2016 Kia Sedona Review - Minivan in a double-breasted suit - Let's face it: No one wants to drive what their parents drove, even i...
Let's face it: No one wants to drive what their parents drove, even if it is the right vehicle for the job at hand. the Minivan buyers are opposed to family of their parents, and the CUV buyers seem to believe that minivans are the gateway mom jeans and Velcro sneakers.
My sister-in-law is a perfect example of a minivan shopper conflict. With four children, she needs a minivan. However, because she grew up sitting in the back of a string Chevrolet Astro vans, it has a special hatred reserved for minivans. He probably does not help that his parents recently negotiated an Oldsmobile Silhouette for a Chrysler Town & Country.
Technically, a family of six will be adapted to your average crossover with three rows, but even the biggest crossover have a back seat and cramped freight limited compared to the minivan on average.
Seeing an opportunity to differentiate, Kia has decided to put a different twist on the Sedona when it was redesigned for 2015 last Sedona minivan abandoned some traditional practice in an attempt to appeal to crossover buyers on the fence.
Although Chrysler has done a great job styling the new Chrysler Pacifica, its overall shape still shouts "I am a minivan!" Sedona, however, uses a front-end design raised the popular crossover Sorento Kia. the result is a minivan that looks like a traditional people-turns from side or rear, but more like a cross in someone's mirror. the attempt of the design team of "cross-ify" the rear 3/4 view results in much smaller windows for people in the third row, but windows look over Sedona style we see in the Pacifica or Toyota Sienna.
also more stylish than the competition is the interior of the Sedona. The clean-sheet design is as impressive as the previous Sedona was dull. So radically changed is the interior, the casual observer is unlikely to believe that they were produced by the same company just a year apart. Do not believe me? Auto Ward has even put on his best this cabin interiors 2015 list.
In a non-moving minivan, Kia has designed the new Sedona with a fixed central console-mounted shifter on the console, and a shared armrest. The result is less than your utility minivan run-of-the-mill - you can not handbags or backpacks jam between the front seats - but it does make the Sedona more modern look than a Honda Odyssey and less minivan ahead a big Dodge Caravan.
Moreover style, quality of plastic is surprisingly high with soft-touch materials used generously throughout the dash and doors.
Moving a back row, you will not find a seat at all Sedona. The base L trim starts with two captain's chairs in cloth, which limits the number of passengers in September Want accommodate eight? No problem, skip to the LX or EX trim Kia and inserts a small (and less comfortable) seat between the two captains chairs. Migrate or SXL SX trim and the center seat is removed again, but can be re-added by selecting the right option button.
Our tester was SXL trim, which strikes captain's chairs up to an adjustable design manual 14 channels with headrests and integrated Ottoman butterfly. Obviously to empty nests, the seats are usable as luxury thrones found in Sienna. Kia allows the second row to slide so far in Sedona the third row can be rendered unusable.
Snazzy seats in a minivan are not new, of course. What is new is that these seats do not come out. You heard that right: the SXL thrones contort in a million different directions, but can not be removed from the vehicle (unless you have a ratchet and time). Other trim levels use "slide and store" the headquarters of Kia that collapses before you see above, but they do not come out of the vehicle and down into the ground as the Chrysler Town & Country.
Hop on the way back and there is a traditional third-row 60/40 bench with three belts. Ride in the back is not as comfortable as the other lines, or as comfortable as the same seats in the Odyssey or Pacifica, but it is miles ahead of any intersection in three rows. Although the window line limit visibility to the third row, the actual roofline is as square as the rest of the minivan crowd. This allows the seat cushion of the seat to be significantly higher on the floor in a Nissan Pathfinder or Chevrolet Traverse, while offering more room than the larger crossovers. In addition to the most comfortable seating position, the Sedona offers a 5-inch handset for the huge legs that large CUV Chevy.
With the third row in place, the Sedona loading area is lagging behind the Odyssey and Sienna 33.9 cubic feet but managed to beat the new Caravan and Pacifica by a hair. More importantly, the Kia swallows 42 percent more cargo than the aforementioned Traverse with the seats in place. Although Sedona is a second less practical row that does not come out, you can still squeeze 33 percent more cargo behind the front row as you can in a crossover GM Lambda.
