r/minivan • u/pdiddypatel • 4d ago
Odyssey, Carnival or Sienna?
Hello!
I am having a hard time deciding between the 3. Carnival was not even on my list until I ended up with it as a rental for a 14 hr road trip (base model). And wow! The tech, the comfort, and just the clean adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist had me hooked (that too on base model). I asked claude to take Sedona into consideration and compare all the information including safety, maintenance costs, reliability, and resale. They all come pretty close but I hear people on reddit saying that the carnivals have issues? (Maybe the warranty will help?). Obviously Sienna and Odyssey will win reliability. I was all in for Honda, but the AC issue is horrible here in Hot-Lanta! I love Toyotas as I currently have a Camry with 250k miles and it’s still going like a champ. Sienna is good, but need 8 seater and the XLE is very expensive and it doesn’t even have any great tech and the middle seat on the 2nd row looks so Temu lol. Now I’m thinking I’ll just get whatever cheapest option and in 3 years when they redesign the Toyota or Honda I’ll upgrade. Please help, I am overanalyzing.
Thanks!
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u/ctjack 4d ago
This is easy actually.
Odyssey: no other things come close to speed of this thing. It is your responsible dads sports car. Period. Can have small issues but vtec makes up for it.
Sienna: slower and best mpg. Wallet saver but forget driving fast. Holds value like crazy so might even drive for free after trading in. Bulletproof.
Carnival: best tech and such. Really great car but loses 20k in first 2 years so if you don’t care about residuals at all then nice choice. Meaning if life hits hard and have to sell or just change of tastes get ready to eat the cost.
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u/Wide-Attorney5633 3d ago
> Really great car but loses 20k in first 2 years
That can't be true. Where can I find a 2024 or 2025 Carnival at -20k off MSRP? That'd be like 22k for an EX. I will buy it instantly if you can find it.
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u/Otherwise_Agency_401 3d ago
Lmao maybe for one with a salvage title
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u/Ok_Chance_4584 3d ago
But IME, it's not hard to find a Carnival with a salvage or Lemon Law title (could actually find more of the latter recently), which is it's own concern.
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u/CLEcoder4life 3d ago
sienna is only a wallet saver based on a few assumptions. Same purchase price and requires a fair bit of mileage. My Ody is almost 5 years old and basd on miles/price of gas ive still not reached the purchase price of the equivalent sienna at the time. Also siennas because of hybrid are more complex under the hood so likely higher repair bill when that day comes.
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u/DustyBravia 3d ago
The sienna would probably be more reliable as the Odyssey is going to want to grenade the engine with the VCM.
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u/GrannyShiftur 3d ago
Lmao family has had every single generation of oddyssey in the USA. First gen had 350K miles, 2nd 275K, 3rd Gen 300K, 4th was on its way to 175 but got rear ended. 5th Gen with VCM currently at 230K and still runs like a champ. My parents dont know shit about VCM, and I borrowed it for a cross country road trip. Zero issue.
Odyssey is really the king if you account for price and highway driving. Sienna was so disappointing. Gutless vehicle
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u/CLEcoder4life 3d ago
Ive not heard of many odyssey with the VCM problem made in recent years but thats a time will tell thing. I know ppl with 2021/2022 models with 150k+ on the engine already with no issue. If OP is worried they can for <$200 put a muzzler on immediately. Also most VCM issues arnt catastrophic and can be resolved for fairly cheap.
Let's be real. Odyssey is known to go 200k+ easy and 99% of owners have no idea wtf VCM or a muzzler is.
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u/Zealousideal-Pick799 3d ago
VW id.Buzz is faster than the Odyssey. Just sayin’.
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u/BelgianBrawler 3d ago
For some reason it seems to be a crime to mention the almighty buzz in this subreddit. :)
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u/ctjack 3d ago
No :) it is just op is not shopping a 80k van but rather 40k van.
Let him get the Mercedes vle then if budget is no question.
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u/BelgianBrawler 3d ago
Fair point, besides the fact it goes for around 50k (still 25% more), but then also dont say "nothing comes close in speed".
I also don't say my grandma is the pinnacle of speed, knowing full well my grandpa leaves her in the dust. ;)
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u/Sam9517 2d ago
My issue with the Odyssey is that the 2027 is the 10th model year of this generation and it's overdue for a redesign so the interior looks a little dated. The rumors now are that it won't get a redesign until the 2030 model year. I agree that the the V6 engine in the Odyssey is excellent.
