Compare the2023 Infiniti QX60VS 2023 Kia Carnival

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Infiniti QX60 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Carnival doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The QX60 Sensory/Autograph’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Carnival doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Infiniti QX60 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 Kia Carnival doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

The Infiniti QX60 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Carnival doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The QX60 Autograph has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Carnival doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The QX60 offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Carnival doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The QX60 has standard Infiniti Connection, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Carnival doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the QX60 and the Carnival have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available around view monitors and driver alert monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the QX60 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Carnival was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2019 but no longer qualifies.

Warranty

The QX60’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Carnival’s (7/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

Infiniti pays for scheduled maintenance on the QX60 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Infiniti will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Carnival.

Engine

The QX60’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 5 more horsepower (295 vs. 290) and 8 lbs.-ft. more torque (270 vs. 262) than the Carnival’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Infiniti QX60 is faster than the Kia Carnival:

	QX60	Carnival
Zero to 30 MPH	2.6 sec	3.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.7 sec	8.4 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93 MPH	90 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the QX60 FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Carnival (21 city/26 hwy vs. 19 city/26 hwy).

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the QX60’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Carnival doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The QX60 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Carnival doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Infiniti QX60, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Carnival.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the QX60’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Carnival:

	QX60	Carnival
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	12.8 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.8 inches

The QX60’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Carnival are solid, not vented.

The QX60 stops shorter than the Carnival:

	QX60	Carnival
70 to 0 MPH	171 feet	173 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the QX60 has larger tires than the Carnival (255/50R20 vs. 235/65R17).

The QX60 Pure’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Carnival LX’s standard 65 series tires. The QX60 Luxe/Sensory/Autograph’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Carnival EX/SX/Prestige’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the QX60 Pure has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Carnival LX. The QX60 Luxe/Sensory/Autograph’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Carnival EX/SX/Prestige.

The QX60 has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Carnival doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Chassis

The QX60 is 4.8 inches shorter than the Carnival, making the QX60 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Infiniti QX60 amounts to more than styling. The QX60 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .32 Cd. That is lower than the Carnival (.34) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the QX60 get better fuel mileage.

For excellent aerodynamics, the QX60 has standard flush composite headlights. The Carnival has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Cargo Capacity

Pressing a button automatically raises the QX60 Sensory/Autograph’s third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Carnival doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the QX60. The Carnival doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Kia Carnival is limited to 3500 pounds. The QX60 offers up to a 6000 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The QX60 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Carnival uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Infiniti service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Infiniti 9th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 28% lower rating, Kia is ranked 26th.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Carnival SX/Prestige, the QX60 Sensory/Autograph has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster), outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The QX60 (except Pure) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Carnival doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The QX60’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Carnival’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

On a hot day the QX60’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Carnival can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The QX60’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Carnival’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the QX60 (except Pure) offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Carnival doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The QX60’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Carnival offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The QX60 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Carnival Prestige.

The QX60 Sensory/Autograph has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Carnival.

The QX60 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Carnival EX/SX/Prestige.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Infiniti QX60 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Carnival EX/SX/Prestige offers wireless charging.