6000 Miles of Experience with 2003 Sedona EX

Author's Rating:

Pros: Price, Styling, Features, Flexibility, Comfort, Acceleration, Warranty, Front storage

Cons: Kia parts inventory, Short bed design, Wind noise at 70 mph, Weak windshield, Rear storage

The Bottom Line: 
BEST minivan on the market for features and comfort. Only major drawbacks are shortbed size, logistics support for parts. (Based on ownership to 6000 mile mark.)

Features: EX model, Sapphire Blue over Tan, Rear spoiler, Sunroof/moonroof, Leather seats, Homelink, and others that I'm not recalling (the thing is so loaded to begin with that I'm forgetting what was added!)

Experience: I've been driving for 25 years now (egads!) and travel frequently, renting vehicles all over the place. I've driven recent models of the Chevy Venture, Pontiac Montana, Ford Windstar, Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Venture, Oldsmobile Silhouette. I've also ridden in the Toyota Sienna (2003 year), and previously owned a 1995 Ford Windstar (or "Deathstar", as we tended to call it), and a 1990 Ford Aerostar before that. I've also owned a 1983 Nissan Sentra Wagon, 1978 Ford Fiesta, 1974 Datsun B210, 1983 Toyota Cressida, 1989 Subaru GL 4WD Station Wagon, 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, and 1997 Buick Century.

Pros: The Sedona is well constructed, VERY powerful and fast, has a beautiful outside finish, great touches (although some look a tad cheap), excellent FRONT passenger storage (3 glove boxes + an underseat drawer with a lock), superb range on the remote opener, incredible and well laid out ergonomics and features, superb design . . . it looks like they bought one of each of the other minivans made and stole the best from each. It has the fold down tray table (found in the Honda Odyssey), tumble away seats (very similar, but not as well implemented as the Toyota Sienna), an electric front windshield lower defroster/de-icer (similar to the Chrysler products), a front grille that looks almost like a mirror image of the Toyota Corolla (check out the similarity -- right down to the headlight lens patterns), and a cargo storage layout patterned after the modern Ford Windstars. The vehicle takes off very quickly (sometimes slipping during acceleration on wet roads), handles bumps beautifully (like the heavier cars of the 1970's era, it seems to dampen bumps better than most modern cars that I've driven), handles well (very consistent in performance, and very precise in control). The interior is VERY well appointed, although I found the leather seats MUCH MUCH better support than the cloth versions . . . I don't typically want leather, but the added strength in the seats made it a must have in the Sedona. The interior is also VERY well thought out in the rear area. All the rear seats recline, move forward and backward on tracks to give incredible flexibility in seating, and there are clips on the back of the rearmost seats (ala Ford Windstar and Chryslers) to hang grocery bags (although Ford's and Chrysler's add a bit more depth to the clip, making theirs easier to use), and the ability to fold down first or second row seats to provide a table and cup holding tray (ala Toyota Sienna). There are also controls to the rear vent windows located at the rear vent windows, so your rear passenger has control over the windows (great feature!), and there are four lighter-plug type connectors (3 for power plus the central lighter plug) located at the dash (lighter and a power plug), rear seats, and rear cargo area. All rear seats have tie downs for child car seats. Most every control has a corresponding light on the dash, too, so you always know the vehicle and options status. Lighting in the vehicle is INCREDIBLE. Every seat has a reading light option, and the driver has a simple yet brilliantly thought out switch that can turn them all on, all off, or make them work with the doors . . . all of them . . . and that's a LOT! When you open the sliding doors, there is a red reflective strip on the back to warn oncoming traffic. Cheap, but effective. The rear hatch lights are great, too. The trip computer is nice, and does show outside temperature, distance to empty, and the time (including time of day and elapsed time). The Sedona also has two trip computers.

