By admin 
When news circulated among automotive enthusiasts that a father and son planned to traverse California’s iconic U.S. Highway 1 along the Pacific Coast, the immediate query was about their chosen steed. Anticipation naturally leaned towards a convertible, a sleek coupe, perhaps a roaring Mustang, or even a sophisticated Porsche. The answer, however, was a humble minivan – specifically, the 2024 Kia Carnival. While the eagerly awaited 2025 Carnival Hybrid wouldn’t be ready for their summer escapade, the current model, renowned as the roomiest minivan on the market and outfitted in its luxurious SX Prestige trim, offered an unexpected blend of practicality and comfort perfectly suited for a transformative road trip.
This particular Carnival, with its plush second-row captain’s chairs featuring extending footrests, promised a mobile sanctuary. The grand plan involved flying from Chicago to San Francisco to visit friends, then embarking on a southward drive. The route would artfully bypass the infamous Highway 1 washout near Big Sur, cutting inland to Highway 101 before rejoining the coast for a mix of camping and hotel stays, culminating in a flight home from LAX. Such an itinerary demanded a vehicle capable of immense flexibility, adapting seamlessly from rugged campsites to comfortable cruising.
The journey, however, began not with the open road, but with the mundane frustrations of modern travel: flight cancellations and unforeseen logistical hurdles. Yet, the 18-year-old son, on the precipice of college life ten hours away in the Northeast, remained remarkably unfazed. His father, grappling with a summer overwrought with planning and a son seemingly lost in apathy or disengagement, confessed to snapping, "Do you even want to go?" The response, delivered with calm, measured tones and a knowing smirk, was telling: "This is my graduation gift, right? As part of that gift, I don’t wanna plan anything."
This declaration, a subtle assertion of burgeoning independence, set the tone for the adventure. The father, a seasoned automotive journalist and a parent navigating the complex terrain of his son’s transition to adulthood, realized then that the trip was as much for him as it was for his son. It was an unspoken mission to "check in," to ascertain their emotional equilibrium, and to rekindle a connection that often dwindles amidst the daily demands of life and the digital distractions of the modern world. A week cocooned within the spacious confines of the Kia Carnival would provide all the reconnecting his son, perhaps unknowingly, truly needed.
Setting out from the vibrant streets of San Francisco, the Carnival’s versatile interior was immediately put to the test. The third row was effortlessly stowed into the floor, creating a cavernous cargo area. The second-row captain’s chairs, the focal point of the SX Prestige’s comfort, were slid as far back as possible, maximizing legroom. A cooler was strategically wedged behind the center console, ensuring easy access from either front seat – a testament to thoughtful road trip planning. The deep storage bucket beneath the center armrest became a treasure trove of essentials: sunscreen, bug spray, extra phone chargers, trail mix, and the ubiquitous Sour Patch Kids. While the console’s design, unlike some rivals with their tiered shelves and side pockets, didn’t fully optimize every cubic inch of storage, it proved more than adequate for keeping vital items handy during their frequent stops.
Their first significant stop was Pinnacles National Park, a dramatic inland landscape where the temperature surged by 20 degrees, the oppressive heat finding relief only within the cool, damp passages of the park’s seemingly prehistoric caves. This initial diversion underscored the need for a comfortable vehicle to escape the elements, a role the Carnival embraced with ease.
Back on the open road, the cooled front seats, a standard luxury feature on the SX Prestige, became an instant favorite as they journeyed south towards San Simeon. This leg would encompass the most highway miles covered in a single day. The Carnival’s powertrain, a robust 280-hp 3.5-liter V-6 engine, provided ample power for confidently passing slower traffic on single-lane highways. However, the driver noted that paddle shifters would have been a welcome addition, offering on-demand overrides for the 8-speed automatic transmission, particularly during uphill ascents where the large MPV occasionally lagged. Despite this minor quibble, the overall ride quality was remarkably quiet and smooth, a crucial factor for long-distance travel.
