On the long stretches of freeways, the Carnival gobbled up miles like no one’s business. The ride is enormously comfortable with little disruptions inside the cabin, save for a few jostles from some good ol’ fashioned Ohio potholes along the way. I used this opportunity to let the Highway Driving Assistant technology do its thing, and to me, it remains the most impressive hands-on-the-wheel operation out there. HDA combines active steering and adaptive cruise control, but drivers must keep their hands on the wheel as the car handles some of the work. The system drives like a shockingly well-behaved human on the highway with natural braking and steering movements. I never once caught it wanting to veer into a different lane or riding the shoulder, and that inspires a lot of confidence with the system engaged. Any time I thought I’d be able to behave better if traffic-clogged along the way, I found myself following too close for comfort, while the HDA’s judgment was better all along. Hey, sometimes you just want to get to the beach with your people, you know?
As a side note to underscore how well HDA performs, I also used the system on a separate trip heading west one day in the pouring rain. I was far more cautious this time as sheets of water hit the windshield and I waited for the system to struggle. It never did.
Our Carnival handles cargo like a champ, especially if you decide to drop the third row of seats. Bags of snacks, beverages, coolers, swimming gear, you name it — the Carnival has space for literal days. On the way home, with everything stowed away once again, the Carnival was a lovely place to be after sitting in the sun for hours. Front- and rear-seat passengers get their own climate settings to tinker with, so depending on who fried the most out in the sun, no one has to bicker over it being too warm inside the van.
