Kia is one of only a handful of manufacturers who have persisted with what European refer to as an MPV, and the Americans call a MiniVan. With a continuous history going back to 1998, when this format was still growing in popularity, their offering is known around the world as the Carnival, except in America where it bears the name Sedona. We are now on the third generation of the model. Minivans are definitely the sort of vehicle that are bought with the head and not the heart. Almost by definition, practicality is what counts above all else, and so the products that we are offered tend to be rather unglamorous boxes on wheels, with few concessions to style, and the second generation Sedona epitomised that. It always had to play fourth fiddle to its three main rivals in the US, which, frankly exhibited the same characteristics. With the third generation model, launched at the 2014 New York Auto Show, Kia hoped to change all that. Without abandoning the things that really matter – just sliding doors, spaciousness, flexible seating options, plenty of safety and up-to-date equipment, all of which the new Sedona provides – the redesigned 2015 model came with muscular sheet metal that Kia said was crossover-inspired, accented by a prominent grille with the company’s trademark style. Inside, the crossover theme continued with a driving environment that resembles a cockpit, including a prominent console between the front seats — unique among minivans — where the gear lever resides. Throw in competitive versatility and Kia’s value-oriented pricing, and Kia’s chances of success looked pretty promising. Certainly, my first impression when I sat in one of these models at the LA Show later in the year was pretty favourable, impressed by the much higher quality interior. you’ve got a compelling new option that deserves close consideration alongside the usual suspects. Following small changes every model year since launch, the Sedona received a more obvious update for the 2019 model year, with “spot the difference” styling updates to the front and back, the introduction of a new 8-speed automatic transmission to replace the outgoing 6 speed unit, the addition of more tech and safety features as well as few equipment upgrades. Throughout the life of the third generation car, the Sedona has proved quite an elusive car in the Hertz US fleet. Early on there were none at all, then for a while there were quite a few but even before the Covid interruptions, they all disappeared and your choice of Minivan was down to Toyota or Chrysler, but I noticed on my November 2021 trip that as well as the Honda Odyssey (which I managed to sample earlier in this trip), that there were quite a few Kia Sedona now on fleet. Although I had to ask for it, and pay an upgrade fee, I managed to secure one for a day’s test, from the Hertz Phoenix Sky Harbor facility. Slightly to my surprise, it turned out to be pretty much a brand new 2021 model year car, as opposed to a lot of the cars newly appeared in the fleet which are in fact used models sourced as the chip supply shortage has made getting new cars impossible. Next morning, having looked at the forecast for the day, I decided that, when in Arizona, there was only really one place to drive to in a Kia Sedona, and that is Sedona, the town after which the car is named. I’ve been to Sedona many times before and it is a very attractive place with dramatic red sandstone rock formations that backdrop the town. Question is: would Sedona the car appeal as much as Sedona the place?
All models of the Kia Sedona are powered by the same 3.3 litre V6 engine which puts out 276 bhp and 248 lb/ft of torque, driving the front wheels and coupled to an eight speed automatic transmission. Although this is a large and heavy car, the Sedona goes quite well. There is a surprisingly rorty sound under harder acceleration, but otherwise this is a refined powerplant that is quiet and smooth. Sadly, on the test car at least, there was a pretty constant rumble and drone over 60 mph which seemed to be coming from the tyres and the road, which not surprisingly, I found a bit wearing. That is a shame, as otherwise this seemed like a car that would zip you up to speed very readily and which could cruise comfortably for a long time. I covered a total of 233 miles in my day with the Sedona and it needed 12.2 gallons to fill it, which works out at just 19.09 mpg US, or 22.82 mpg Imperial. That is a rather disappointing figure, but I suspect it does not represent a true figure as the trip computer told me that car was averaging 27.1 mpg. Another case of receiving a car that was “rental car full”, I suspect?