Within minutes of hitting the highway, the son was fast asleep, a familiar sight from his infancy. He hadn’t bothered to adjust the 4-way power lumbar support or even recline his passenger seat, finding instant comfort. In a subtle gesture of connection, he plugged in only his outboard earbud, leaving the one nearest his father open – a quiet acknowledgement of shared space. This became their unspoken routine: the son either napping or engrossed in his phone with one earbud in, the other out. His father appreciated this "25% presence," recognizing it as a significant improvement over their interactions back home.
During these stretches, the father explored the Carnival’s array of features. The cabin camera, accessible via the large 12.3-inch touchscreen, offered a novel way to monitor how their gear shifted in the back on some of the rougher access roads. One persistent minor irritation, however, was the console clutter – an issue Kia has since addressed in newer models. While the wireless charger efficiently powered his phone, his son’s device, tethered by a sprawling nine-foot cord, snaked across the console and spilled over the side. This visual chaos resonated with the scattered shoes by the entryway at home, a domestic skirmish he had never managed to win. "I suppose it’s the joke he and his sister will use later," he mused, "line up the damn shoes, close the damn door, have you drank enough water today?" The 2025 Carnival’s inclusion of wireless smartphone connectivity promises a cleaner cabin experience, a welcome upgrade.
Their shared musical tastes, dictated largely by the son’s phone and playlists, offered another avenue for connection. The father was delighted by his son’s recent discovery of Radiohead and was introduced to the eclectic sounds of Rainbow Kitten Surprise. In return, he reintroduced his son to Wilco and requested more Grateful Dead, fostering a mutual appreciation for diverse genres.
After a day of driving, they reached Washburn Campground in Hearst San Simeon State Park, setting up camp on a bluff overlooking the ocean. With frisbee, beverages, and spirits high, they descended to the beach for a pivotal moment: his son’s first sunset over the Pacific. This was the only specific request his son had articulated when the trip’s planning began months ago: "I guess I want to see the sun set on the Pacific." It was a simple desire, yet profound in its fulfillment.
The trip, more than just a graduation gift, was a promise made during the fraught years of the pandemic to both his son and daughter for graduating with honors. His son, achieving the highest honors, made this "humblebrag" justifiable in the father’s eyes, given the immense challenges faced by his cohort. Eighth-grade graduations canceled, school trips lost, remote learning, masked sophomore years, plexiglass barriers – the collective impact on this generation was significant, yet largely unknown. "We had no idea if the kids would be alright. Still don’t, I suppose. Parenting is never really knowing." But under the kaleidoscope of stars at 3 a.m. at Washburn, for a brief moment, everything felt alright.
The following day proved ambitious and fraught with the familiar dynamics of traveling with a teenager. The previous night’s laughter and deep conversations gave way to the practical frustrations of breaking down an ill-equipped camp and the pressure of a tight schedule. Navigating the unmapped territory of connection with an 18-year-old son, the father wryly observed, always included the "known danger zone of the Hangry Straights."
Exhausted, they eventually reached Morro Strand State Beach. Parking under a sparse beach tree, they agreed to decompress before setting up camp. The son was asleep in the passenger seat before his father finished draining the cooler. Seeking solace and rest himself, the father climbed into the second row.
The SX Prestige’s seven-seat layout features two captain’s chairs in the middle row. Unlike lesser trims where seats can be removed, these luxurious chairs, with their power reclining, heating, and cooling functions, are fixed. The father slid one seat to its farthest rear position, which would typically butt against the third row (now stowed). With the seat powered back and the legrest extended, and the sun casting its golden hues over the ocean, he opened the Carnival’s dual sunroofs – one for the front, one over the second row. This design, he noted, was superior to a single panoramic roof, effectively dividing the cabin into two distinct zones with their own skylights. Even in this most extended position, his legs couldn’t stretch fully, but tucking them to the side was comfortable enough. The beach breeze wafting in from the open side door completed the idyllic scene. Soon, snores and drool indicated a shared, profound rest. It wouldn’t be their last nap in the Carnival.