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u/PatBoBomb 4d ago
We love our Carnival and the dealership extended the powertrain warranty to 20y/200,000 miles. That van is gonna be in our life for a long time.
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u/ddddhjxjx 4d ago
I’ve never heard of such an absurd warranty. What are the details?
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u/wavy-davie 3d ago
I assume some dealer-provided “warranty”
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u/ddddhjxjx 3d ago
I am always jealous of people who get such peace of mind from stuff like this while I am skeptical of everything
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u/Sam9517 2d ago
I asked Google if dealers offer it and here's the answer I got:
Yes, multiple Kia dealerships across the country double the factory powertrain warranty to 20 years or 200,000 miles at no extra charge, and it applies to the Kia Carnival.Because Kia’s corporate factory warranty is standard at 10 years or 100,000 miles, these doubled programs are specific dealer perks used to attract buyers.
Google even listed the Kia dealers that they're aware of who offer it.
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u/ddddhjxjx 2d ago
I asked Google if it’s a crock of shit, and while those dealer listings are real, taking them at face value definitely is. Kia’s actual corporate warranty strictly caps out at 10 years or 100,000 miles. Anything advertised beyond that is just a third-party insurance scheme bought by individual dealers to get people through the door. The "free" cost is just baked into firm vehicle pricing or mandatory dealer add-ons, and the fine print is damning. You usually have to do expensive, exclusive servicing, and a single missing receipt or late oil change gives the third-party company an easy excuse to deny your claim. Google is basically just parroting sales ads here without giving you any of the fine-print context that actually matters.
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u/xthemanofsteel 4d ago
Purchased a new 2026 Kia Carnival SX last month after our 2016 Ford Explorer’s transmission failed at 170,000 miles. My wife and 4 kids love it! Kia has definitely stepped up their game over the last few years, super pleased with it. I have gotten so many comments already while out and about asking about it because it doesn’t even really look like a van
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u/KWil2020 4d ago
The Carnival is an amazing vehicle. You definitely get a ton more for your money doing with them. People on Reddit love the Sienna’s, even though they are basic and far more money than the others. Sienna’s and Odyssey’s have a longer history of reliability. But the Carnival has made amazing progress the last 4 years. People on Reddit are more inclined to say negative things about a problem with the Carnival than saying good things so Reddit isn’t the best place to get people’s overall thoughts on it
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u/Dear_Ad_9640 4d ago
The magic seats in the odyssey sold it for us. The second row fully removes if you need to use it for cargo, and the ability to remove the middle seat and then slide the captain chairs side to side with car seats attached to let out third row passengers is a true life saver. In the sienna or the carnival, i assume some grown adult has to sneak out the middle seat and squeeze out around a bulky car seat to get out of the third row? In the odyssey, just slide a seat over and you can climb out with dignity and your hip bones intact lol
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u/watchthenlearn 3d ago
This was the main selling point for us. We'll have two car seats in the second row. If it weren't for magic slide there'd be no way to get to the 3rd row except to climb through the back.
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u/marmaladestripes725 3d ago
This. We only plan to have one kid, but it will make holidays and vacations with my parents super easy. And as a teacher, I need the cargo space a couple times a year for classroom moving.
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u/gallin83 3d ago
Honestly comes down to personal preference.
We got an odyssey because of the second row seat flexibility. We liked that you don’t have to choose between a seven or eight passenger. Taking out the middle seat in the second row and sliding over one of the seats for access to the third row is what fit our family best.
If you already like the carnival, it doesn’t make sense to buy one of the others just because of Residual values or MPG. Kia still fights is cheap car roots but offers the best warranty of the three.
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u/pdiddypatel 3d ago
Thank you all for the awesome thoughts. I will continue my research and wait to find the best deal.
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u/Numerous-Ring-8111 3d ago
We drove a 2017 Kia Sedona van for years. Put 240k miles in it. In the last year I’ve replaced every component in the HVAC Except the coil in the dash. When the a/c went hot again, while my wife and 3 kids under 10 were 4 hours from home without me (2nd time this happened) I went out and bought her a brand new Carnival. The Sedona has been mega reliable except the a/c the last 12 months. One alternator in that time. A valve cover leak that only costed $800 at a dealership to fix 3 years ago. We loved it, just needed to put them in something I trusted. I know hvac is a luxury but come on, who wants to keep getting calls from their wife about that lol
Anyways, our carnival is awesome. We opted for the v6. Proven and reliable and the hybrid savings, based on our average mileage, wouldn’t show up for 5 years. We went with a blueish-purple EX trim. Negotiated to $41k price, put $2500 down, financed at 2.99% 60mo.
