There is currently an abundance of vehicle manufacturers flooding the current auto market with a bizarre mix of coupe style sedans along with a multitude of compact crossovers to tempt you into something ‘new’. While your typical sedan, saloon, and 4x4’s are still out there, the beloved minivan hasn’t had as much love or attention as they should deserve. With the minivan market currently being ruled by the four main brands, Grand Caravan, Town and Country, Sienna and Odyssey, we have slowly begin to see new names creep into the wonderful world of minivans such as Mazda with their 5, Nissan with their luxurious Quest, and now Kia is out to rival them all with their outstanding Sedona.
This year Kia has brought back their sleek Sedona with a mountain of new improvements and features, some you may not even suspect. With an overall better body and solid chassis, a powertrain that’s been upgraded to the teeth, revamped seating and infotainment system and countless amounts of brand new safety features. With the combination of all these additional tweaks and tuning, the Sedona has really placed itself in and amongst the standard previous set by Japanese-brand minivans when it comes down to functionality and refinement.
Sedona’s Sleek Styling
Kia and their Sedona appeared to have gone all out when it comes to achieving a sleek and luxurious style. The front of the Sedona is now smoother, less fussy and appears cleaner with a large grille that just seems to ‘work’ with the overall shape and style of the new model. Thankfully Kia have kept to the traditional look of a minivan and hasn’t forced the Sedona to look like something it not; it truly does look like a minivan and utilizes this shape to provide a spacious and airy cabin with rich and textured materials and surfaces within.
Sedona’s Interior Space
As expected with most minivans currently on the market, the Sedona comes with a very generous amount of space for luggage by providing a deep luggage well behind the rear third row of seats, with allows for plenty of space for suitcases, pets and groceries. The rear third-row seats are incredibly flexible and can be folded down into the rear well that provides a flat cargo floor. Sadly, Kia hasn’t provided electric-folding rear seats in the Sedona, which was initially to be expected as most high-end vans come with this feature as standard. The Kia has tried to make up for this with well-placed straps and levers to make it easier to fold and deploy the seats. The second row of seats come with a ‘Slide-N-Stow’ mechanism and in their fully forward set positions the maximum cargo space inside the Sedona jumps up to an impressive 142 cubic feet, which is far greater than many of the competing minivans on the market such as the Nissan Quest.
Features & Facts
Not only had Kia upgraded the Sedona’s styling and appearance, but they have also decided to go all out under the hood too. With a 3.3 liter V6 engine, the Sedona has now met up with its market rivals such as the Sorento and the Cadenza (both of which are known to weigh considerably less than Kia’s Sedona). Nevertheless, with the Sedona’s new boost of power, it feels more than adequate with a family of three our four onboard. While driving the generous 276hp runs quietly and hums gently behind the Sedona’s layers of sound proofing, with road noise barely audible.
The Sedona’s six-speed automatic allocates all of its power to the front wheels, which is somewhat of a shame, as one of the Sedona’s rivals, the Toyota Sienna offers all-wheel drive. Perhaps this will be a new feature in Kia’s next model, as Sedona could really benefit from it. The Sedona’s electric power steering is incredibly responsive, lightweight and well tuned, but to experience it, you will need to be willing to pay a little extra and purchase the top trim model. Ride quality is exceptionally upgraded when compared to the previous model, but when it's time to shift, the Sedona struggles a little, which can be a constant reminder of how heavy this minivan truly is.
The 2015 Kia Sedona has been fashioned entirely on new underpinnings, but has received good ratings from the likes of the IIHS. The Sedona comes with higher-strength steel than the previous model and includes free Bluetooth with each and every model. Nevertheless, a rearview and surround view cameras are available on higher end models, but do not expect to see these features on the base model.
The Sedona is certainly full of neat features and surprising tricks this year, with a dual-compartment glove box that includes a lower cooled area, perfect for storing drinks while on the move. Plus, a smart tailgate that can open the hatch when the vehicles keyfob is detected in close proximity for up to three seconds. Kia have also included the latest in next generation UVO infotainment system inside the Sedona which includes app capability from iTunes.
Quick Overview:
Engine: 3.3 liter V6 engine with 276 hp
Transmission: Only 6 speed automatic
Fuel Economy: 17 to 18 MPG city, 22 to 25 MPG highway
Average Price: $26,795 up to $44,940; $32,995 EX model is the expected volume-seller
Sedona’s Safety 2015
Kia’s 2015 Sedona comes with stability control, anti-lock disc brakes, and six airbags (such as front, full-length side curtain and front-side). There are also many various options that can be included when purchasing a Sedona such as a clear parking camera (surround view or standard), lane-departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert and even a forward-collision warning system.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (also known as the NHTSA) has recently provided a top 5-star overall safety rating for Kia’s 2015 Sedona. With improved features and styling and more importantly, a 5-star safety rating awarded from NHTSA that now matches the top ratings of more expensive rivals such as the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey, it appears Kia have started to finally find their strength in the market.
When taking a closer look into the ratings provided by the NHTSA, they are able to reveal further and far impressive results for the Sedona. NHTSA provides individual results for both the driver and front-seat passenger during frontal and side tests respectively.
So What Do We Think?
It is hard not to admire the Kia with their new attempt at taking the traditional styling and performance of the minivan to new levels. Nevertheless, it appears that Kia have succeeded. The 2015 Kia Sedona with its new appearance, shape and b