A detour to San Luis Obispo, sparked by the son’s discovery of a Lego minifigure shop, highlighted the Carnival’s surprising maneuverability. The suite of driver-assist technologies – including parking sensors, backup lines, and a blind-spot camera that audibly alerted the driver to an approaching cyclist he couldn’t see – made parallel parking the second-largest minivan on the market remarkably easy. At a coffeehouse, watching his son down a milkshake and eye a comic book store across the street, the father was reminded that this young man, soon off to college, was still, in many ways, a boy.
The father’s attempts to act like a peer, to cede control, and invite shared decision-making often met with his son’s ingrained deference. "He still deferred to me as the parent. I was, am, always will be. Duh." When called out for walking behind his father, engrossed in his phone, instead of beside him, the son reacted by walking far ahead on their hike to a waterfall in a county park, a silent, youthful protest.
By the time they reached their first hotel, a rather dilapidated establishment on Pismo Beach lacking air conditioning and with sealed windows, they had reached the halfway point. His son, needing a respite from constant companionship, retreated to his room, leaving the door barely ajar. The father, walking the boardwalk and pier through sunset, replayed conversations, scrutinizing his words and actions. Dolphins played with surfers, beer sat untouched in the cooler. In the dark, he methodically repacked the camping gear they no longer needed. It was "parenting in a microcosm," he reflected, "moving on before I ever fully grasped what was going on."
He packed his own father’s Army duffel bag from Vietnam, stuffing it with the tent, sleeping bags, mementos, and other accumulated items. It was his first time using it, and it proved to be the perfect, burden-free luggage for air travel, unlike his old framed backpack designed for backcountry treks. Before the trip, he had struggled with its complex four-ring, one-clip closure, needing YouTube for assistance. His son, however, figured it out in 30 seconds.
He admired the duffel’s durability and simplicity. It became the luggage equivalent of the Kia Carnival: "nothing flashy but so damn practical. Like my dad." This analogy resonated deeply, connecting the practical minivan to the enduring spirit of his own father, "Grandpa Duff." Just months prior, in January, Grandpa Duff had made the difficult decision to cease lung cancer treatment. In a moment of crisis, when his brother worried their father might pass that very night and he himself was stranded in Toronto, the father had asked the impossible of his son: to go to the ER and be with Grandpa Duff in his place. Without hesitation or protest, his son had gone. "This boy, my son, was a man."
Later that night, his son, a nocturnal creature, joined him. They found a pub with a dartboard. The son opted for a root beer, they exchanged friendly trash talk, and he effortlessly beat his father at Cricket, a game he had only played once before. It had been an eventful year, more so for the son than the father. In three weeks, he would leave everything he knew, surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar place. The father understood that his son’s outward demeanor, like the ocean’s surface, could be both serene and stormy, masking profound depths of emotion and anticipation.
Leaving the Carnival behind for a day, they took a ferry to hike Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park. At a crucial junction, his son, brimming with youthful exuberance, challenged his father to extend their five-mile loop to a ten-mile trek to the peak. He declared he wouldn’t care if the ferry left them stranded overnight with dwindling water and no shelter. The father was almost charmed enough to cast aside the wisdom of age for the thrill of youthful adventure. While they didn’t forsake prudence, his son’s magnetizing spirit was undeniable. On the ferry ride back, the father nudged his son awake as the captain slowed for a nursing pod of dolphins – more one-week-olds than she had ever seen – their joyous dance on the water a fitting celebration of connection and discovery.
The 2024 Kia Carnival SX Prestige, initially chosen for its practicality, proved to be far more than just transportation. It was a comfortable, reliable companion on a journey of self-discovery for both father and son. It provided the quiet space for introspection, the luxurious comfort for much-needed rest, and the practical versatility for every twist and turn of their California adventure. It facilitated a profound reconnection, proving that sometimes, the most practical choice can also be the most meaningful.
2024 Kia Carnival SX Prestige
Base price: $47,665, including $1,365 destination
Price as tested: $49,480
Drivetrain: 280-hp 3.5-liter V-6, 8-speed automatic transmission, front-wheel drive
EPA fuel economy: 19/26/22 mpg
Pros: Mobile den, quiet, comfy, roomy, my son growing up
Cons: Wired Apple CarPlay, not cheap, my son growing up