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Figured I'd start a thread, traded our Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland in on a new Kia Sedona minivan today. Definitely a bittersweet day, we really enjoyed the Jeep...once our twins are older we'll be back into one I'm sure.
On to the Sedona, haven't had much time to play with it, but so far...for a minivan...I like it. Its definitely the "least ugly" and I like the layout of the front area with the normal console, makes it feel more like what we're used to. Space upgrade from the Jeep is huge.
Tech seems good, sifting through the huge manual now. A few omissions for those shopping:
1. The big one is the Sedona doesn't have a big rear seat entertainment option. They have a small screen dealer installed option, but no big factory widescreen like everybody else. Not an issue for us because our kids are so young, but I could see it would be a HUGE issue for someone with older kids.
2. Ours has every option, tech package with radar cruise, PCS, lane keep, surround view camera (awesome), auto high beams, etc etc. But...no automatic wipers? Also no TPMS with PSI readouts. Odd.
3. Remote start is a separate fob. Annoying.
Big plusses for us over the Odyssey and Sienna, the other vans we considered were the MUCH nicer interior of the Sedona, the much better exterior trim (gloss painted black trim vs grainy black). Didn't like the fixed second row of the Odyssey. Sienna was much more expensive similarly equipped.
Got a great deal on this van, $43,450 MSRP I paid $37,500. Great lease too, the lowest money factor I have ever seen, .00001. Thats 0.02% interest!
Will post pics once it stops raining! Will update this with my thoughts too.
my god a JGC for a sedona????? i will say i love those reclining 2nd row seats however....
Still no pictures, still rainy and ugly. I'll take some pictures when we get back from our trip this weekend and we get it cleaned up.
I took the day off today and mommy had a mommy day (in my Lexus, of course!), so I was out with the kids in the van. Getting them in and out of it and the stroller in and out is much easier. Its a pretty nice vehicle to drive, not as refined as the Lexus (or even the Jeep), but it rides well, its pretty quiet, very comfortable seats.
One thing I've noticed is the audio system seems quite poor, and this has the upgraded Infinity audio. Flat, no bass or richness, everything seems to be coming from the center of the dash. I'll tweak it on our trip, and I've heard audio systems in vans in general aren't great because they're so big, we'll see.
When mommy got all dressed up and left in the Lexus, I admit I did wonder if she was actually going to come back LOL
Yeah probably, we're taking it to NJ this weekend too, so it may even be next week...it needs to be polished too, its pretty dealer-swirled.
Also, there doesn't seem to be much Forum support for Kia at all. Kind of interesting seeing that they've had some popular models, the Optima, Soul, Sportage, etc. You'd think that there would be a decent forum.
I think it is better looking than the Odyssey.
Also loaded with features, and that crazy lease rate!
I know it must have been a kidney punch when you had to give up the Jeep, but it'll make your lives so much easier with the van.
A bunch of my buddies have all swapped out of their suv's and sports cars/sporty cars for mini-vans in recent years, and were all agonizing over the decision.
However, as we all know...
Happy wife = Happy life.
Also Safe family = Happy family (for the most part )
Besides... with the van... when the kids get older and start fighting you can separate them
Wouldn't be able to do that in the JGC!
Got back from NJ this afternoon. The Sedona did great, not as refined on the road as the Jeep (or obviously the Lexus) but sufficiently smooth and quiet to keep us all comfortable and happy. Very good seats, no fatigue. The seats in the Jeep were a little hard. The twins made it all the way home without needing to stop to eat or rest (3.5 hours), can't necessarily attribute that to the van lol).
Trucked along the highway at 80 with no complaints, very stable and solid feeling. Radar cruise works great, a little quicker to respond than the Jeep once someone clears your path which is good. Got about 23.5MPG, which is pretty good considering it was two adults, two babies and a fully loaded cargo area at 75-80. I would get about 21 in the same conditions in the Jeep, and 27.5 or so in the Lexus.
Nav works quite well, very similar in operation to the Toyota/Lexus nav but more modern feeling and looking.
The van swallows a LOT of stuff. No way we could have brought everything we brought in the Jeep. Now...I don't think we needed half the crap we brought but it made my wife less anxious so its a win.
Got home in time to get the it and the Lexus washed for the upcoming week. The Sedona was delivered in the rain and then we left on this trip, so I never got the chance to really get it cleaned up the way I want, set up, homelink programmed, got the dealer sticker off the hatch, got the dealer plate frame replaced with a nice chrome frame, etc. I like it more than I thought I would. I can deal with it for the next few years and when they're ambulatory we'll explore our options.