Out on the road, the Sedona is rather more nimble than you might expect. The steering seemed about right. For sure, it is light, but when parking up and manoeuvering, this is appreciated. It gains some weighting and feel as speed builds up or as you take on bendier roads, but this remains a car built more to transport people and their stuff rather than one in which to have fun, and so expecting something as sharp as a Mazda or a Ford is not really reasonable. The Kia corners tidily, with pleasingly little roll. There is ample grip and you do feel that this is a car you could take on twisty roads without regretting it. More importantly, perhaps, thanks to its soft suspension, the ride is smooth and proved comfortable across the generally well-surface roads of Arizona where I was driving the car. EX trim means bigger 235/60 R18 wheels than you get in the entry level car. You are somewhat aware of the mass of a car like the Sedona when braking, but the brakes seemed well up to it and gave no cause for concern. There is a foot operated parking brake. All round visibility is generally good, with no significant issues that I found but you do need to remember that this is a very large vehicle. A Blind Spot Warning system comes with the EX trim and proved useful. Most of the other electronic safety “aids” (the ones we all love to hate) only come with the SX trim.
As has been the case with Kia products for a few years now, the interior is both neatly designed with Audi-esque overtones, and there’s a feeling of quality in the materials that are used, with lots of soft touch surfaces and some neat stitching details. Indeed, I remember being particularly impressed when I first sat in this version of the Sedona when it was new, back in 2014, feeling that it blitzed its rivals big time in this regard. That was a few years ago now, but it still feels up to par even if you don’t get all the latest whizzy tech on a massive touchscreen that car makers think we all want. Unlike all its rivals, the Sedona really does look a conventional car inside, just with that bit more space, so you get a dashboard that is fully integrated to a connected centre console. There is a leather wrapped wheel which proved pleasant to hold. You get two conventional dials presented in deep cowls which have smaller gauges for fuel level and water temperature inset in the lower part of the speedometer and rev counter. They are neat and easy to read, and there is a digital speed repeater you can set to get in the trip computer display area. Many of the rest of the components are from the shared Kia-Hyundai parts bin, and I recognised them as such having been driving a Hyundai the day before. That is certainly true of the infotainment system. On EX models you get a slightly larger 8” colour touch screen than the one which features in the entry level car. It includes XM Satellite radio as well as Apple Car Play and Android Auto but you don’t get navigation unless you got an SX model. With buttons on the side of the screen, it is particularly easy to use. Sound quality from the six speaker audio system was perfectly acceptable. Also standard is automated climate control and the knobs and buttons for this are below the touch screen. There is a useful wireless charging pad in the centre console, and anyone carrying younger passengers will appreciate the separate rear-view mirror which allows you to see what is going on in the rear seats without having to reposition the main rear-view mirrors. The rest of the controls are simple, and pretty conventional with a couple of column stalks which include auto headlights and various buttons on the steering wheel boss for cruise control, audio repeaters and trip computer.
EX trim means that you get leather upholstered seats with a heating element. Slightly surprisingly, only the driver’s seat is electrically adjustable. You have to add the Premium Plus package or go for a top spec SX model to get this capability for the passenger seat. There is a wide range of adjustment for the seat, including lumbar support and the steering wheel telescopes up/down as well as in/out so getting the driving position I wanted was not hard. Thanks partly to that car-like dashboard, you feel less like you are driving the vast Minivan that you are in fact in charge of than is the case with the Kia’s rivals. The seat cushion is quite soft and yet there is ample support so there were no issues in sitting here for significant periods of time. There is a real feeling of space here with particularly generous headroom, as you tend to get with vehicles of this type and also quite a distance between the two front seats, which is put to good use with storage provision for odds and ends.
