on test. The Carnival averaged 8.1L/100km and the Staria 9.5L/100km.

The Staria’s HTRAC all-wheel drive system features an electronic, variable-torque-split clutch with active torque control between the front and rear axles. It can apportion torque front-to-rear and side-to-side. It also has a centre diff lock to equalise delivery front-to-rear for off-roading, although we didn’t test it out on this occasion.

Both vehicles use an eight-speed Hyundai Group automatic transmission. Gear selection in the Hyundai is by push button and by dial in the Kia. Both come with paddle shifters for manual changes.

Both cars feature four powertrain mode settings – Comfort, Eco, Sport and adaptive Smart.

The underpinning suspension in both is via MacPherson struts up front and multi-links at the rear. The steering is electric-assist. Braking is via discs. The Staria can tow up to 2500kg and the Carnival 2000kg.

If you need absolute space then the 2022 Hyundai Staria is your choice. If you want to feel more comfortable and cossetted, then the 2022 Kia Carnival is the go.

In essence, the Staria just can’t be beat for sheer sprawling space in all three rows and access to rows two and three. All eight seats can accommodate tall adults. And there’s still enough room to fit their luggage in the back.

The Carnival doesn’t have the same amount of room in row two and three and requires more effort to enter the third row, especially. It’s also far more suited for kids and two occupants back there.

But the Carnival is a more cohesive vehicle to drive. It sits pretty flat, turns pretty accurately, rides with discipline and responds more energetically when asked to accelerate.

If you think that behaviour is unimportant for a people-mover, think again. The ability for a vehicle to respond to driver inputs in a crisis situation can make the difference between avoiding an accident … or not.

The Staria’s upside is a soft and comfy ride aided by its ultra-long wheelbase. But it rolls more in corners, bobbles about more on the bumps and is just more ponderous. It’s also harder work for the engine to get up and going.

Given their weight it’s no surprise both cars require a firm press of the brake pedal to produce solid response.

Hyundai chose not to do a local tuning job on the Staria chassis and that hurts it a bit. It’s not bad, it’s just behind the Carnival, which is set up for local roads. The Hyundai is quieter though, in terms of both engine and tyre/road noise.

One real downer about the Kia was a creak from the B-pillar area on the driver’s side. Not encouraging, but not an issue we’ve encountered in other tests of this vehicle.

Climb into the Staria and it’s pretty cool sitting up there, presiding over the traffic. The glass area is enormous and the view is commanding. However, the huge A-pillars do make seeing what’s coming from the right a bit of a challenge.

The sheer size of the Staria means working your way through narrow back streets and car parks and the like is an exercise in caution. The Carnival is marginally better, but these are both big vehicles well over five metres long.

Both come with reach- and rake-adjustable steering, comfortable bucket seats up front (no captain’s chair arm rests though) and a left foot rest so there’s plenty of opportunity for the driver to find a good position in both.

The Staria’s instrument panel sits way out on the long, low dash-top ahead of the driver, emphasising how much real estate there is. The info screen protrudes squarely out from the dashboard. There is a significant amount of setting detail you can drill down into.

As with so much else, the Kia nestles its panels and screens more closely in around the driver. The huge landscape touch-screen is as much a styling statement as tool and, like the Staria, drills down into all sorts of set-up detail.

There’s an exclusive function that plays different ‘sounds of nature’ such as a crackling open fire and waves breaking on a beach. Maybe that will sooth the savage beasts in the back.

But when it comes to storage space the Staria dominates. There’s four – yes, four – storage bins in each of the Staria’s front doors and three glove boxes. And that’s just a taste of what’s on offer.

The Carnival can’t match that functionality, but nor does it have a shortage of storage spots either. Where it trounces the Staria is in the versatility of its layout. As we’ve pointed out already, the range of choices is enormous – and so is the space generated.

It’s also simply nicer inside. The materials are often softer to the touch and offer a better perceived quality.

This is a pretty easy decision to make. The 2022 Hyundai Staria is the sort of vehicle suitable for someone in need of moving maximum people and luggage all the time. A really big family or a commercial operator such as hotel, perhaps.

But if you’re a couple of heads shy of needing the full eight seats, it’s hard to see why you’d choose the Hyundai ahead of the Kia.

The 2022 Kia Carnival is simply more refined in its manners and more comfortable to travel in. It also tops the Staria in some key equipment areas.

The big Kia is deservedly Australia’s most popular people-mover. In fact, it deserves to be more popular than it is.

How much does the 2022 Hyundai Staria Highlander cost?
Price: $66,500 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 130W/430Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 218g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2021)

How much does the 2022 Kia Carnival Platinum cost?
Price: $67,580 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 148kW/440Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 170g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2021)