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Introduction
The Kia Sedona is all-new for 2006 and, based on the time we've spent with it,
it appears to be a compelling value among minivans, offering convenience,
comfort, style and performance. The front-wheel-drive Sedona has just about
everything the Honda Odyssey has, except the reputation, for a lot less money.
The 2006 Kia Sedona was designed by studying every other minivan in the class,
choosing the best features, and improving them. It uses a new high-tech V6
engine that more than matches the Odyssey in power, a responsive new five-speed
automatic transmission, and a sophisticated and steady suspension.
From the outside, the all-new Sedona looks classy and stylish. Inside, there's
seven-passenger seating with seats that easily collapse to create a vast cargo
space. Every cabin convenience known to man is either standard or available;
there are storage spaces everywhere you turn, and no fewer than 14 cupholders.
And the Sedona achieves five-star crash certification, all for a base price of
$22,995.
Model Lineup
The Sedona LX ($22,995) is well-equipped for that price, including
seven-passenger seating: two rows of two captain's chairs, and a bench in back.
The first two rows get power windows, and there's also remote keyless entry,
power locks, three 12-volt power outlets, intermittent wipers front and rear,
privacy glass, eight-speaker CD sound system, cruise control, tilt steering
wheel, overhead console. 16-inch tires on steel wheels, and more.
The EX ($25,595) adds quite a lot for the price difference: larger, 17-inch
alloy wheels with wider profile tires, upgraded cloth interior, power front
seats, MP3 audio system, auto headlamps, front foglights, self-dimming rearview
mirror, Homelink, heated sideview mirrors, solar glass, roofrails with
crossbars, trip computer with compass and illuminated vanity mirrors.
Options for the EX include the Power Package ($1000) with power sliding doors
and liftgate; the Luxury Package ($2400), which includes primarily leather
interior with heated front memory seats, sunroof and back-up beeper; the
Premium Entertainment Package ($1700), which includes an Infinity 13-speaker
surround-sound audio system and DVD player with an eight-inch monitor and
wireless headsets. There's also a First Aid kit ($20) and a trailer hitch
($375).
Safety equipment is extensive; the '05 Sedona earned a five-star crash rating
from NHTSA, and the '06 should too. The unibody construction provides rigidity,
with side-impact door beams and energy-absorbing bumpers. In addition to the
weight-sensing frontal airbags (the front passenger airbag turns itself off if
a child is in the seat), there are front side airbags (for torso protection)
and air curtains (for head protection) that cover all three rows of seats.
There's an energy-absorbing steering column, and anti-whiplash headrests in
front. There's electronic stability control with traction control, and
anti-lock brakes with electronic balanced brake force distribution (ABS with
EBD). A tire-pressure monitoring system is also standard.
Walkaround
It's not easy for any minivan to be distinctive, and if the Sedona styling
isn't unique, it is clean and crisp, and says "classy." You might even look
twice, and wonder, "What's that good-looking minivan?" You might be surprised
to discover it's Korean. But its heart is European, and that influence spreads
to its skin.
The sheetmetal has been carefully sculpted. A crease tapers down from the
steeply sloping windshield to the grille, falling between the big wedge-shaped
headlights and the small sharp corners of two horizontal grille openings, long
black slots with a single chrome strip in each, and Kia badge in center. The
fascia/bumper under the grille is thick, with an air intake having cage-like
slats to keep out the stones and slow buzzards. Tidy foglamps surround the
intake, inside cavities that sweep up at the corners to match the lines of the
headlamps.
The wheelwell flares are especially nicely done. They don't go out of their way
to be noticed, by being bigger than they need to be; they carry just the right
squared-off but smooth edges. They're sculpted by the same knife that carved
the beltline running from the headlamps to taillights. The six-spoke 16-inch
wheels are nothing special, but the optional 17-inch wheels, beautiful in
brushed alloy with 12 spokes, send a message that this minivan has style.
The sides of the Sedona aren't too busy, given all they have to do; dings are
caught by a low, thick, body-colored horizontal strip, and there's a necessary
gash under each third window for the sliding rear doors. The trailing edge of
that third window matches the modest slope of the roofline.
From the rear, the Sedona loses some style; it could be any minivan. It's
simply functional, with a big rear window and taillights whose shape matches
the lines of the rest of the vehicle.
Interior Features
Kia's aproach to designing the all-new Sedona, copying and bettering the
competition, is reflected by the interior. It's a cohesive improvement of all
that's out there.
The all-new 2006 Kia Sedona is roomier than last year's model. The slightly
increased wheelbase, length and width have brought 15 percent more passenger
space. Third-row 60/40 bench seating is standard, with two bucket seats in the
second row. Initially, all 2006 Sedonas will be seven-seaters, but a
short-wheelbase five-seater is expected in fall 2006.
The area behind the third row seat is recessed for secure storage; grocery bags
won't slide around so much. The third-row seat folds flat into the floor, and
the second-row seats fold (although not flat) with the touch of a finger; each
seatback folds down, and then the seat flips up so it squeezes against the
front seatback. Or they can be easily removed to create a carpeted cargo van
with 142 cubic feet of space.
Each of the three rows of seats gets its own climate control. The windows along
the second row actually lower and raise at the press of a button, giving your
passengers real live fresh air and a tactile view.
