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Christopher Jackson | 9/6/2007 | Kia
Each successive generation of Kia products represents a big change and improvement over its predecessor. This bodes well for the Korean manufacturer's future. Consider this: every year since first entering the U.S. market in 1994, Kia has posted a sales increase over the previous year.
The fact of the matter is, minivans are more about content and utility than they are about style and driving dynamics anyway. Kia's Sedona has never been particularly stylish, but in the minivan world that wasn't a handicap. For 2006, the company has learned from the competition, and the all-new Sedona is packing everything a minivan needs for success: flexible cargo capacity, comfortable seating, a host of amenities and a college-fund-friendly base price. The introduction of a short wheelbase Sedona later this year will stretch the lineup's versatility even farther.
The minivan market represents about a million vehicles per year, and is holding steady at that level while SUV sales are declining. Kia's strategy for holding on to its piece of the minivan pie is to match the competition feature-for-feature.
The new Sedona is longer and wider, and rides on an all-new platform. The silhouette is a standard two-box minivan shape, but up front a distinctive grille and quad-look headlamps give it a Kia family face that doesn't stand out, but doesn't mimic any other vans either. The oversized taillights reduce the Sedona's visual size. The Sedona EX is available with a set of handsome 17" wheels. Kia has also addressed the Sedona's oft-noted weight problem, and trimmed four hundred pounds from the new vehicle.
Kia knows that minivans are frequently pressed into service as rolling suburban command centers, and so the Sedona is prepared to be more than just transportation. A longer wheelbase improves interior volume. The dash is cleanly designed and features multiple cubbies, and a handy folding console between the front seats flips out of the way so adults can walk through to the rear of the Sedona. A cool convex mirror flips down from the overhead console to allow parents to see kids in the back seat, and there's an available DVD entertainment system to keep them occupied back there. Then again, many minivan buyers don't have children, so the Sedona is prepared to haul cargo as well. The third row seat splits 60/40 and folds into the floor easily. The second-row seats are removable as well. Whether it's full of passengers or cargo, the Sedona's driver can enjoy the available 13-speaker Infinity surround-sound sound system. There's not much difference between the entry-level LX model and upscale EX, other than additional amenities and decent-looking faux wood trim on the dash.
The 3.8 liter V6 is new. Horsepower is boosted about twenty percent over last year's model, to 244, and continuously variable valve timing improves efficiency and power. The engine is strong and quiet except for an aggravating labored tone that creeps in around 3000rpm and goes away a few hundred revs later. It's got plenty of power. A quick-shifting five-speed automatic transmission is standard.
Anti-lock brakes are standard equipment, as are front, side and side-curtain airbags and stability control. In fact, there's a heck of a lot of standard stuff in even the base Sedona, including stability control and traction control.
The fully independent suspension is surprisingly firm, especially if you're used to the squashy springing of most Kias. The Sedona feels planted and confident, and exhibits almost none of the usual minivan waddle in turns. It's too heavy to actually be sporty, of course, but the responsive steering and stable stance make it the nicest-handling minivan this side of a Mazda MPV.
The Sedona doesn't leave the competition in the dust, but it matches them easily. Considering the low price, that's about all it needed to do anyway. Kia has made certain that the Sedona's improved manners and content haven't driven the sticker up very much, and Sedona pricing starts at $22,995 for the well-equipped LX model and $25,595 for the EX.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2006 Kia Sedona.
Length: 202.0 in.
Width: 78.1 in.
Height: 69.3 in.
Wheelbase: 118.9 in.
Curb weight: 4387 lb.
Cargo space: 32.2 cu.ft. (all seats up); 141.5 cu.ft. (all seats removed)
Towing capacity: 3500 lb.
Base price: $22,995
Engine: 3.8 liter DOHC 24-valve V6
Drivetrain: five-speed automatic transmission, front-wheel drive
Horsepower: 244 @ 6000
Torque: 253 @ 3500
Fuel capacity: 21.1 gal.
Est. mileage: 18/25
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