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Other than this (small) concern, I am extremely happy with the van. We bought Houston's first Sedona (so we were told) way back in mid July, EX loaded to the gills. Great price, great van.
regards
hokum
http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/reviews/rt2108.shtml
Interesting - it's braking was just a tiny bit better than Odyssey. Acceleration was 10.8 0-100km. The lead-foots (feet?) at Motorweek managed to get a 9.8 0-60 mph out of it and this is very good indeed for a Minivan. Also note that Motorweek got an average of 19MPG, much better than the 15-20 EPA, and this matches the experience of owners on this Forum - The Sedona gets better MPG than the EPA numbers indicate. I suspect they programmed the engine and transmission for real world driving instead of programming it to do well on the EPA cycle.
Iownasedona, it is a gorgeous color isn't it. I hope this baby does last 10 yrs. cause I'm looking forward to driving it that long. It is really pretty. There is not another van out there that has anything up on it for looks, now if the reliability will be there, Fantastic!
I would appreciate responses from you knowledgable folk out there.
The owners manual says the EX seats are equipped with 'universal' safety seat attachments. Additionally, there are floor attachment points behind both 2nd row seats and behind one of the 3rd row seats. The manual also includes instructions on how the seat belts adapt to a 'lock down' mode for saftey seat use. Looks like the EX should be able to handle any type of approved safety seat. Hope this helps.
(By the way, ours is ruby red/silky beige - VERY pretty!)
Your mpg sounds great! I haven't been disciplined enough yet to calculate what we are getting in that department. I hope ours is as good as yours.
We've not experienced the drift to the right. I've taken my hands off the wheel at 80mph with absolutely no problem.
We are very pleased so far with the quiet ride and solid feel.
Having to adjust a bit to the smaller cargo space (compared to our extended Aerostar), but folding two or all four rear seats over to create a relatively flat platform is a snap! Those little pulls straps on the back of the 3rd row seats make it so easy to lay them forward while standing behind the vehicle. Laying down the rear bench of the Aerostar from behind was almost impossible.
Also, as others have stated, I'm really impressed with the quality of the sound system.
Five days and no 'buyer's remorse' in sight!
Steering is much better, but still seems to require a little more attention than what I recall in my former van, a '96 Grand Caravan with the 3.3 engine. I suspect a tire problem and will do some more switching. Will keep you posted.
As stated in 245, the right pull is gone since swapping the front wheels, but the steering seems stiff in the straight ahead position. Still hoping some can explain why the switching helped.
Gas milage was fine. I averaged 22.5 mpg and that was driving between 75-78 mph most of the way between San Antonio and Houston and back. City milage seems to be about 16
We called every Kia dealership in Georgia, and for a couple of weeks couldn't find what we were looking for (a two-tone EX with leather, sunroof, and preferably ABS). We found that some of the dealerships were asking several hundred above MSRP for what they did have. I contacted carsdirect.com and was told these vans are really hard to find and we probably wouldn't end up with exactly what we wanted. But the guy was helpful and said if we could wait, he'd eventually find one for us. Finally, we called the Kia dealership in Augusta (about 2 hours from us) and was told they had just unloaded a shipment of 5 EX's. None of them had ABS, but they were loaded otherwise. They even had one that was Ruby Red and Beige, our favorite color scheme. The salesmen said he'd sell it to us at MSRP, so we decided to make the trip. Everything checked out, we had a good experience at the dealership and we bought the van. And so far we love it. It's getting about 18 mpg but I'm told that may improve after the first few thousand miles. If not, I don't care. It's a nice tight ride and I still can't get over the power. I've been driving 4 cylinders way too long. I'm really impressed with the postings from people who have gotten their vans below MSRP. Get down with your bad selves! But even at MSRP, it's a great deal. The final moral of my story: keep looking and you will find the van you're looking for. And even if you have to look a little further, you can find your van at a dealership who will treat you right. Good luck and sorry for such a long posting.
My ashtray closes with no problems so far.
For what it's worth, I really like the storage compartment on the top-center of the dash to put my extra money/change/house key in and easily accessible. Also, the way the interior lights up when you unlock the doors at night helps for security reason(a big plus). Another little thing I like is how large the floor mats are, especially in front of the center seats. They cover virtually the entire carpet(great for kids). Has anyone noticed how heavy the hood is when you open it? To me that's good. My husband was in a head-on car crash in an old model volkswagon, need I say that I'm a believer in the more solid the better. I'm very curious to see how the Sedona rates in the crash tests.
Hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!
When I considered that I might have to pay MSRP for it I came away less impressed though.
I decided to compare a 2002 Oldsmobile Silhouette GL. For an invoice price of $26466 I can get just about all of the features the Sedona is offering and in addition power sliding door(pass. side), rear parking aid, Onstar, rear seat audio controls, traction control, Anti-lock brake, side air-bags, tire inflation kit. The major thing it doesn't have is leather seats and sunroof. You can also add a tow package for less then $200.
At this point I would say the Kia being fully loaded for $24100 probably still has an edge.
The Olds also has a $1500 rebate which brings the invoice down to about $25000. I'm sure you can get these pretty close to Invoice. So it could possibly cost you depending on your bargaining skills $1000-$1500 more than the Kia.
The question is if the pwr sliding door, rear parking aid, traction control and side air bags are worth the difference?
I think it comes close enough that it could be considered especially if you have to deal with Kia dealers charging over MSRP.
The Olds is a full size mini-van as which gets better mileage and a longer wheel base.
The Olds does have a 5/60 warranty but can't match the powertrain warranty.
I'm not putting down the Sedona but I think when you start factoring in paying MSRP for the Kia and that you can buy most US mini-vans close to invoice I think the price difference becomes a lot closer.
If nothing else this is something you can bring up to the snooty Kia dealers.
Also, how much better is the gas mileage on the Olds? 1-2 mpg better? With a little more aggressive driving, that advantage quickly disappears. Of course, can't youget AWD for these types of vans, so that's a definite plus.
My point is that you can't really compare the MSRP of vans that are selling near invoice to the MSRP of the Kia. You really need to compare the actual price they are selling for.
I would venture to say you can price a Ford or Dodge similarly equipped to the Kia which tops $24K(if you can get one with ABS) and at least be within $1000-$1500.
The price advantage is not as much when you factor this into it.
For those who really want leather I give Kia credit because you probably won't find leather in a US van in this price range.
If a Kia dealer wants MSRP or heaven forbid more than MSRP you might want to look and see how close you can price a Dodge, Ford or GM mini-van. You might be surprised at how close you can actually get to the MSRP of the Kia and still be similarly equipped.
The nice thing also is you can probably find a US mini-van equipped with the options you want as well.
For me ABS is important living in Ohio and I'm really disappointed that it's so hard to find on a Sedona.
I also want to point out that I'm not trying to pump buying US(I own a Toyota) but I think you can buy these closer to invoice as opposed to a Toyota or Honda.
It has performed well. 2 problems have arisen 1) the rear heater is always putting out heat, thus it takes a LONG time for the Air Conditioning to cool the vehicle on a hot day. and very uncomfortable to the legs. AND 2) there is some hesitation on acceleration after the vehicle has been turned off for a period of time (it does not happen on a cold start)
The KIA factory techs are aware of the problem but have no solution as of yet. They did adjust the rear heat so that it does not blow continuously.
If anyone else is experiencing these problems I suggest calling the factory.
ALSO, I read about a steering problem (driving to the right) I took mine in and they adjusted the steering wheel and now no problem at all.
My ashtray lid stays closed just fine, but I don't use that either. Maybe if I did, it would end up failing as other post had problems. I have also noticed some hesitation, but not enough to worry about.
New problem: believe it or not, we just tried out the cruise control for the first time (my husband uses it but I'm the primary driver and don't use it). It didn't work! The rear defrost indicator light came on the dash display. Yet when you push the rear defrost button, no indicator light comes on. I didn't check to see if it actually heated the rear window. The only reason I can think is that when we bought the van, the radio was not working properly. A new radio was installed a few days later, maybe some wiring was fouled up? I'm sure (I think) that the cruise and rear defrost was working properly when we picked up the car initially. But that was 3 months ago, beyond the storage capacity of my memory cells these days. Obviously, I'll be bringing the van in for service but any thoughts?
Does it seem to anyone else that there seems to be inconsistency in quality of the Sedona? There doesn't seem to be just one problem that people share, but several problems that are hit or miss. Is this normal with cars in general?
The rear heater is another matter. It blows pure hot from under the 3rd seat and is uncontrollable from the dash temperature control. Given that the upper rear outlets never produce any heat, the choice appears to be between too much rear heat or none.