Van was a big hit with the family. My sister in law and brother in law have a 2010 Odyssey, they loved the Sedona. The guys ran out to the store and I let him drive it and my other BIL sit up front while I sat in the back with the ottoman up and the seat reclined. Pretty cool!
Got dark before I could get pics, but I will get them and post.
Just thought I would update everybody. We're 2,000 miles into Sedona ownership, and almost 2 months. We've taken a couple trips, my wife has carted the kids around in it all alone. Come to the conclusion that the Sedona was one of the better purchases I've made in my life.
Its MUCH easier carrying the kids around in it than it was the Jeep, plenty of room for anything and everything we want to take. Getting them in and out is much easier with the sliding doors. We were out for a fun day last week and had about an hour drive home, one of the babies was fussy so my wife sat in the third row so she could see her and all was good.
The van still impresses as a highway and around town vehicle. Technology is good, around view camera is a big plus. Radar cruise works great. Interior is holding up well, excellent quality leather and firm hard (but not cheap) Toyota and Honda can learn a lot here) plastic where it should be. Paint is high quality and doesn't chip or scratch easily. Lots of nice little touches, like it turns the fan down when you go to make a bluetooth call, when you switch to handset mode it leaves the radio off (the Lexus turns it back on, which I never understood), power sliding doors work smoothly and no glitches which some family members have had with their Honda Odysseys. Seat comfort is very good. Cooled seats work great.
Couple of little complaints, the transmission is a little lazy, but hey its a minivan. There should be a button to lock the doors on the hatch. You should be able to lock the doors when the sliding doors or hatch are in their moving state. You have to stand there and wait. Steering wheel doesn't telescope out quite far enough for me, I'm stuck between choosing for a long reach for the wheel or a little snug for the legs.
All in all, its a very nice vehicle. I'd be hard pressed to buy *any* Toyota or Honda product over a Kia or Hyundai product quite frankly...
Big test is coming up, we're going to the beach with the twins and grandma for a week in July, all of us in the Sedona.
All in all, its a very nice vehicle. I'd be hard pressed to buy *any* Toyota or Honda product over a Kia or Hyundai product quite frankly...
Glad you're enjoying it.
Although the new Honda HR-V is built like a Swiss Watch and uses very impressive materials inside and out, in general, I'd agree with you...the average Toyota or Honda product today doesn't give much incentive for purchasing one over a Hyundai/Kia.
Big test is coming up, we're going to the beach with the twins and grandma for a week in July, all of us in the Sedona.
Going down 50 to Ocean City? If so, the Bay Bridge is really beautiful...always was my favorite part of the trip down. The water can still be a little cool in July, though...it usually lags about two months behind the land temperatures.
Now that you got 2000 miles on the engine, it's far enough past break-in that, on the trip, you should be able to tell if you are going to get the EPA Highway mileage....especially if the traffic is light. I almost always get the EPA Highway rating or better on the road...but the D.C. area traffic is so bad that getting the City rating is usually a lot more difficult.
Cleaned the Sedona up after watching the Redskins lose this afternoon.
The van is aging very well, despite getting used pretty hard and not being cared for the way I typically care for vehicles. This was the first wash in about a month, and the van sits outside. Interior is still in great shape with little to no wear inside on seat leathers, etc.
I've found that the suspension has softened up some and I like the ride more now. For a while there I felt like the van just didn't ride very well on the highway, but thats improved. It certainly doesn't ride like the LS, but it rides fine and is reasonably quiet on the highway. No rattles or buzzes inside which is great.
Paint quality is very good, paint is nice and flat and free of orange peel (not as nice as the finish on the LS, but nicer than the finish on my other Lexus cars, probably about on par with the GS). I have also found the paint is nicely resistant to chipping, but it seems to etch easily with bugs and bird droppings. I have one on the side above the passenger side sliding door rail from a big bird bomb and two fairly large bug etchings above the grille next to the KIA logo. Not sure if thats something to do with the paint, or a factor of the fact that I don't wash it nearly as often as my other cars...so a comparison isn't really fair. On my Lexus or the Jeep both of those things would have been cleaned right off.
All in all, quite pleased. My neighbor has a new Toyota Sienna that they gust got in a very similar color. Our Sedona is a much nicer vehicle IMHO.
04-08-15, 08:08 PM
i will say i love those reclining 2nd row seats however....
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