2025 Lexus RX Hybrid vs 2024 Kia Carnival

The 2024 Kia Carnival presented itself as a minivan with a bold design that borrowed heavily from SUV aesthetics. Its prominent grille, slab sides, and pronounced hood gave it an SUV-like appearance, although the sliding doors and lack of ground clearance revealed its true minivan nature. The Carnival's styling included unique details such as a slightly concave grille with disco-ball-like trim and filament-like taillights. The SX trim, equivalent to Canada's top model, featured 19-inch wheels that complemented its distinctive look. Inside, the Carnival continued the SUV theme with chunky switchgear and a large shifter, making it appealing to image-conscious buyers. The interior materials were robust, acknowledging the wear and tear expected from a family vehicle, with real leather upholstery available on higher trims.

In contrast, the 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid, particularly the RX 500h F Sport Black Line, was a $90,000 SUV that, despite its price, had an unremarkable appearance. It featured an exclusive Incognito paint job and orange brake calipers, but its design was largely dependent on the version and colour/wheel combination. The RX Hybrid offered three models: the RX 350h, RX 500h, and RX 450h+, each with varying power and efficiency. The RX 500h stood out with its turbocharged engine and sport-tuned features, but its design remained understated. Inside, the RX Hybrid boasted a contemporary interior with quality materials and ambient lighting, although some ergonomic controls were less intuitive. The RX Hybrid prioritized occupant comfort and practical cargo space, with ample room for adults in the rear seats.

The 2024 Kia Carnival was powered by a 3.5-litre V6 engine, delivering 290 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. It was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive, with no all-wheel drive or hybrid options available. The Carnival's steering was well-tuned, providing a balance between ease of maneuverability and precision. Its chassis offered a comfortable ride, making it suitable for long road trips, while the drivetrain was refined, with smooth and quick gear changes. The V6 engine emitted a pleasant growl at full throttle, and the Carnival's overall performance was enjoyable, despite lacking the efficiency of hybrid or turbocharged alternatives.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid offered a range of powertrains, with the RX 350h being the least powerful but most efficient, producing 246 horsepower and 233 pound-feet of torque. The RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid delivered 304 horsepower, while the RX 500h featured a turbocharged 2.4-litre engine with 366 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. The RX 500h's performance was enhanced by a sport-tuned adaptive damping suspension, Direct4 AWD system, and performance brakes. However, its fuel efficiency was lower than expected, and the drivetrain occasionally hesitated during city driving. The RX 500h excelled in straight-line acceleration but lacked dynamic communication, making it more about sporty appearance than overall driving satisfaction.

The 2024 Kia Carnival offered an eight-passenger configuration with a removable second-row bench seat, while SX models featured VIP Lounge seats with a sliding and recline function. It provided ample headroom and legroom across all three rows, although third-row legroom was slightly less than competitors. The Carnival excelled in cargo space, offering 1,138 litres with all seats in place and 4,110 litres with the second and third rows folded. Its sliding doors and low step-in height made loading passengers easy, and the interior was well-organized with practical controls and storage solutions. The Carnival could tow up to 1,587 kilograms, matching its rivals in towing capacity.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid focused on occupant comfort and practical cargo space, with the RX 500h offering heated and ventilated front seats, although the bottom cushions were less comfortable on long drives. The rear seats were spacious and comfortable, with a panoramic sunroof enhancing the experience. The RX Hybrid provided 838 litres of cargo space, with hooks for grocery bags and a small storage area under the load floor. Folding the second row increased cargo volume to 1,308 litres, although it was less than expected for a midsize SUV. Interior storage was practical, but some compartments lacked lining, leading to potential noise issues.

The 2024 Kia Carnival featured an 8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on lower trims, while higher trims upgraded to a 12.3-inch touchscreen and digital instrument cluster with wired connectivity. The SX grade included a 12-speaker Bose audio system, and Bluetooth voice recognition was standard across all trims. The Carnival's infotainment system was user-friendly, with clear graphics and intuitive controls. It offered a surround-view camera system and a cabin camera for monitoring rear passengers, along with an intercom system for communication. An available Quiet Mode disconnected rear speakers for a more peaceful ride.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid was equipped with advanced technology, including digital key functionality, a camera-based digital rearview mirror, and a hands-free power liftgate. The RX 500h featured a 14-inch touchscreen display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with a complimentary three-year Drive Connect plan. The Lexus Interface infotainment system was user-friendly, although the steering wheel controls were distracting and potentially dangerous. The RX Hybrid offered a 21-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, although some glitches were noted during testing. The head-up display was helpful but not as comprehensive as competitors.

The 2024 Kia Carnival received mixed safety ratings from the IIHS, with top scores in some crash tests but lower ratings in updated tests. Headlights on higher trims were rated "Good," while others received a "Poor" rating. Front-crash prevention systems performed well in daytime testing but not at night. The Carnival offered standard safety features like lane keep assist and forward collision avoidance, with additional features available on higher trims. The NHTSA had not released safety ratings for the Carnival at the time of publication.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid came with Safety Connect, offering up to ten years of free service, including collision notification and emergency assistance. Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 was standard, featuring advanced driver assistance systems like forward collision warning and adaptive cruise control. Proactive Driving Assist monitored forward progress and used braking or steering input to maintain safe distances. The RX Hybrid received a five-star safety rating from the NHTSA, but the IIHS rated it "Poor" in updated frontal-impact tests. The RX Hybrid's safety features were effective, although some quirks were noted during testing.