Just bought a new 2006 Sedona, fully loaded....here's my 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,
but today over a few hours of mostly highway driving we hovered around
21-22 MPG at speeds between 70-80MPH running AC.

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

Great to hear--I just bought a 06 Kia Sportage and it has been
everything I thought and more. Kia is definitely up there with Hyundai
and Japanese models in quality which wasn't the case years ago. I got
so much more in the Kia compared to both comparable domestic and
foreign models--Couldn't be more happy!

-Cheers

So far I'm happy with my 06 Sportage.
Getting 20.5 in the city which in LA is more like parking lot.
Sportage owners lets keep in touch here.
Terry

Hi Terry,

Great Idea--Please keep in touch (as well as others).

-Cheers

<snip>

Nice review, thanks!

It is nice to see someone else mention the size of the van, as I'm in the
same boat. :P

I'm also glad to hear the noise issue has been taken care of. My '02 sounds
like a helicopter on the road. I don't notice it as much now, but when I
used to switch between it and my '98 Maxima, I really could tell how noisy
the van is at highway speeds.

--
k

I'm also glad to hear the noise issue has been taken care of. My '02
sounds
like a helicopter on the road. I don't notice it as much now, but when
I
used to switch between it and my '98 Maxima, I really could tell how
noisy
the van is at highway speeds. >>>


The new Sedona is about as quiet as my Subaru B9 Tribeca, which was
quiter than the Lexus RX330. I was in a Lexus ES330 sedan yesterday and
was shocked that the noise levels were about the same as the Sedona.
The new Sedona is also not rattling at all and seems scary solid.
The new Sedona is so upscale that everyone who sees it doesn't equate
it with Kia. You really need to drive a loaded model to see how nice it
is. It's also quite fast for a minivan!


Capt RB
NY

Glad to hear. I still am loving my 06 Sorento, Kia is already there with
Honda and Toyota quality wise IMHO.

I don't think the two Korean builders...who are really the same....are
quite up there on fit and finish. But it's getting quite close. On
something like a minivan, which is more utility than style and
refinement, the differences are harder to spot.
If you don't need AWD, I think the 2006 Sedona is the best minivan to
buy today. I don't feel that way at all about the earlier Sedona.


RB
NY

And there's a special prize for those who bought a Kia automobile
before they reached an acceptable quality threshold...

THE SHAFT!

To have it delivered, just bend over. {)

-- Christian
'02 Sedona EX

I would say that a few years ago the Korean Car Manufactures lagged behind
in quality relative to Japanese/American/European Auto Manufacturers.

Today, however, I think Korea has at leasts caught up in quality/durability
and exceeds Japan/America/Europe in terms of value for the dollar.

-Cheers