Cons: I had read that the windshields were weak. Mine cracked from a stone hitting it within 5 minutes of assuming ownership. We got the epoxy thing done, and it seems okay again. The steering to turning ratio is noticeably different from my other vehicles . . . the Sedona requires you to turn the wheel more to make the same maneuvers. It took me a few minutes to get used to it, but it initially made the Sedona appear to need a wide turning radius. I'm not sure it needs that . . . but it does take more revolutions or partial revolutions of the wheel. The rear seats are very heavy (although Kia put wheels under them, so you can roll them once you get them on the pavement . . . these guys really thought through their designs. One of our doors isn't opening very easily, and we are getting our "check emissions/engine" warning light to come on frequently . . . we're still working those problems with the dealer. Both are minor. We also had a clip break that allows you to move a rear seat backwards and forwards, so we can't move the seat. We've had to order that one part plus a screw. We found out quickly that Kia does NOT have a good logistics system in place yet. The screw took a month to come in. The clip is on back order now for over 2 months. The fact is that the parts just aren't on hand at American dealers. The view out the back window is obstructed by the head rests of the rear seats. The radio does not display the time, but the trip computer does. However, the trip computer (digital) and the dashboard instruments (analog) sometimes paint different pictures. The computer doesn't have Chrysler's info on current fuel economy (nor on fuel economy overall), and lacks a compass; however, it tells distance to empty. Our van gets about 16-17 mpg, and sometimes I multiply that by what's in the tank. The fact is that the dash needle plummets quickly, and the first 1/2 tank seems to represent about the first 1/4-1/3 tank instead. Nothing new there, but odd to see it against its digital companion, which seems more accurate. The rear hatch sometimes doesn't close fully, activating the dashboard warning light. It is heavy to close. The tumble of the rear seats is effected by tumbling the seats, and then attaching a strap connected to the tumbled seat onto the headrest post of the seat ahead of it. Effective, simple, but not as nice as a locking position. The CD storage is low in the front, but we forget it's even there . . . many other options exist for storage in the front. However, the rear is another story. While the seatback pockets in the front, and the door pockets in the front are terrific, the passenger area has only one good spot to store things, and that spot isn't very large (the 1995 Windstar hollowed out the left side for a huge compartment; the Sedona couldn't since that's now a door). Some in-floor, under-seat, or in-wall storage would be a great addition in the rear area. The roof rack is only rated for 100 lbs distributed evenly across it.

Noteworthy: I've read reviews criticizing leg room. I'm 6'2" tall, and my wife is 5'3" tall. We both set the seat at about the same position in the Kia. In the Buick, she's all the way forward, and I'm all the way backward. The gent I bought the Kia from told me that he loved driving it. He was 6'6" tall (no kidding!). I found that initially I felt a bit crammed, but then realized that the Kia design gives lots of upper leg room that leaves me comfortable driving it. I just won't be stretching my legs while driving. The front power seats (both sides) also give more options, including lombar support, than I'd anticipated, and are the most complete set of options I've ever had in any vehicle that I've driven. I've also read reviews commenting on the Sedona being a new vehicle that is unproven. I later learned that the Sedona has been marketed in other nations for several years. The British version has a diesel engine option, the dash is different (not just on the other side of the car, but a few differences in controls -- particularly in the heater controls), and adds an airvent scoop to the hood. The American market and some of the styling is new. Mechanically, the vehicle has been proven in other nations.

What I would ask Kia to change in the future: Rear storage, windshield strength, wind noise (very noisy around 70 mph . . . sunroof is the biggest source, but far from the only one), rear seat weight, logistics (parts availability in the US), I find the shield over the engine a bit annoying . . . I'd like to know that I could see if something simple went wrong, fuel economy, more trip computer features, easier closure and opening of the rear doors (all three could use some modernization given the competition's electric doors), a better coin holder design (it's like a little bubbly piece of curved plastic not designed for any specific coin . . . although the credit card holder above it was clever), an entertainment center option, better tires (these feel like very hard rubber, and I'm sure the ride will improve when I replace them with American radials), separate controls for the front and rear defrosters . . . and that's all being VERY picky . . . the vehicle is GREAT!!!

Comparison to Competitors: I wish it were bigger . . . I prefer the long beds for cargo, but the seating flexibility is second to none, and makes up for a lot of that. For comfort, I think it is the absolute BEST designed. The 2003 Sienna's power door is a nice addition that the Kia can't match. The length of the Windstar and extended bed Chrysler and GM products are also unattainable, as are the entertainment feature options for video. However, I found the Sedona to be about the most powerful for takeoff (though the GMs are certainly quieter at high speed, as are most of they Chryslers I've driven), have the best ergonomics, the greatest set of comfort features, the nicest styling, by far the best price, the most flexible seating, the most lighting, and the best front seats (leather only -- cloth seats were weak). The Windstar gives you a definite feeling that you're driving a much larger vehicle (more space around your head inside the vehicle) and more cargo area. The Sienna gives you power doors. The Odyssey gives you much more room and a big vehicle feel, plus the fold-away rear seat . . . a brilliant design worth seeing to understand it. The GMs give you more room (extended beds) and a bit more American-ish styling (Pontiac has its standard red dashboard lights and radio controls on the steering wheel; Olds and Chevy have the radio station identifiers able to be programmed into their stereos; Olds has the entertainment center on board). If the Sedona wasn't on the market, I would have pursued the Olds (although the impending loss of the nameplate didn't fill me with confidence) or the Sienna or the Odyssey (the last two mainly for reliability issues). Given all the facts, if money were no object, I still think I would have opted for the Sedona and been happy. Adding the savings, I'm thrilled.