Test Drive: Kia Sedona gets handsome redesign

photo The new contemporary sheet metal of the 2015 Kia Sedona includes an aggressive headlight treatment, a sculpted hood and much-improved grille.

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FAST FACTS* Model: 2015 Kia Sedona LX* Exterior color: Beechwood Pearl* Interior color: Camel and black* Engine: 3.3-liter V-6* Horsepower: 276* Transmission: six-speed automatic* Fuel economy: 24 mpg highway, 18 mpg city* Dealer: Pye Kia (Dalton, Ga.)* Price (as tested): $31,458

Typically, I spend about five minutes a year thinking about minivans - and I'm a car guy.

Minivans, the bread-box shaped family haulers that became popular in 1980s and 1990s, are practically an endangered species. Starting in the late 1990s they became a suburban cliche as the motoring public turned increasingly to big, truck-based SUVs. Since then, automotive tastes have shifted again and people now want big vehicles that handle like sedans, and so car-frame based crossover utility vehicles (or CUVs) command center stage.

Through it all, a few minivan models have survived; most notably the segment's gold standard, the reliable and well-furnished (if oddly styled) Honda Odyssey. Then there's the bullet-proof Toyota Sienna for those who require available all-wheel-drive; and the Chrysler cousins, the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town and Country, for minivan purists who cling to the company that popularized the segment.

Earlier this month, my sister suggested that our family rent a minivan for a 10-hour drive to Central Florida. I was dubious at first, but then the five passengers in our travel party spread out across the vast interior of a 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan and magic ensued. The kids -- who normally bicker and fight on car trips -- got along great, and all the adults arrived at our destination without once needing to pop an Advil for joint aches.

Honestly, many American families opt for SUVs out of habit, when they should at least consider the cavernous comforts of a minivan.

Until now, one of the more vanilla minivans around has been the Kia Sedona. I remember driving one a couple of years ago, and it was the only one on the dealership's lot. I remember it as being a solid, but otherwise forgettable, vehicle. Imagine my surprise then to see the handsome new 2015 Kia Sedona at Pye Kia in Dalton, Ga., this week. Some vehicles get a face-lift, but the new Sedona has gotten a full-body make-over. The results are, in a word, remarkable.

The Sedona comes in five trim levels (L, LX, EX, SX and SX Limited) which range in base price from $25,900 to $39,700. Our LX tester, provided by Pye Kia's Conrad Easley, has a base price of $28,100 -- $31,458 with options.

STYLING AND COMFORT

In 2006, Kia lured auto design guru Peter Schreyer from Audi, and he has since worked his magic across the vehicle lineup of both Kia Motors and its sister company, Hyundai Motors. Schreyer's clean, contemporary designs have helped boost sales of both companies, which previously featured bland, cookie-cutter vehicles.

Now, every new Kia comes with Schreyer's trademark "tab" grille, a beguiling, chrome and black design. The new Sedona has been designed so you'll do a double-take, and perhaps even mistake it for an SUV. A sculpted hood adds visual interest and glowering headlights give it a serious, masculine countenance -- which is especially important if you're trying to shake the stereotype of minivans as mommy-mobiles.

Use of chrome accents on the window line and around the fog lamps give the Sedona an upscale vibe. If it weren't for the door tracks on both sides, the Sedona might be mistaken for a slightly rotund SUV. Our tester also has the standard -- yet attractive -- 17-inch alloy wheels.

Our Sedona comes in Beechwood Pearl, a classy beige shade, with a Camel and black interior. A convenience package adds $1,800 to the bottom line, but includes such niceties as heated front seats, dual glove boxes, second- and third-row sun shades, power sliding doors and carpeted floor mats.

Inside is where the Sedona's redesign shines. The dash, with its flat surfaces and big, intuitive dials and switches, has echoes of Audi, the acknowledged leader in tasteful interiors. A leather-wrapped steering wheel is a nice touch in our tester, which features seating for eight. A seven-passenger Sedona can be ordered with reclining captain's chairs on the second row. The top-of-the line Sedona SXL comes with two-tone Napa leather seats.

The new Sedona has all the high-tech features you'd expect in a 2015 model. Kia's useful UVO suite of telematics applications includes a self-diagnosing program that lets you know if trouble is brewing under the hood. The innovative "parking reminder" function helps you navigate back to your car in a crowded parking lot. If you have a teen driver at home, the My Car Zone app can help you track a driver's speeding habits and roaming territory. It can even rat out a young driver who sneaks out to break curfew.

Our tester's seats are covered in a super stain-repellent fabric that should be standard on all family haulers not trimmed in easy-to-wipe leather.

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS

All 2015 Sedona's are powered by Kia's 3.3-liter, direct-injected V-6, which makes 276 horsepower. Although a packed-for-vacation Sedona can be quite a load, the six-cylinder engine is plenty strong. Kia has also gone to great pains to make the Sedona whisper quiet, and it's now unrivaled in the segment for cabin isolation. Meanwhile, the Sedona has a towing capacity of a modest 3,500 pounds.

On our short drive around the Dalton bypass, the Sedona downshifted adroitly when we asked it to scoot. A smooth six-speed transmission transfers power to the front wheels. Fuel economy is 24 mpg highway and 18 mpg city. There is no all-wheel-drive option.

BOTTOM LINE

Consumers have been groomed to think of two adjectives when considering Kia vehicles: styling and value. The new Sedona is a remarkable improvement on the styling front, and its 100,000-mile warranty takes care of the value end of the deal. Our tester in modest LX trim stickers for $31,458 which, by our reckoning, puts it right in the sweet spot of the market segment.

Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.

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