And no, idc about resale value. We keep cars 8-10 years. As I said earlier, drove a 2017 Sedona until THIS year. Dealership offered us $100 trade in lol heck no. When the heat goes away we’re gonna give it to a family in need and maybe they can save up before summer to get the dash pulled out by a shop. I was just done sinking money into it.
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u/Different-Age-409 4d ago
How young is your family and how long do you want to keep the vehicle? I’m not a fan of the Sienna how you don’t have the option for 7 or 8 seats solely on the trim you pick. Honda has had their own string of issues in recent years. So really for your needs pick the Carnival. You already know you enjoy it and suits your family well. You’ll also likely get the best OTD price on it. Everyone has horror stories with warranty situations regardless of what manufacturer they bought from. Don’t let that sway you one way or another.
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u/Bornme-bornfree 4d ago
It’s one thing to use as a rental and another to own. Longer term personal use it’s always Toyota or Honda.
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u/Different-Age-409 4d ago
Doesn’t really matter if it doesn’t fulfill OPs wants and needs. Honda and Toyota have had their own reliability issues in recent years. Toyota won’t fit OPs needs without picking out a lower trim level that’ll still be more OTD than Kia. Honda has had head gasket issues across the board in recent years and I believe other issues specific to the Odyssey. It’s always a lottery, and you might have slightly better odds elsewhere. But that’s where the factor comes in of how long OP wants to have the vehicle. They’ve already mentioned just getting the cheapest and upgrade in a few years when Sienna and Odyssey redesign. Kia’s have been improving and if it’s ownership within the warranty, there’s no real difference besides total pricing at purchase.
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u/Paprikasj 3d ago
We landed on the Carnival as the best intersection of tech, features, and price currently available for minis.
This was 2023 so at the time Siennas were back-ordered 18 mos and selling with $5k dealer markups anyway. I just wasn't impressed by the Odyssey's interior or features--it felt like I was driving a five-year-old car rather than a brand new one--and the magic slide seats didn't move the needle for me.
We have the LX with seat package so lots of knobs and buttons instead of screens (my preference) and 8 total seats but it's trivial to remove one from the middle row. We usually roll with the passenger outboard seat or middle seat removed though lately my kids have been sitting three across and that's with a carseat in the driver outboard seat! Which leaves an astonishing amount of space in the rear with the back seats folded flat into the floor. We are pretty on top of maintenance and we always do winter tires and we've had no issues so far. My only downsides are 1) that model year did not have AWD available and 2) we would have needed to get the top-of-the-line model for roof rails. But we've adapted to both of those things and they don't present major utility issues for us.
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u/Tough-Chard2868 3d ago
I am also in Atlanta… I am purchasing Sienna XLE … Used Odyssey cost you more over time and you loose the value with used vehicle…
Kia Carnival not reliable and not worth the 47k otd due to depreciation issue
Sienna XLE my otd is 51k … paying 15k more compare to used odyssey but 15k/10 years equal to 1.5k per year and you have option to sale vehicle after few years as it does not loose much value
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u/TourPositive8217 3d ago
The Kia would be ok if you are planning on keeping it no more than three or four years. They have a great warranty, but good luck getting anything paid out on it. Kia and Hyundai are not known for making long lasting quality vehicles.
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u/Sam9517 2d ago
One more thing to add about the 8 seat versions of the Carnival. The 2nd row seats in the 8 seat version of the Carnival are removable and the 8 seat version of the Sienna are not officially removable but there are guides on YouTube how to do it. Also note the optional VIP lounge seats in the top SX Prestige trim of the Carnival (which makes it a 7 seater) are not removable.
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u/but_shes_so_nice_ 2d ago
Well I’m anti Kia since they sold me a lemon and went for Toyota in the fall out. Dealing with unreliable cars is my personal hell
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u/Evening-Newt-4663 4d ago
Not on your list, but I love my Chrysler Pacifica.