The optional power sliding doors and liftgate, triggered on the instrument
panel or remote key fob, are a wonderful convenience.
The Sedona pilot feels like the master of her or his domain, looking down on
the vast and functional center stack with all its controls, including a big
leather-wrapped shift knob. This is a much better location than between the
seats. The center stack in our fully loaded EX was finished in a soft, dark
simulated wood that looks way better than the hard, shiny real wood found in
many luxury cars. All the main controls are there and easy to click, square
black buttons with easily read white lettering, along with business-like black
air vents. There are more controls on the steering wheel (audio and cruise
control) and driver's door, including the power seat adjustment in the shape of
a seat, copied from Mercedes-Benz, and a fuel door button.
The power seat extends farther back than the standard manual seat, offering
more legroom. We co-drove an LX with a six-foot-four fellow, whose legs were
cramped in the manual seat. That cloth interior in the LX was okay, but the
gray leather in our own test model EX was beautiful and supple, and the front
seats provided excellent bolstering.
With the center stack containing all the controls, including the first two of a
total of 14 cupholders (one for each hand of each passenger), the space between
the front seats is used for a sideways flip-up tray/console, containing the
third, fourth, fifth and sixth cupholders.
Storage includes two glove compartments, one in the face of the dash, and a
larger one at knee level, containing a bin, a big slot for CDs, and a hole for
a cellphone. Got more CDs than that? There's another flip-down compartment at
the very bottom of the center stack, a sunglasses holder overhead, wide door
pockets, compartments and cupholders for the second- and third-row passengers.
Visibility out the back is especially good, an important contribution to
safety, because the rear window is as big as it can be, and the headrests over
the five rear seats sink down to the tops of the seats. And if there are kids
back there, there's a convex mirror on the headliner so you can keep an eye on
them, and yell at them before they do the things that will cause you to yell at
them.
Our EX was equipped with the $1700 Entertainment System, including a DVD player
and 13-speaker Infinity audio system. We expected some sensational
surround-sound, but were disappointed in the richness, depth and volume of the
system, playing both the radio and CDs.
Driving Impressions
First and foremost, the new 2006 Kia Sedona has a terrific, tight
European-feeling independent suspension, using MacPherson struts in front and
an original multi-link system in rear. "Consistent" may be the best word to
describe the ride. It had the same solid, steady, quality feel, no matter the
road surface.
The Sedona uses a new, 3.8-liter, double-overhead-cam V6 engine with an
aluminum block and head, and variable valve timing; it makes 244 horsepower and
253 pound-feet of torque, the most in the class. It uses a smooth five-speed
automatic transmission with a manual mode, called Sportmatic.
We drove our luxury-optioned EX for four days, from San Diego east into the
desert, and back over remote winding roads. We left town with the Friday
getaway crowd, going with the flow at 85 miles per hour, and the engine
smoothly kept pace with the speedy Californians, just loping along at 2600 rpm
while getting nearly 20 miles per gallon. The Sedona was stable in crosswinds
at that speed, past the churning windmills near Palm Springs. We let it run up
to 95 once, and it was steady, smooth and quiet.
Despite being larger than the previous version, the 2006 Sedona weighs 400
pounds less, thanks to use of aluminum in its construction. Its lighter weight
improves handling as well as acceleration. But it's still no lightweight, and
it didn't always feel like it had 253 pound-feet of torque, as the five-speed
automatic transmission kicked down a lot under pressure, for example, when
running up a long steep grade with the cruise control set at 79 miles per hour.
On the way back to the city the next day, over the twisty two-lane, the Sedona
was impressive in the curves, with power rack-and-pinion steering. Kia's
marketing motto is "the power to surprise," and it fits here. We drove with a
lot more spirit than your average minivan pilot, and found the turn-in to be
precise, with no false moves. For safety, there's some built-in understeer,
meaning you sometimes have to feed more steering into a corner as you speed
around it, but if it were any more direct it might be darty.
The suspension kept pace with our cornering, allowing very little body lean.
The only chink in its armor appeared when zooming over a rise in the road,
beginning at maybe 45 miles per hour, as the front wheels wanted to hang. But
when the Sedona settled, it stuck with no wallow. At the other end of the road,
in the dips, it felt just fine.
We used the disc brakes pretty hard too, and they felt as good as the
suspension.
The Sportmatic manual mode in the transmission was a pleasure. We have the
feeling that drivers designed this new Sedona: Brits, in fact. We downshifted
for corners and manually upshifted, and the transmission did exactly what we
asked it do, and rarely any more. The lever fit nicely in the heel of our hand.
The engine sometimes sounded a bit harsh under hard acceleration at low rpm,
but now we're nit-picking, which is a compliment of sorts, because that's what
happens with high-quality vehicles. At idle, it's so quiet that we once tried
to start it when it was already running.
>Summary
The all-new Kia Sedona is a great-looking minivan with a V6 engine having the
most power in the class, and a suspension that's second to none. The interior
is well thought out, with standard seven-passenger seating, easily convertible
to a carpeted cargo van, while providing an abundance of storage compartments.
The Sedona lacks nothing, except all-wheel drive. It sends a clear signal that
the Korean carmaker intends to be a player, and it proves that Kia has the
engineering expertise to build excellent cars.
NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Sam Moses filed this report from San Diego,
California.
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