Powering the Sedona is the same direct-injection V6 engine of 3.3 liters used in a variety of products Kia Sorento in Cadenza. Despite being one of the engines of smaller displacement, modern design with direct injection, dual variable valve timing and a high 11.5: 1 compression ratio means that the power and torque are among the best in class 276 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque.
the only transmission on offer is a six-speed automatic shared with the Sorento crossover. Unfortunately, the optional all-wheel drive system of the Sorento is not in Sedona. AWD option would have been a way to completely differentiate the Sedona minivan on average, so it seems like a really missed opportunity. If you want all four wheels to your school-bus-wheels go round and round, the Sienna is your only option and you have to embrace your spare tire and goodbye.
most crossed buyers are convinced that their great hybrid car / truck handles better than a minivan. Are you ready for a portion of reality? Sippy-cup dumpers can have softer springs, but they usually manage better than a large three-row crossover. When you start pushing the Sedona in the corners, you will notice less and less body roll and dive tip that a large CUV. The greatest of ease is mainly due to a lower center of gravity, although the suspension travel probably contributes as well. Thank you to the kind and tires planted 235 standard width, lateral grip is actually better than most crossovers three rows sized like Highlander or more, especially GM Lambda triplets. Compared to other minivans on the market, as well Sedona rates with better road manners and more grip than the Honda, Toyota or Chrysler.
Get 0-60 takes 6 / 10ths more in Sedona (7.6 seconds) than the Sorento with the same engine because of empty weight 4,658 pounds of Sedona, Sedona but effectively stops shorter - 127 feet vs. 135 feet in the Kia crossover. Clearly, the empty weight heftier explains the acceleration, but the deceleration time surprised me since the ABS or vehicle used for the panic stop test. The added heft, long wheelbase and a suspension that should not be designed to travel off-road to Sedona a tour of the plush road that can not be matched in the crossover segment.
by the EX trim the Sedona get a traditional hydraulic steering rack while SX and SXL swap trim in an electric power steering system rack mounted. The hydraulic system provides the basic models a more traditional feel while the SX and SXL have the same isolated steering feel than any other vehicle with EPAS. You might ask, "If the juices of the system feel, why do they use in the upper trim?" The reason is fuel economy. L, LX and EX are noted for 18/24/20 (city / highway / combined) in the EPA cycle, but adding APES bumps EX trim to 18/25/21. For well-explained reasons, the SXL TRIM then drops to 17/22/19, albeit not significantly heavier than the SX rack and uses the electric steering fuel sipping.
As expected Kia Sedona undermines the Odyssey, Sienna, and the new Pacifica with a base price of $ 27,295 (after a $ 895 destination charge), while offering guarantee increasingly standard content. $ 29,395 is the entry point for the LX eight passengers and $ 33.595 gets you leather and a host of other improvements like power sliding doors, power tailgate, 18-inch wheels, a touchscreen infotainment system, sensors of backup, Keyless go, tri-zone climate control, auto dimming mirrors, integrated blinds, heated seats and a leather steering wheel. A decked SXL model with Nappa leather, HID lamps, cruise control radar and all you can think to cost you $ 43,595 with the seats of the second row or snazzy $ 42.595 if you check the radio button for the seat 8-SXL, which removes the integrated ottoman.
Walking on a slightly different look, Kia has created a slightly different minivan. However, in doing so, he created a minivan that is less convenient than the elephant in the room: the Dodge Grand Caravan. The caravan does not handle as well, it is not as comfortable, not elegant, not as well configured, and the warranty is shorter than the Sedona - but it is also a huge $ 4,0 less than the Sedona before you factor in the inevitable and massive incentives FCA. As a minivan, the greatest asset of the Grand Caravan is the second row fold flat, allowing you to direct to Home Depot and drag a plywood sheet 4 x 8 in your minivan on a shot of head.
Curiously, the obvious practicality of the Caravan is finally his loss in my in-law's eyes. The Caravan, Odyssey and Sienna are better at conveying task of goods and people transporting. second row removable seats are almost indispensable to the minivan shopper "traditional". On the other hand, a quick survey of truck owners proved the point that the second row Kia rarely appears (if ever) leave the van. Leaving the seats, Kia has managed to make them more comfortable with a heated seat option. Similarly, the center console is not as convenient as an open space where you can store your purchases, but it gives the look a more Sedona in premium. Then there is the price. Sedona also manages to offer more content features than the competition, with a guarantee of more for less.
I'm not sure if the brand of the Sedona "non-minivan" is "cool" enough to carry my sister -in-law of family, but he has the best chance of the cluster.
[Images: © 2016 Alex L. Dykes/The Truth About Cars, Kia]
Kia provided the vehicle, insurance and a review of gas
Specifications as tested
0-30 mph: 3.1 seconds
0-60 mph: 7.6 seconds
1/4 mile: 16.7 seconds @ 89 mph
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