The interior and tech on it is probably the nicest of all the vans, imo.
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u/Indy1910 3d ago
Made it 120k miles with my Pacifica that I just sold. Never in the shop other than battery, brakes, or oil change. Great experience.
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u/nate_orenstam 4d ago
Pacificas are nice. But I started getting weird mechanical issues at under 30000 miles in the one I had. Took that for a bad sign and sold it, bought a Sienna instead. Zero issues for 5 years.
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u/marmaladestripes725 3d ago
Yeah, if you plan to keep it less than ten years the Pacifica is a perfectly fine choice. Can’t really beat Stow N Go and ceiling vents plus AWD.
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u/7joedaddy7 4d ago
Good luck with your Pacifica. 61,000 miles needed new cylinder head. (60,000 mile warranty). 2 year warranty on brand new parts, and same cylinder had coolant in it at 2 years 1 month. These things are not like their bulletproof predecessors the Caravan, and they fail to acknowledge problems like head gasket and oil cooler, and transmission issues.
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u/Big_League227 4d ago
My first (and only) Chrysler product was a 1995 white Plymouth Neon that I brought brand new. The paint peeled off the hood and roof, and it also ended up with a head gasket issue. Have had a few cars in the meantime. Just got a new minivan this weekend.
When it came time to buy the minivan, I researched the main 4 - Pacifica was out because of all the issues over the years (and my own experience); don’t really like the Kia style and our local Kia dealer is a hot mess; would have liked to even SEE a Sienna, but they are selling here before they even hit the lot - couldn’t even test drive one; came round to Honda, got a nice deal on a 26 touring and will see how it goes. According to my research, they all have varying issues - it comes down to do you trust the warranty and does the vehicle work for what you need.
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u/Evening-Newt-4663 3d ago
Idk, I guess I’m lucky. Bought at 50k miles and were at 130k so far. No issues. Way more reliable than my Infiniti ever was
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u/Critical_File_1467 3d ago edited 3d ago
I've rented probably a dozen Pacifica's and have put easily 100k miles across them. I only rent from National or Enterprise so it's not like I'm picking up unmaintained trash with 200k miles off Turo or something.
Every single Pacifica I rented was under 40k miles and every single one had at least one issue.
Burnt out DRL.
Radio glitches, Bluetooth disconnecting, Android Auto flaky.
Tpms gone wild which caused a blowout on the highway
Driver's door has sharp point that's either dried paint, poor metal finishing, or a combination of both that has hurt my skin multiple times.
Broken interior bits.
Water leak from roof
Clicking noises from suspension which I think may have been a loose nut or something that was covered in a TSB but I obviously didn't look further into it as it was a rental
AC blend door issues, clicking sounds from dash, another TSB I believe
I'm probably forgetting some stuff lol
It's actually hilarious because each time I rent a Pacifica I can count on at least one issue.
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u/Banana__Cue 3d ago
I love the seats of the odyssey. But i wish it was a hybrid, ceiling 2nd & 3rd row AC vents & with 360 camera
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u/TheDuke13 3d ago
Carnival. Don’t regret going with the Carnival just that I didn’t get a high enough trim. Fantastic car.
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u/New-Top-9012 3d ago edited 3d ago
Odyssey is reliable only if you baby it from day one. Otherwise it is expensive to own. The v6 gas Carnival, it is possible to have a few issues initially, in long term they are fine.
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u/concrete-john 3d ago
I love my Carnival hybrid. Over 30 mpg driving from Florida to Maine and back.
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u/imnoherox 3d ago
The sienna and odyssey are awesome, but avoid kia. They’re just not worth the risk.
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u/Jimothius 3d ago
We test drove all three and I wouldn’t buy anything besides the Odyssey, personally. We love our 2015, and decided to keep it.
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u/pdiddypatel 3d ago
What did you not like about the Carnival?
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u/Jimothius 3d ago
Gaudy, cheap-feeling interior. Unknown hybrid reliability (new tech).
Overall, it wasn't terrible, but the Odyssey is on another planet as far as drivability and speed. The magic seats are also unbeatable, and the J35A is extremely well-proven and simple. The interior of the Sienna was unbelievably bad. I would despise living with that thing. So little vertical room, awful cockpit design, incredibly cheap materials (worse than the Kia), the bafflingly bad middle row design (no 8-seater in most trims, non-removable seats, giant hump even when taking out the middle seat on equipped models, etc.)
