When we received our Kia Sedona long-termer, I knew it would become the workhorse of the Motor Trend Garage. Fourteen months later, it had racked up 35,000 miles. That amounts to 30,000 miles a year, which is a great deal more than the 13,476-mile yearly household average, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. In that time, it has traversed California as well as dashed repeatedly to Arizona and Nevada for many road trips and countless photo shoots. It’s what we call “accelerated wear and tear.” Yet the Sedona took everything we threw at it in stride, except, of course, freeway shrapnel and L.A.’s notorious hit-and-run drivers.
Logging miles in the Sedona was a breeze, thanks to its smooth ride and a long list of amenities. It was never jarring over bumps but stayed taut even with a portly 4,655 pounds to lug around. Road and wind noise were minimal, which I especially appreciated after a trip up to the Bay Area in our Subaru BRZ coupe. I adapted to Kia’s intuitive infotainment system easily and longed for it when I switched into other cars. Every button is perfectly placed, and menus are easy to navigate. I constantly used smart cruise control and the heated and cooled seats, and I took every opportunity to blast incongruous-for-minivan music from the Infinity audio system. It kept me sane through long drives and hours sitting in traffic. I highly recommend getting the $3,700 Technology package, which includes the forward collision warning system, lane departure warning, front and rear parking assist, a surround-view monitor, xenon headlights, and smart cruise control. It’s well worth it, and I’ll admit forward collision warning saved my butt at least once.
The interior has held up quite well even after carrying pointy-edged camera gear, cleaning supplies, and a week’s worth of food and beverages for as many as 20 Motor Trend staffers testing cars in the middle of the desert. Besides a cracked panel by the rear lower tub where the third-row seat stows, and bits of scratched plastic, the interior held up pretty well. I did not find a single tear in the leather or any broken buttons or knobs. One of the handles that folds the second-row bucket seats did fall off, but it was easily screwed back on. The easily scratched shiny black plastic trim on the dashboard and center console is showing some wear, but that’s something we expected.
On the fuel economy front, we managed to average 19.3 mpg over 35,000 miles. The EPA rates it at 18/25/21 mpg city/highway/combined, so our average falls a bit short. I expected better considering the majority of those miles were accumulated on deserted highways. Part of the blame lands on my lead foot and sitting in 405 traffic during my regular commute, but that only accounted for a small portion of the van’s miles. It also falls short against our previous 2011 Honda Odyssey long-termer, which managed a combined 21.6 mpg, which reflects the Honda’s higher EPA rating at 19/28/22. It did, however, manage to beat out another three-row long-termer, our 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe LT, which managed 18.2 mpg combined. The Sedona beats both in three-year residual value at 53 percent, versus 50 percent for the Odyssey and 49 percent for the Tahoe.
As for maintenance, our van cost us $364.30 for four oil changes, two tire rotations, new engine and cabin air filters during the 30,000-mile service, and standard inspections of the van’s vitals bits. That is a bit cheaper than the $502.31 we paid to maintain our Honda Odyssey. Neither could match the $142 our 2015 Tahoe required, thanks to Chevy’s free scheduled maintenance, which covered oil changes and tire rotations during the first two years or 24,000 miles of ownership. There were no unexpected repair costs, either. (Kia has kindly offered to repair the multiple external battle scars we inflicted upon our Sedona through its rough-and-tumble loan period.)
If I could sum up my year with the Sedona in one word, it would be versatility. It is a comfortable daily cruiser that has touches of luxury and the ability to swallow loads of gear. It has proven to be an invaluable rolling photo and video fortress, and it’s hard to imagine a better car for the job. Sure, I had to endure the soccer mom stigma that accompanies a minivan, but I must admit, I will miss the Sedona.
