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A Smart Package of Power, Comfort and Value

By Warren Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 4, 2006; Page G01

Kia Motors Corp. makes the best minivan for the money -- better than
the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town & Country or the Dodge
Caravan.

The rivals are all nice family haulers. But nice doesn't cut it in the
marketplace. Value does.



2006 Kia Sedona Minivan
Nuts & Bolts
2006 Kia Sedona LX Minivan

Complaints: None. This one is everything a minivan should be, including
affordable.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Excellent in all three categories in
city and highway traffic, whether unloaded (driver only, no cargo) or
heavily loaded (driver and three passengers and an estimated 250 pounds
of cargo).

Head-turning quotient: It's a minivan. That means it gets as much
attention as Hollywood gives to stable families.

Body style/layout: The Kia Sedona LX is a front-engine,
front-wheel-drive minivan with four side doors (manually operated
sliding rear doors) and a rear hatch. Automatically operated sliding
rear doors are available. It also is sold with the upscale EX trim
package.

Engine/transmission: The Sedona minivan comes with a standard 3.8-liter
V-6 engine that develops 244 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions per minute
and 253 foot-pounds of torque at 3,500 rpm. The engine is mated to a
five-speed automatic transmission that also can be shifted manually.
The manual mode gives the driver better vehicle control on mountainous,
curvy roads.

Capacities: It seats seven. Cargo capacity with second- and third-row
seats down is 142 cubic feet. With seats up, it's 32.2 cubic feet. The
fuel tank holds 21.1 gallons of recommended regular unleaded gasoline.

Mileage: I averaged 25 miles per gallon in highway travel. And that
included loaded and unloaded runs!

Safety: The Kia Sedona has top crash-safety ratings from both the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety. No wonder. Standard equipment includes
head airbags for all three rows, side air bags for front-seat
passengers, traction and stability control, anti-whiplash head
restraints, antilock brakes. Impressive.

Price: Base price on the 2006 Kia Sedona LX is $22,995. Dealer's
invoice price on base model is $21,700. Price as tested is $25,165,
including $1,500 in options (rear entertainment audio-visual system,
roof rails and cross bars) and a $670 destination charge. Dealer's
price as tested is $23,680. Prices sourced from Kia,
http://www.edmunds.com/ and http://www.cars.com/ , an affiliate of The
Washington Post.

Purse strings: It's a buy. Compare with any mid-sized minivan.

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The 2006 Kia Sedona LX minivan offers the most value, which is not to
be confused with the lowest price.

Low prices are meaningless for inferior products.

The Kia Sedona is first-class in all respects -- quality of
craftsmanship and engineering, quality of interior materials, highway
performance and safety. I liked the Sedona LX so much, I didn't want to
return it to the manufacturer.

A minivan! I couldn't believe it!

But after nearly 600 miles on the highways, byways and back roads of
Virginia and West Virginia, I became a convert. The front-wheel-drive
Sedona LX handled the heights of the Blue Ridge Mountains without
hesitation. It was sure-footed in the curves and dips of the Shenandoah
Valley, and it ran with unruffled confidence amidst the ruffian
18-wheelers roaring along Interstate 81 across the eastern panhandle of
West Virginia.

And it was peaceful -- peaceful!

Minivans exist solely to haul families, friends and stuff. That is why
most minivans, like the Sedona LX, have seating for seven people.

But people can be problematical. They have wants and needs that become
demands and arguments on long road trips. It matters not that you love
them, or that they love you. Uncomfortable passengers can turn a long
drive into a journey to hell.

A comfortable passenger cabin -- one that grants all aboard ample
personal space and that treats their backs and bottoms kindly -- is the
best antidote to such misery. The Sedona LX has a passenger-pampering
cabin, which is all the more remarkable because there is nothing fancy
about it.

The standard seats are cloth-covered. But they are thoughtfully
contoured, expertly upholstered. There is a smartly designed front tray
that can hold a book or laptop -- or serve as a small dinner table.
Other storage nooks abound. There are 14 cupholders.

None of my three passengers complained on the Virginia-West Virginia
run. There were no jibes about a ride too harsh, too soft or too
bouncy. Two of them were so comfortable, they fell asleep. Peace
reigned! Hallelujah!

Automotive journalists and self-described auto enthusiasts often speak
of "fun to drive," a phrase they reserve for anything that isn't a
minivan, a vehicle they regard as uncool, little more than a household
appliance.

They do not understand the point of the journey, which is to move
freely, swiftly when doing so is either necessary or desired, but
always safely and comfortably -- preferably at an affordable price. The
Sedona LX embraces that understanding. In doing so, it makes so much of
what is installed in rival minivans seem excessive.

Here is a minivan that comes with a gutsy 3.8-liter, 244-horsepower V-6
engine but that still gets 25 miles per gallon on the highway using
regular unleaded fuel. It fits neatly into urban parking garages. It
has top crash-safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It does
anything anyone reasonably can expect a minivan to do, and it does it
all for a base price starting under $23,000.

The Kia Sedona LX moves to the top of this column's minivan list. It's
earned it.