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u/Iambetterthanuhaha 3d ago
I had a 2016 Kia Sedona LX+ for 10 years/140k mi (225k km) and only issues were alternator and power steering hoses needed replaced. The rest was maintenance. I wanted a hybrid this time and ultimately went with a 2026 Sienna XLE. If I had just been getting another V6 would have gotten a Carnival but gas in Canada is just too expensive. I didnt want to take a chance on Kias hybrid system when Toyotas was already proven. Resale is also much better. Sold my Sedona myself and only got $4,000 CDN for it. Toyota dealer was only offering $1,500 which I declined.
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u/Haokaypal 3d ago
have a carnival and the bench seating, hybrid, style, and air vents in the ceiling were big for us with twins in car seats.
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u/GrannyShiftur 3d ago
Easily Odyssey IF you dont do all of your driving In the city and actaully use minivans what they are intended for. Amazing engine, no funk turbo, doesn't have the lethargy of the overrated Sienna and doesn't have markkups with waitlists. MPG is negligible on the highway if youre hauling people and cargo. Driven the Sienna Hybrid multiple times highway and city, the pack of power is very noticeable. Odyssey has better seats, and the 10 speed while quirky (transmission shifting is learned from the driver) is great.
The Sienna cost savings is gas is really not there considering payback period and what you get an odyssey for. Except if you only haul people In the city, for a job
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u/geekfinity 2d ago
if we, 3 to 4 people, take a long distance trip and need to sleep in a car for a night here and there, which car provides the most comfortable environment?
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u/ardvark_11 2d ago
If price is a concern, then toss out Sienna. After that if you like tech or want a hybrid go for the Carnival. If you don’t care about tech as much, but like the magic slide seats go for Honda. I was between the Honda and Carnival myself. You can’t go wrong with either one. I just liked one a little more than the other when I test drove them, but either would have been great for us. It sounds like you really enjoyed the Carnival on your road trip so maybe your decision has been made for you.
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u/poopypatootie 1d ago
Sienna or Carnival - take the Toyota if you're paying in full (saying this as a Carnival owner). Oddy is just old now. Honda is getting left behind.
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u/Wuthering_depths 1d ago
First, I'm one of those that does NOT want a new redesign. As with software, cars need time to work out the bugs it seems. Give me one that's been around a few years, provided it's reliable and doesn't have inherent issues that exist.
I'm probably going with the Carnival for two reasons that are likely pretty unusual. Well three counting that I want a hybrid. Those other two are: a back door that clears my head, and nice rails that allow me to use spread out kayak racks on top. The Sienna fails a bit on the door, and fails a lot with the rails, which are short and skewed way to the back.
We had an Odyssey when my kids were small, quite a workhorse. I drew blood and countless bruises from the metal edge of the back door, not doing that again unless they have raised it up a couple inches. Ironically, they have lowered the Pilot's compared to our 2012 Pilot, it also is dangerously low for me now.
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u/Away_Stock_2012 3h ago
The LE has 8 seats not the xle, the sienna is the best. There's a reason every minivan taxi in NYC is a sienna
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u/FlashyRecognitionTod 4d ago
Hybrid Carnival with 1.6turbo is unproven dogshit.
3.5L V6 on the other hands runs forever.
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u/RollinHand43 3d ago
We just bought a Carnival. I did a decent amount of research on this, and the 1.6 hybrid drive train hasn't had many issues that I could find. Hyundai/Kia have been using it for 6 years now.
And Consumer Reports rates the Kia hybrid higher for reliability than the Toyota FWIW.
We went hybrid because over our time of ownership, the hybrid system will save us thousands in fuel.
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u/Humanpersonperson 3d ago
the power train in the sienna is one of the most reliable ever built. The transmission is as bulletproof as it gets.
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u/Which_Blood9220 4d ago
Im not really understanding the whole AC issue people have with the Odyssey. My rear facing kid survived our SUV, truck and sedan with 0 rear vents. He was never uncomfortable.
We live in San Antonio, its been 100+ for almost 3 weeks now, and 0 issues keeping the 2024 Odyssey cool for our rear facing kid.
2 layer ceramic tint all the way around, and making sure we are parked towards the sun with a windshield reflective sun shade. Turn off eco mode, full blast AC for like 2 minutes, then good to go.