Sedona, Arizona - Everybody wants some," wailed David Lee Roth. Well, Kia Motors wants some, too. The Hyundai subsidiary is popping out new models with bunnylike urgency these days, and with the Sedona, Kia thrusts itself into the minivan market, a first for a Korean brand.
Kia has watched closely the gaffes of other import carmakers and learned well that Americans have no patience for deviant minivans. The Volkswagen Vanagon, the Toyota Previa, the Mazda MPV, the first Honda Odyssey--each was different in some major way from the benchmark Chrysler Corporation vans, and each eventually was deposed by a front-engine, front-wheel-drive, sliding-side-door replacement. Kia, wisely, has skipped this awkward first step, creating a vehicle that studiously follows the set formula.
The 3.5-liter DOHC V-6's 195 hp and 218 lb-ft of torque are comfortably mid-pack, and its five-speed automatic, its front strut/beam-axle rear suspension, and its disc/drum brakes (ABS is a $595 option) are totally unsurprising.... Read full article