Access to the rear seats is through sliding doors, which on EX and SX models are electrically assisted and can be remotely operated. These are large and heavy doors, so the powered operation is particularly welcome. The second row of seats comprises three individual seats, which can be adjusted individually. Even with the front seats set well back, there is more than sufficient legroom here and the all styling means that headroom is unlikely to be an issue even for someone a couple of feet taller than me. The middle seat belt is suspended from the roof which never seems like an optimum solution. Occupants here have seat back nets for their odds and ends, and when the sun shines too brightly, there are sunshades on the side windows to block it out. The seats tip forward to provide access to the third row. It is still a bit awkward getting in but once installed, there is a decent amount of space. Although there are officially three seats here, and perhaps you could squeeze three children in, it may be better, as far as adult occupants are concerned, to think of this row as being good for two. You do sit quite upright, but thankfully the seat cushion is mounted high enough that you don’t have that knees in chest feeling you get in some three-row cars.
With all the seats in use, there is still reasonable provision for luggage, one of the ways that minivans tend to score over crossover type vehicles. Whilst not that long from front to back, the boot area is very deep, so as long as you can pile luggage up high, you could get quite a bit in here. Once you start to fold the seats down, of course, you get far more carrying capacity. The 60/40 asymmetrically split third row of seats fold down into that well area at the back of the car and create a load bay which is now flush with the base of the tailgate. There is now a lot of space available. The middle row of seats do not fold down flat, and nor can they be removed completely, they simply tip forward, but even so, whilst the raw figures say the Sedona is beaten – just – by its direct rivals, the resulting cargo space is then truly massive. This really is where the word “van” in the description “minivan” applies. Inside the cabin there are lots and lots of places to store odds and ends. As well as bins on the doors, there are two sizeable gloveboxes, some central huge and deep bins and a big armrest cubby as well as a recess on the lower side of the passenger’s side of the centre console.
The 2021 Kia Sedona comes in three trim levels — LX, EX and SX — all of which come standard with eight-passenger seating. Mechanically, they are all the same with the 3.3-litre 276 bhp V6 engine that drives the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The entry level LX has a few nice features over and above the basics. Its spec includes 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, a 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration and a six-speaker audio system. The EX adds quite a few features for not a lot more money than an LX. Its upgrades include: 18-inch wheels, roof rails, keyless entry and ignition, remote-controlled sliding rear doors, rear sunshades, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats, leather upholstery, three charge-only USB ports, a wireless charging pad, front and rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. The EX Premium package bridges the gap between the EX and range-topping SX. Features on this package include: heated and power-folding mirrors, chrome exterior trim, a sunroof, a hands-free liftgate, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, tri-zone automatic climate control, driver memory settings, four-way power lumbar adjustment for driver’s seat, a power-adjustable passenger’s seat, a 110-volt household-style power outlet, Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios), Lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control. The SX is the most luxe Sedona available. Starting with the EX’s contents, it adds the EX Premium package, LED headlights, a noise-reducing windshield, selectable drive modes, a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats and 8-inch touchscreen incorporating voice recognition and a navigation system, an eight-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system and a 360-degree camera system which gives you a top-down view of the Sedona and its surroundings for tight parking situations.
This generation of the Sedona is at the end of its model life, with a replacement having been shown in its native Korea in September 2020 and receiving its US premier at the 2021 New York Auto Show, and the new car, called the Carnival, in line with the badging it bears in other markets, went on sale as a 2022 model year car in the middle of the year. Even so, I thought this 2021 model year third generation Sedona to be more than competitive. Having recently driven one of its main rivals, the Honda Odyssey, were I in the market for a Minivan, I would agonise between the two, struggling to pick the better proposition. Objectively, the Honda, also now quite an old design, probably just edges it, but add in the ownership experience and the cost, and things could swing in the Kia’s favour. At the rental car counter, you are actually far more likely to get the choice of the Sedona’s other two direct rivals, the Chrysler Pacifica and Toyota Sienna. I’ve yet to drive the current version of the Toyota, but its overwrought styling is a big turn-off for me, even though by all accounts this is now a pretty competent machine as well. And so is the Chrysler, which I have sampled. So, it would seem, in Minivan land, you really can’t go wrong with four capable products. Take your pick!
