2010 Kia Sedona

Pros: What do you like about 2006 Kia Sedona?
Power.
Room.
Sound system.
Utility.
Safety rating.

Cons: How would you improve 2006 Kia Sedona?
Little more driver legroom, but I suppose the person sitting behind me wouldn't like that.
Mileage is just OK. 25 if I am really nice, 20mpg is usual. Into the teens if I start liking the power too much.

2006 Kia Sedona Review:
So far, after 79k, I really like my, my, my, my Sedona (apologies to The Knack). Power enough and great room for its class. I bought it used in 2007 with 16k on it. A couple of minor problems that my dealer fixed well enough and otherwise no issues. It hauls whatever around, has gotten me through copious snow storms and has yet to let me down.

When I looked at buying a minivan, I decided I just couldn't pay the price for Toyota and Honda, both nice vans. I looked at the GM offering and found I had to scrunch to see under the top of the windshield (I am 6' 4"). The Dodge seemed to be where I was headed, but then a salesman asked me to try the 2006 Sedona.

I not only liked it better, but the Dodge had an annoying habit of making my head bounce off of the bump for the sliding door while I drove. With the Sedona, I could wear a hat and not hit anything. Power, great sound system, safety rating and included amenities all convinced me to go with the Sedona.

I had been watching Hyundai's rise in quality and decided to jump on board (KIA is owned by Hyundai and the Hyundai name is all over it). In fact, I went out and bought the wife a 2007 KIA Amanti shortly after that. It has been a very nice car and has 83k on it now. I hope this experiment goes well. So far, so good.

I suppose I could say this; in 2011, if I needed a new minivan, I would look at the Sedona again. Wether I would end up with it, I'll just cross that bridge when or if I get there. The other makers haven't been sitting still for this challenge from Korea.

Pros: What do you like about 2008 Kia Sedona?
Roomy interior.
Stow away 3rd. seats.
Assist handles for 2nd. row seating.
Opening windows on sliders...eases cooling/ ventilation..
Seats are comfy.
All glass areas allow for good visibility.. small blind spots, but this is not unusual..it occurs in all vans.
good front visibility from drivers position

Cons: How would you improve 2008 Kia Sedona?
Knee room for drivers leads to cramping on long trips (over 1 hour.)..how about a kneepad for door trim panel and/ or left edge/corner of the center console ???
Storage drawer under passenger seat ( ala Chrysler) .

List of bulbs (generic part #'s) in owners manual.

2008 Kia Sedona Review:
We have had the Kia Sedona for about a month....taking it on our first
extended trip (over 200 miles one way for the weekend).
Ride is quiet and comfortable. (see note above about "cramping "
..We had an issue with an A/C odor, but the dealer cleaned the A/C evap. box and replaced the pollen filter...
So far so good.
Would be interested to know/hear from others about gas (octane rating) problems...
It appears to be the "best bang for the buck" in the van market.
We considered another Chrysler product, but no one wanted to 'deal'.

Our dealer seems anxious to please when it comes to service.

Pros: What do you like about 2006 Kia Sedona?
More power than Toyota/Honda, best interior and handling.

Cons: How would you improve 2006 Kia Sedona?
Ipod connection for EX, more driver legroom.

2006 Kia Sedona Review:
Yes, you'll need to get past any stigma associated with the Kia name. Kia is climbing the ladder just like Honda and Audi did years ago and gaining respect as their cars improve. We checked out the Honda and Toyota entries and the Kia just seemed to do everything as well and in some cases better. The handling of the Kia is certainly up there with the Honda, perhaps a hair better. Power is excellent. This van is probably faster than it needs to be. I've read 0-60 reports of 7.1 and 7.3 seconds and even prior to break-in the van feels very quick. Build quality appears to be quite good with nice fit and finish.

Our fully loaded example has power sliding doors and a power rear hatch. If you have kids these come in really handy and are fun to show off as well. The doors will sense an obstruction and open if need be. They can also be operated manually. Locks prevent a child from opening them from inside.

Inside you get a full leather interior in gray or beige. Go with the gray as it will wear better. Front seats are 8 way and 4 way power. The driver's seat is a bit short on legroom for taller drivers. I'm 6.3 and would like another inch or two. There's no reason for a seat to be short on legroom on a large van. Passenger and rear seats have a LOT of room. Even the split bench fully aft is pretty good and the middle seats will also slide forward making this true 7 passenger vehicle. Make no mistake about it; this is a pretty luxurious interior by any standard. We found the Honda a bit more stark, but the Odyssey and Sienna are equally plush when fully loaded.

