Great Van!!!
Pros:
Cost, reliability, power, storage compartments, style
Cons:
Rear visibility, small "trunk" space, hard to get to 3rd row, tough on rotors/brakes
The Bottom Line:
I recommend this vehicle because it is reliable, safe, stylish, and economical.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
My wife and I bought a 2005 Kia Sedona EX in April of 2005. So far, we have thoroughly enjoyed this vehicle. It perfoms well, gets decent gas mileage, has a great look to it, rides very comforatably, and of course comes with the best manufacturer's warranty in the auto world today.
We have 3 children and the Sedona is very carseat friendly with removable captains chairs in the middle and 3rd row and easily accessible anchors built in to the seats as well as anchors behind the seats for tether straps. The Sedona has a five star crash safety rating to give additional peace of mind when traveling.
The Sedona has 4 easily accessible compartments within driver/passenger reach. It has captains chairs that are very comforatable, and the driver's seat has 8-way adjustment capabilities. The console consists of stereo/CD/Cassette, Hazard light switch (very convenient), large heat & A/C controls, pull-out adjustable drink holder compartment (2 cup-holders, and a CD/DVD storage compartment. There is a tray between the captains chairs with 4 cup holders and a fairly large square area in the middle for misc. items. This tray can be folded down if you want it out of the way.
The only issues I see with this vehicle are the following:
1. It is difficult to see out of the back window when backing up due to the alignment of the middle and rear seats. I removed the headrests on these seats to correct this problem.
2. The "trunk" space is inadequate. We keep a stroller in the trunk, and that is about all that can be kept back there. We have removed one of the captains chairs (nice feature) in the middle row to allow for more storage space.
3. Due to the alignment of the captains chairs in the middle, it is difficult (even for small children) to get to the 3rd row seats. There is very little room behind or in front of the middle row, which means to get to the 3rd row there is some twisting and turning to be done.
4. Brakes/Rotors. I have put 21000 miles on my Sedona so far and the only problem I have experienced is with the brakes and rotors. At my last oil change I asked the service department (great folks) to check out the brakes and rotors due to a vibration when braking (especially on downhill stops). They turned the rotors because they were warped. Before a week went by the problem returned. I took it back and this time they had to replace the rotors. I found out that the rotors and brakes are only covered for 12/mo. or 12000 mi., but they "goodwilled" it for me. I also found out that rotors and brakes are a touchy subject. Apparently rotors can be "turned" down to 24mm. The Sedona rotors are only 25mm to begin with. So, at best they can only be turned once, and not much. I also found out that the brake pads are very hard and have visible chunks of metal in them, which is why they eat up rotors.
All in all this vehicle is a great value for the money and I would strongly recommend it to anyone considering a minivan purchase.
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