Automotive
writers are often asked what vehicle to buy. Considering the bounty of choices
versus needs, wants, budgets and brand loyalties, it’s akin to querying your
barista on whom to marry.
That
understood, here’s counsel from a reviewer who has driven more than 500 cars
over the last 10 years: No vehicle makes life easier for families than a
minivan. While Americans have abandoned them for crossovers, my advice is
sincere. Minivans are nimbler than large sport utility vehicles, low floors
make for easy loading, and children can’t ding other cars with sliding doors.
Kia labels the new Sedona a multipurpose vehicle.
Let’s be clear, though: It’s a van, and let’s drop “mini” since the Sedona and its competitors, the
Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Town & Country, are big rigs.
Children are unaware that their future college dorm rooms may be smaller than
the vehicles in which they ride to soccer practice.
Kia’s design team has created a
deceptively elegant people hauler. It’s as fashion-forward as it gets in this
segment. An upward kink in the lower glass beltline is in chic contrast to the
Odyssey’s jolt of a lightning bolt. The Sedona’s cabin
quality has gone from worst to first. Plastic lumber trim looks real, leather
on the SX Limited is as smooth as the baby bottoms it will haul. It’s fancy
enough that parents might designate Sedona a child-free
zone.
The Sedona carries up to eight; the
top-shelf SX Limited hauls seven with reclining midrow thrones inspired by
first-class airline seats. They should be for weary parents. Two caveats: The
seats aren’t heated and don’t fold flat against the front seats to create a
large cargo space, features that lower-trim models provide. Seats are not
removable in the Sedona, nor is the large center console. It’s easy to climb
into the third row, but the stylish, tapered roofline means those over 5 feet 9
inches may find their hair restyled against their will.
The Sedona’s 3.3-liter V6 engine
delivers 276 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque. The gearbox is a
six-speed, and the Sedona
is pulled by the front tires. Drag-racing the soccer coach sets a bad example;
know that 0-60 happens in about 7.5 seconds.
Don’t
believe for a second that any van is remotely sporty, but driving dynamics do
not get much better in this segment than in the Sedona. Kia keeps improving steering
feel, though a little more communication would be nice. It’s comfortable and
quiet, no shouting to get a child’s attention.
The SX
Limited’s fuel economy is E.P.A. rated at 17 miles per gallon in the city and
22 on the highway; I saw 18. Lower-trim models improve on that by a few
m.p.g.s. Sedona is an
I.I.H.S. top safety pick. Fully loaded at $43,295, the SX Limited offers
warnings for forward collision, rear cross-path and lane departure, along with
radar-assisted cruise control. The “bird’s-eye” camera system that displays the
entire perimeter is a welcome feature in a large vehicle.
A last
bit of advice? At $26,995, the base Sedona has the same powertrain, room and
design as the Limited. Crossovers may be the fashion statement families prefer
these days, but arriving relaxed and happy never goes out of style.
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