Every
manufacturer needs a minivan in their line-up and the Sedona, starting at $19,620,
is Kia's late entry into this segment. Resembling the ill-begotten child of a
Ford Windstar and Chevy Venture, the Sedona was new for 2002 and immediately scored
accolades for earning a five-star crash rating in NHTSA testing. Like
most minivans, the Sedona has tons of space and versatile seating arrangements,
which can be swapped around or removed entirely, depending on your needs. The
seating is comfortable too and there are enough storage bins aboard and clever
compartments to stash almost anything. It even has two gloveboxes on the passenger
side dash. And
the Sedona also has plenty of zoom to go with that room, thanks to the 3.5-liter,
V6 powerplant it shares with the Kia Sorento SUV. At 192 horsepower, this minivan
can make major passing moves with very little effort or overdrive. The Sedona
also provides a smooth ride, decent handling and reasonable body lean in corners. On
the downside, fuel consumption is 10-20 percent higher than the V6-equipped Toyota
Sienna and Dodge Caravan. Both vehicles are also alternates to consider, along
with the Chevy Venture.
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