Auto Driven: Kia Sedona

Models tested: Kia Sedona 2.9 CRDi TS and LS auto
Price as tested:£21,495
Range price:  £15,995-£22,595
Insurance group as tested:  
Insurance group range: 12-13
Tested: June 2006
Road tester: Adrian Higgins

Motorists looking for a large MPV are in luck.

Just weeks after the UK launch of the second generation Ford Galaxy, Britain’s best-selling MPV, Kia hits back with the all new Sedona.

The first generation model – second only to the Galaxy in UK sales - was a cheap and cheerful alternative to the market leader.

But now Kia have upped the ante with a model which boasts a definite improvement in quality.

Lookswise the new Sedona is easily recognisable as the model it succeeds, but design improvements help the car achieve ambitions to be more contemporary and give it a little of the SUV feel that manufacturers reckon we want these days.

Built on the same wheelbase as the Kia Magentis (Kia’s saloon car) the new Sedona is shorter than its predecessor, both in terms of height and length – which contribute to an improved performance.

But more of that later. The most immediate improvement Sedona owners will notice isn’t to do with how it drives, but with how it is laid out.

The first generation model positioned its seven seats in a 2-2-3 formation with a bench seat forming the back row. The new version changes this to the more common 2-3-2  - and benefits from the change.

This, as much as the outside styling cues, help bring the Sedona into the 21st Century.

Other internal features support this. Three trim levels are available: GS, LS and TS and if you go for either of the latter you’ll get electric, sliding doors which certainly take the strain out of getting in and out.

Kia’s interiors have been criticised in the past for lacking an integral stereo, not so with the Sedona which features a new MP3-compatible JVC stereo system.

Plus, depending upon the trim level chosen, there is also a DVD system to keep the kids happy as well as “triple-zone” air conditioning to make sure everyone gets the temperature they want. Only the somewhat cheap-looking finish of the upholstery lets down the package a little.

So what’s it like to drive?

Buyers can choose between automatic and manual 2.9 litre diesels in every trim while those seeking petrol will have to wait until later in the year for the introduction of the 2.7 litre V6 GS

Kia’s launch of the Sedona saw journalists sharing driving duties on a 300 mile round trip from Munich in Germany into the Austrian Tyrol with driving conditions ranging from bright sunshine to a full-on lightening-fest of a storm.

And while the automatic and manual models were both competent we were agreed there was little point in opting for the manual.

Ride expectations are tempered by reality and practicality when it comes to large MPVs but the Sedona is definitely more carlike than its predecessor.

The German autobahn revealed it is more than capable at speeds beyond those the law-abiding home-based motorist is likely to need.

Spacewise there’re 364 litres if you’ve filled up all your seats with passengers but this can expand to 1753 litres with five aboard or a whopping 3440 litres if there’re just two up front.

Have we forgotten cup-holders? Of course not! And nor have Kia. Maybe there’re more, but we counted 14 and that should be enough for a seven-strong family with a camel-like thirst.

All in all, with the Sedona, Kia have achieved what overhauls should do. They have improved their product in almost every way.

Rivals

You might also want to consider:

Mitsubishi Grandis
Ford S-Max
Vauxhall Zafira

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