The rear seats tuck away into a storage well, but the procedure is a bit awkward and could use some refinement. Overall it works okay. When the seats are out the well is a great place combined with the cargo net, but some sort of retractable cover would really be nice to hide gear.

The loaded EX also comes with a killer Infinity stereo/DVD rear seat entertainment system. I know it's a cliche to refer to a sound system in a car as "killer" but you really need to hear the 13 speaker system in action to realize how much better it is than any other. The top of the line Honda and Toyota don't even come close. The flip down DVD screen is a mere 8 inches. I consider that size adequate, but others are larger. On the other hand, unlike the larger screens, the Kia's doesn't block as much of the rearview mirror so it's a better tradeoff for safety. The system also has IR remote control and IR fed headphones that work well and very comfortable. Popping in a copy of Star Wars III I was treated to true 7.1 Surround sound. The center channel is mounted in the middle of the dash, a bit away for the rear seats, but it works very well. The picture quality is typical for these systems, but many people will hear sound that is superior to their home systems. There is depth, clear highs and fairly impressive midrange that surprised me and I'm someone who's owned stereo systems costing 9K. It's that good. On the other hand, you can question the logic of such an elaborate system in a car. A lesser system like the ones from Toyota or Honda are still "just fine." But as long as Kia is giving them away, I'll keep mine!

On the port side of the cabin are jacks for plugging in a camcorder, or X-Box type game system. Amazingly Kia neglected a Ipod/Sat. radio jack up front and you'll need to correct that at your local stereo shop for aftermarket help. Also missing at this luxury level is integrated navigation/GPS, but expect that on the next year's model. Buy a Garmin I5 and you'll do just fine.

Unlike many other vans on the market, the large middle windows actually roll down! This is a very welcome feature to say the least. The rear windows also wing out with the press of a button. 2nd road passengers no longer have that bus window feeling.

The 3rd road is less comfortable than the 2nd of course. These are seats that fold down into the floor and the only seats to do so on board. Kia's research showed that most people never stowed or removed the second row, so they left those as fully comfortable chairs with armrests. The 3rd row, because it's stows in the floor, is inherently less comfortable, but they really aren't bad at all. 3rd row passengers get cup-holders, a small storage bin and the inputs for video game consoles.

Each row of seats has port and starboard AC/Heat vents and the second row has it's own dedicated controls for temp and fan speed. Shotgun gets dual AC/Heat controls so the driver and passenger don't compromise and heated seats with 5 way settings. Very nice.

There are really too many little extras in vans of this size and luxury level to list here. The fully loaded Kia Sedona for 2006 also gets memory seats/mirror/pedal, homelink controls for the garage, backup proximity sensor, power sunroof, 2 way adjustable headrests, fold away snack tray, and quite a bit more.

Back to Driving the Sedona....it is not quite like a car, but close enough that an hour or two of driving will have you pretty well acclimated. Acceleration is strong at almost all points of the powerband due to a healthy amount of torque. On the highway the ride is quiet and subdued. Wind noise is well controlled. I'm certain that the new Sedona is quieter than my Subaru Tribeca and that's quieter than a Lexus RX330. At cruising speeds above averages that most people would drive this van, the Sedona remains composed. Fast lane changes are not a problem, but steeper turns produce a bit more body roll than I'd like. There are moments when the Sedona will remind you that it's actually a 2 ton plus van and not a car. You must learn when those moments are likely to come up.

For the driver all of the controls are well laid out and we've come to expect this from most imports compared to the often terrible American made entries. Kia has essentially hit the nail on the head with the new Sedona for drivers, passengers and of course kids. When our two year old has a toy crisis, my wife can get to the 2nd row and take charge with ease. This is something our SUV could not do.

Parking the Sedona is something that will take practice if this is your first minivan. This is not a small van and the driver is well up front. Still, exhibit some confidence when you park and use the aft proximity sensor. When reversing it beeps faster and faster as you approach an obstacle. When it becomes a steady tone you're about 15 inches away. It works great.

Because I've not broken the engine in I can't report on the MPG yet.

If you have a small child, a fully loaded 2006 Sedona EX will make for a lot of smiles. I believe that the Honda and Toyota are also fine vans and you really can't go wrong with them either. I don't like ANY of the American entries or the Nissan Quest for whatever that's worth.