I have put it to my dealer as an unacceptable situation. He has forwarded the problem to Kia Canada who are apparently awaiting a response from Korea. I'll keep you all posted.
Kia is aware of the problem.
HOWEVER, they were able to do some adjusting and ordered a part and although not resolved it is acceptable for the moment. (No burned legs for the person sitting in the 3rd row.)
I would suggest your dealer talk to a factory rep personally. Also if you are able to email. I will give you my dealers name and number and your dealer can talk with them.
As for my AC I found that it takes way too long too cool the van. but once it is cool it does a good job.
Well, we're supposed to have bitter temperatures here in MO over the next 24 hours I guess I'll atleast find out if my heater is funky like some of yours and take care of two birds with one stone if necessary. Of course they'll probably say that's normal too.
Aside from this I still love this van.
The pulling remained so I made a second trip; this time they said it was the crown in the road, dummy.
On my third trip to get the replacement for the bad spare tire, I expressed my feelings about their previous findings (I was pretty mad by then) and the checked it again and this time the problem was partially corrected by swapping the two front wheels. Steering improved but does not feel as good as my previous "96 Grand Caravan. Steering is somewhat stiff and now has a slight drift to the left. Suspecting a bad tire, I tried to put my brand new spare on the left front, but couldn't loosen the lug nuts even with my torque wrench which measures uo to 300 pounds! The manual says 90 pounds torque is required with my alloy wheels! I hope my hubs are not distorted! Seeing I had problems with both front tires, I suspect damage was done to the tires before delivery.
The story was long but it is not over. I'm waiting to hear from the dealer regarding the next step.
Wouldn't they be somehow liable for some new tires if they wore badly because of this? (I know your thinking, HA,HA good luck!)
I got a chance to use the windshield wipers with our sleet/rain, they make great contact with the windshield. My Plymouth Voyager always had several inch swipes that they missed.
It really doesn't bother me too much cause my other jewel of a van pulled to the right all the time anyway so I'm kinda used to it. It is annoying because I want it to be perfect!!
Perhaps we can do a quick poll on which tires your Sedona was delivered with. Do you have the Kumho or the Hankooks? Anybody else with straight-line steering problems? Which tires do you have?
I test drove a Sedona at a dealer here in Northern Virginia last night, and was as impressed as it seems most of you have been. He's only got two LXs, so I'll have to search for my EX/leather/ABS, maybe extensively. Amusingly, I got home and found I'd walked off with the key to the vehicle in my pocket; had to return it this morning. They didn't get too huffy.
So, having decided, I went to the Kia web site and requested quotes from each of the four dealers in Northern Virginia. Then went to the Costco website....they don't have a Kia dealer as a partner. Then went to CarsDirect.com. They tell me that they can only offer a lease for Virginia shoppers, but "if you want to buy with cash, a representative will call and talk with you". Made me a bit nervous to give them social security number, Master Card number, financial info, children's eye color, etc., etc. just to get a price on a car, and to not be sure they were even going to do that. Now I wait...........we'll see if I have the same problems getting one, at non-gouge price, as some of you have had. I may have to e-mail that dealer in Indiana who posted about twenty messages back.
Interestingly, while shopping all the vans, I asked the Dodge guy about their limited-time 7 year/100,000 mile warranty. It's non-transferable, AND has a $100 deductible. He was vague about how the $100 is applied. Is it per year? Per specific problem? Per visit to the shop? If you had to bring something in a few times for a persistent difficulties, that could add up pretty quick. Kia has NO deductible.
And, lastly, here's yet another recent and interesting review:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A59947-2001Oct26
Wish me luck. I hope the hardest part was convincing my wife........
FYI.....Hankook tires.
Re: Auto Wipers
There is a small ring around the wiper stalk that adjusts the sensitivity of the wipers. It rotates like the wiper delay adjustment on lesser vehicles. Anybody out there ever see an article on how these automatic wipers work?
Re: Beav3
Congradulations on your display of excellent taste in the choice of colours for your Sedona:) Up to now we had the only other green one on the board (that I know of).
Still looking, as are others, for a good set of floor mats for our van. Any suggestions?
The pulling to the right problem, is that something folks who have it noticed right away, like on the drive home from the dealer, or did it take a while to notice it?