2014 Kia Sedona rises from the dead, same as it ever was

Don't throw away your car seats just yet, Korean minivan enthusiasts – the Kia Sedona is back on the market. If you recall, Kia killed its minivan offering at the end of 2012 (there was never a 2013 model). But here's what's making us scratch our heads: Despite the fact that Kia did confirm that the Sedona would eventually be back, we were under the impression that it would return with a proper replacement for the aging van. (Earlier reports suggested something along the lines of that cool KV7 concept.) Instead, the reincarnated Korean minivan you see here is, well, the same as it ever was. Consider our buzz killed.

That's not to say there haven't been a couple of delightfully refreshed bits thrown into the new package. For starters, the Sedona wears a slightly updated schnoz with a redesigned grille, LED positioning lamps and standard foglamps inside the reworked lower fascia. (If we're honest, the Kia looks a bit Ford Windstar-ish from the front three-quarter angle.) There's a new 17-inch wheel design for the 2014 model year, and aside from a couple enhancements to the interior in terms of storage, that short list rounds out the full extent of the new updates.

All Sedonas are powered by the same 3.5-liter V6 that debuted in the 2011 model, producing 269 horsepower and 246 pound-feet of torque, mated exclusively to a six-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy ratings fall in at a rather mediocre 17/24 miles per gallon (city/highway).

Pricing starts at $25,900 for the base LX model with 16-inch wheels and a cloth interior, while upmarket EX vans with leather and 17-inch wheels command $30,900 – both prices exclude $850 for destination. That's sort of a bargain, considering that the segment-leading Honda Odyssey will run you something like $45,000 when fully decked out. But remember, you get what you pay for.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/03/2...s-it-ever-was/

 

With all the new designs and tech you'd think they'd actually put an effort into tackling the Sienna/Odyssey

 

The Dodge Grand Caravan actually undercuts this in price.

 

Laugh Out Loud. Come on Kia. Putting out a model just for marketing purposes or bean counters is really embarrassing.

 

horrible! this is going to flop hard.

I really wish they sold the el grande version of the nissan quest.What a powerful looking van it is!

 

It already flopped hard. That's the main irony of bringing it back w/o changes. Hence my comment about it being a marketing or bean counter thing. Somewhere within Kia, someone had to bring back this model to meet some sort of criteria (it certainly isn't sales criteria).

 

The Sedona, though, to my senses, seems better-built, though both have been panned by Consumer Reports for unreliability.

 

You guys are acting like this is a new model. Obviously the bean counters decided if they move any of these off the lot there is profit to be had. There is clearly something going on that delayed its replacement, which should've been arriving this year. This will be a fleet/bargain basement can for those who don't want a caravan, even though that van is more advanced.

It didn't flop, Kia never had a huge sales target for this thing. It barely invested money in it during its first life cycle. It's MMC was weak at best. The tooling is long paid for so it costs nothing to build and this is clearly a stopgap measure. I do wonder what caused the delay.

 

The funny thing is, Hyundai/Kia have the hardware to make a competitive and more reliable mini-van. I'm really surprised they don't want to go after the Sienna and Odyssey and Chrysler T&C which essentially own the segment. After the major redesigns and refreshes of their core sedans and SUVs, I'm still surprised they've let this van go on without any significant updates

Let's not forget the Sedona had a twin, the Hyundai Entourage which didn't fair well either and left the market a few years ago

 

Wow, totally forgot about this van......now I know why

 

A coworker has one, 2009-2010ish, with the 3.8L V6. I laughed first time I drove it, as so many aspects of the interior are direct ripoffs of our Sienna. Thing is FAST though. Tons of power, but the build quality is clearly 1 or 2 notches down from Toyota. The 10yr/100k warranty is pretty sweet....

 

For a while they made a short/stubby version, that was mechanically the same as the longer more common one - I bet it might actually be kinda fun. Maybe.

 

Sedonas are good vans. I know I got one. Currently at 68K miles it's a tank. Zero problems besides bad airbag sensors. It was used as a work van for my business hauling heavy stuff for 7 years and it's been solid. It doesn't turn heads but it serves its purpose. It's comfy, cheap, dull, etc... so I can treat it like crap but still doesn't die. Engine has crap load of torque so it's alot of fun to drive too

 

^ Is it the 3.8L?

.....and 68k miles is pretty low for a 2006 - I mean it's great that it's been solid but it would be more impressive if it had 200k or something

 

lol I've driven one a few times, for what it is, its perfectly fine....you just can't beat the cargo capacity and space of a van.