Compare the2022 Kia CarnivalVS 2021 Buick Enclave

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Carnival are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Buick Enclave doesn’t offer height-adjustable front seat belts.

The Kia Carnival has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Enclave doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Carnival has a standard backup collision prevention system that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Enclave doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Carnival has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. Only the Enclave Essence/Premium/Avenir offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Carnival has a standard cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Enclave Essence/Premium/Avenir has a cross-path warning system.

The Carnival’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Enclave doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Carnival and the Enclave have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

The Carnival comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire van and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Enclave’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years and 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Carnival 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Buick covers the Enclave. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Enclave ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Carnival has a standard 180-amp alternator. The Enclave’s 170-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Buick vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Buick is ranked 7th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Buick vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Buick is ranked fifth.

On the EPA test cycle the Carnival gets better fuel mileage than the Enclave FWD (19 city/26 hwy vs. 18 city/26 hwy).

For better stopping power the Carnival’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Enclave:

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Carnival is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Enclave.

The Carnival offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Enclave can only carry 7.

The Carnival has .7 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.6 inches more rear legroom, 8.7 inches more rear hip room, 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room, 1 inch more third row headroom, 2.1 inches more third row legroom, 1.9 inches more third row hip room and 2.2 inches more third row shoulder room than the Enclave.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Carnival’s middle and third row seats recline. The Enclave’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Carnival has a much larger cargo volume than the Enclave with its rear seat up (145.1 vs. 23.6 cubic feet). The Carnival has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Enclave with its rear seat folded (145.1 vs. 97.6 cubic feet).

The Carnival has a much larger cargo volume than the Enclave with its rear seat up (145.1 vs. 23.6 cubic feet). The Carnival has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Enclave with its rear seat folded (145.1 vs. 97.6 cubic feet).

The Carnival has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Enclave doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

The Carnival’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Enclave’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds).

The Carnival EX/SX/Prestige’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches. The Enclave’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

The Carnival has a standard locking fuel door. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Enclave doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Carnival SX/Prestige has standard front air conditioned seats and the Carnival Prestige also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Enclave doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.