More on our long-term Kia Sedona SX here:
- Arrival
- Update 1: Gobbling Up Miles in M-M-M-My Sedona
- Update 2: Small Faults and How the Sedona Facilitated a Lamborghini Shoot
- Update 3: Abusing My Sedona Like a Family Would
- Update 4: Why the Sedona SX Might Make More Sense Then the SXL
- Update 5: Summer Road Trips
- Update 6: Multi-Camera Parking System
| Our Car | |
| SERVICE LIFE | 14 mo / 34,962 mi |
| BASE PRICE | $37,295 |
| OPTIONS | SX Technology package ($3,700: adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, parking assist system, removable 2nd-row middle seat), rear seat entertainment system ($1,095) |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $42,090 |
| AVG ECON/CO2 | 19.3 mpg / 0.00 lb/mi |
| PROBLEM AREAS | None |
| MAINTENANCE COST | $364.30 (4-oil change, inspection; 2-tire rotation; 1-cabin air filter, engine air filter) |
| NORMAL-WEAR COST | $0 |
| 3-YEAR RESIDUAL VALUE* | $19,350 / $22,250 |
| RECALLS | None |
| *IntelliChoice trade-in/retail (at 42,000 miles) | |
| 2016 Kia Sedona SX | |
| POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS | |
| DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT | Front-engine, FWD |
| ENGINE TYPE | 60-deg V-6, alum block/heads |
| VALVETRAIN | DOHC, 4 valves/cyl |
| DISPLACEMENT | 204.0 cu in/3,342cc |
| COMPRESSION RATIO | 11.5:1 |
| POWER (SAE NET) | 276 hp @ 6,000 rpm |
| TORQUE (SAE NET) | 248 lb-ft @ 5,200 rpm |
| REDLINE | 6,750 rpm |
| WEIGHT TO POWER | 16.9 lb/hp |
| TRANSMISSION | 6-speed automatic |
| AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO | 3.04:1/2.35:1 |
| SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR | Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar |
| STEERING RATIO | 16.0:1 |
| TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK | 3.1 |
| BRAKES, F; R | 12.6-in vented disc; 11.9-in disc, ABS |
| WHEELS | 6.5 x 18-in, cast aluminum |
| TIRES | 235/60R18 103H M+S Hankook Dynapro HP2 |
| DIMENSIONS | |
| WHEELBASE | 120.5 in |
| TRACK, F/R | 68.5/68.8 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 201.4 x 78.1 x 68.5 in |
| TURNING CIRCLE | 36.8 ft |
| CURB WEIGHT | 4,655 lb |
| WEIGHT DIST, F/R | 56/44% |
| SEATING CAPACITY | 8 |
| HEADROOM, F/M/R | 39.8/39.4/38.9 in |
| LEGROOM, F/M/R | 40.9/40.6/34.8 in |
| SHOULDER ROOM, F/M/R | 63.9/63.1/59.4 in |
| CARGO VOLUME BEH F/M/R | 142.0/78.4/33.9 cu ft |
| TEST DATA | |
| ACCELERATION TO MPH | |
| 0-30 | 2.9 sec |
| 0-40 | 4.1 |
| 0-50 | 5.9 |
| 0-60 | 7.8 |
| 0-70 | 10.2 |
| 0-80 | 13.1 |
| 0-90 | 16.2 |
| PASSING, 45-65 MPH | 3.7 |
| QUARTER MILE | 16.0 sec @ 89.3 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 118 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.80 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 28.4 sec @ 0.57 g (avg) |
| TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH | 1,750 rpm |
| CONSUMER INFO | |
| STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL | Yes/yes |
| AIRBAGS | Dual front, front side, f/m/r curtain |
| BASIC WARRANTY | 5 yrs/60,000 miles |
| POWERTRAIN WARRANTY | 10 yrs/100,000 miles |
| ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE | 5 yrs/60,000 miles |
| FUEL CAPACITY | 21.1 gal |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON | 18/25/21 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY | 187/135 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 0.94 lb/mile |
| REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB | 18.7/25.3/21.2 mpg |
| RECOMMENDED FUEL | Unleaded regular |
The post 2016 Kia Sedona SX Verdict: The Right Car for the Job? appeared first on Motor Trend.
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