The warranty on the Sedona is 5 years overall and 10 for the engine/powertrain. That's good news so long as it doesn't have too many problems. Trips for dealer service are never any fun free or not. Only time will tell how well constructed Kia's first entry in maxed out minivan segment really is.

With Kia's current rebates and some aggressive shopping we got our fully loaded EX for $27'950. That included the 1000 rebate and a graduate rebate of 400 dollars as well. That's an amazing price when you look at a Sienna optioned out the same way which is around 5-6K more. Kia also threw in two years worth of free oil changes, free remote starter and a second remote for the DVD player. In a few months I'll update this and let folks know what "new car bugs" turned up (There are always a few) and how Kia service dealt with them here in NY. Cheers!
Capt RB

Pros: What do you like about 2006 Kia Sedona?
I bought it new. It now has 85,000 miles on it. Had it to the shop for two minor problems. It still has the original brakes. It gives good gas mileage for the size and weight of the vehicle.
It is most trouble-free vehicle I have owned and I have owned many. It has given me great service.

Cons: How would you improve 2006 Kia Sedona?
Sometimes wind noise around the outside mirrors can be heard, but it is not that annoying.

Pros: What do you like about 2008 Kia Sedona?
Looks and Performance is great!!
The Price is Right!
We love it...

Cons: How would you improve 2008 Kia Sedona?
Drivers seat should go back 2-4 inches more.
Should have a better stereo system.
Side doors can be hard to open/close.

2008 Kia Sedona Review:
I love our '08 Sedona, But very glad we bought an extended warranty.
We have had the oil pan gasket replaced and throttle sensor replaced +
A door opener replacement recall...
At no cost to me!! Under Warranty~

Pros: What do you like about 2006 Kia Sedona?
I like that it's very spacious and it drives very smoothly.

Cons: How would you improve 2006 Kia Sedona?
Fix the noise on the engine.

2006 Kia Sedona Review:
This is the very first vehicle that I have purchased and at times I am happy and at times I am not. I lke the space, it's comfortable and gets me to where I got to go to. However, I have only had it for one month and it has spent half of that within the first week of purchase at the shop.

Pros: What do you like about 2006 Kia Sedona?
The power. I took it out to the drag strip & won the truck & van class. It ran 15.98 @ 87.25 mph.
I have gotten 26.5 mpg on the road. It is great.

Cons: How would you improve 2006 Kia Sedona?
Better seats.
Better brakes.

Pros: What do you like about 2006 Kia Sedona?
I like that the side rear windows go down for those riding in the second row.
It also has a good safety record and with a family and other passengers, that is important.
Otherwise it is a pretty standard minivan.

Cons: How would you improve 2006 Kia Sedona?
Numerous things:

AC does not blow cold continually and has been repaired several times.

Horn problems that have been fixed several times (Does not work properly when lock vehicle and it is to "chirp" when it locks). Also, security horn has had to be replaced.

Shifting / odd transmission type problem - the vehicle "bangs" when you come down a hill to a stop. Also, when slowing down to a stop light it actually has a surge or acceleration. Very scary and they say this is ok or they can not find a problem. Also as you are driving it accelerates or decelerates oddly.

Brakes - vehicle only has 62000 and have replaced brakes twice.

2006 Kia Sedona Review:
I should know that you get what you pay for in a vehicle. This vehicle seems to have gremlins living in it.

From the Recurring A/C problems, to the recurring horn problems to the spontaneous acceleration or other odd occurrences, I would be very weary at ever buying another Kia Sedona no matter how cheap it is.

Pros: What do you like about 2009 Kia Sedona?
Smooth and responsive acceleration.
Plenty of interior room and very functional design.

Cons: How would you improve 2009 Kia Sedona?
Make mud guards standard.
Move the four-way flasher button - it is right in the middle of the dash controls. I often turn it on while resting my hand to make radio selections.

2009 Kia Sedona Review:
Great functional vehicle at a reasonable price. Good warranty program. Not a cross-over, but a real vehicle like they used to make.

Pros: What do you like about 2008 Kia Sedona?
Our family is quite tall and leg room is always a problem. But the Sedona has plenty of leg room and lots of space for storage. Runs smooth nice quite and has a good pick up speed.

Overall most important was safety. A utility van hit us from the back doing 50 miles an hour and the damage was only in the storage area. I was shocked how it stood up in the crash the other van was not even drivable. I will purchase another for safety alone.

The value compared to other vans is great and one of the best warranties. We have owned 5 kia's and none of them had any problem only need routine care.