Compare the2025 Infiniti QX60VS 2025 Kia Carnival

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

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.

With its standard Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, the Infiniti QX60 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Kia Carnival, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	QX60	Carnival
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-13 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-6 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-13 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-5 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-24 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-23 MPH
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-18 MPH
37 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-19 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.5 sec	1.4 sec

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.

Both the QX60 and the Carnival have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front 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.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Infiniti QX60 is much safer than the Carnival:

	QX60	Carnival
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	125	167
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.63 in	.79 in
Shoulder Force	156 lbs.	178 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.94 in	1.42 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Pelvis Force	1160 lbs.	1562 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	65	357
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	POOR
Shoulder Deflection	.55 in	1.89 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	469 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.75 in	2.36 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	12 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	892 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Infiniti QX60 achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Carnival is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

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 45000 miles. Infiniti will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Carnival.

Engine

The QX60’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 26 more horsepower (268 vs. 242) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (286 vs. 271) than the Carnival’s optional 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The QX60’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 26 lbs.-ft. more torque (286 vs. 260) than the Carnival’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the QX60 gets better mileage than the Carnival:

			MPG
QX60
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
Carnival
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	18 city/26 hwy

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 much shorter than the Carnival:

	QX60	Carnival
70 to 0 MPH	171 feet	191 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/LXS’ 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/LXS. 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.

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

The QX60’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Carnival’s (6000 vs. 3500 pounds).

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 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 44% lower rating, Kia is ranked 24th.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Carnival EX/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’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 standard 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.

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.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Infiniti QX60 and the Kia Carnival, based on reliability, safety and performance.