This last week the Drive Shop dropped off the new Sedona from KIA, a minivan which in its third generation form was just introduced in the U. S. last year. Actually the firm calls this car a multi-purpose vehicle in order to attract more buyers to the brand, and to the model. My test loaner was the SX Limited model painted Deep Formal blue metallic and featured a burgundy and ash Nappa leather interior with four bucket seats.
KIA is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and is that country’s second-largest automobile manufacturer, trailing only Hyundai Motors, a one-third owner of KIA Motors Corporation. KIA is also the oldest auto manufacturer in Korea, founded on June 9th, 1944, as a maker of bicycle parts and metal tubing. The word KIA is roughly translated as “rising out of Asia”, and the company sold 2,907,757 vehicles worldwide in 2014. That represented a 5.9% increase over sales from the year 2013.
In the styling department, there isn’t much that a manufacturer can do to set their offering apart from the pack, so I think KIA did the best they could do on this Sedona SXL. They put ample chrome on the car (including on the door handles and the ten spoke alloy wheels), but the front end look is where exemplary work was done with the grill and lighting treatment. At the New York Auto Show last year where the Sedona was introduced, the car was named Best New Car Design.
Ruth and I drove the Sedona to Nebraska for our test to visit relatives. That put us out on Interstate 80 weaving around big rigs that seem to multiply on the weekend. I surely enjoyed the Smart cruise control for the endeavor, which allowed me to keep my feet flat on the floor while darting from lane to lane with appurtenant speed discrepancies. Other technology/safety items included on the KIA were blind spot detection/lane change assist, lane departure warning, rear camera display, forward collision warning, surround view monitor, and rear park assist. Most of these items were included in the SXL technology package for an additional $2,700.00. That, plus a base price of $39,700.00 and freight of $895.00, brought the total M.S.R.P. to $43,295.00. This price is right in middle of pricing I have seen on the competitive minivans (excuse me, multi-purpose vehicle), and this was, after all, KIA’s top of the line model.
The two-toned leather buckets (4) were attractive and kept me in a comfortable attitude for my trip and the week here in Greeley. Relatives enjoyed the second-row buckets with armrests (and footrests), and I suppose everyone was happy to jump on board and ride in the third row, although I didn’t hear much from them. They were riding on a 60/40 split fold-in-the-floor bench, and luggage space behind it amounted to 62.1 cubic feet, with a deep well to enhance that number. Outside, the KIA is 201.4″ long, 78.1″ wide, 68.5″ high, weighs 4,720 lbs., and can turn around in a 36.8′ circle.
Minivan power for the KIA comes in the form of a 3.3 liter, V-6 with 276 horsepower (@ 6,000 rpm) and 248 lb. ft. of torque (@ 5,200 rpm). A six-speed Sportmatic overdrive transmission is employed and EPA fuel economy ratings are 22-highway, 17-city, and 19-combined miles per gallon. My average for a windy drive of 650 miles was 19.9 mpg. I thought the ride was fine, as was guidance and handling in the city. Overall, I would rate the Sedona (a good name) right in line with its minivan competition with perhaps a little edge because it is so good-looking.
George “Elvis” Gray of Pirate Radio 104.7 FM gave me an assist in analyzing the Toyota Sienna XSE:
space behind third row seating, 18” 5-split spoke polished alloy wheels and 235/50R18 Bridgestone all season radials, lane keep assist, forward and rear collision alert, radar cruise control, navigation, heated steering wheel, high definition rear view camera system, 9” infotainment screen, flatbed 
smartphone charger, 11.6” rear entertainment system, panoramic moon roof, power lift gate and 12 speaker JBL AM/FM/satellite premium stereo sound system, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, 245 combined horsepower 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine with CVT automatic transmission (total torque is 176) – all wheel drive, $47,215.00 list price – built in Princeton, Indiana, fuel economy 36 mpg on highway, 35 city, 35 combined mpg – 18 gallon tank goes 648 mi. on a full tank of gasoline 
Stu's Reviews 