Kia Sedona (2005 and Earlier)

hoyahenry

Well, as opposed to what I posted previously, neither the cancel button nor slowing below 25mph by braking had any affect on the cruise memory. I was able to resume in both cases after accelerating above 25mph. Need to RTFM (Review The 'Fine' Manual)

gregoriusm

mobilmac, but even with the programming of the computers on todays vehicles, an engine will get improved gas economy, and keep the oil, engine components, etc. cleaner and last longer on mid or hi-octane gasoline. As you say, the computers can sense what is happening with the engine (fuel/air mixtures, etc.) and will allow for the octane and blend differences in mid and high-grade gas.

And our gas up here is very good. Mid and high grade gas is there for a reason.

Agree to disagree! :-)

hoyahenry

No problem to disagree gregoriusm, but I have yet to find an expert analysis that confirms your conclusion. I offer the following, just as an example.

http://money.cnn.com/2002/04/08/pf/saving/travel/q_gastravel/index.htm

Now that said, if the automobile manufacturer labels the vehicle (in the owners manual or fuel door for example) for a higher grade of fuel, it has been my experience that not using that grade of fuel will provide less than optimal gas mileage, among other things.

In most cases, high grade fuel is like first class on an airplane: some people will pay for it, but at the end of the day, the pilot always gets to the destination first.

yolo

For those that are using premium or even mid grade gas in a Sedona are waisting your money. You will not get better performance nor better mileage vs. 87 octane. Manufacturers' recommended octane is always best. The whole engine management and computer system are set up to run on 87 octane. The need for higher octane is when you go past the engineered parameters by boosting performance and a higher octane fuel is required. There are lots of variables that would require higher octane such as timing and compression ratio. Cars set up to run on premium need the slower and cooler burn charecteristics of premium to not have detonation or preignition and would ping on less octane. Too much octane can even lower the performance of a car meant to run on 87 octane. The computer adjusts and compensates but you are not realizing maximum performance with higher octane unless the car was designed to require higher octane fuels, which would have a minimum safe octane requirement for that vehicle.

I wanted to back up what I have learned, known for a long time and posted above by doing a simple search. The first link I came up with is the following for those interested in learning about this subject. http://www.leeric.lsu.edu/bgbb/7/ecep/trans/b/b.htm . I could have clicked on more and come up with the same explination. Let me here your comments. BTW, I also have extensive 2 stroke knowledge from my Jet Skis and the same applies. I modify all my 2 strokes and the compression and head design for the correct octane is very critical to keeping it alive. You can run mega compression but it requires race gas with up to 110 octane to operate without self destructing. I leave my premium gas expenses to my modified toys that need them but the Sedona as well as all my other vehicles get the 87 octane like recommended by the manufacturer

dwharper

I sent the following email to ca@kia.com:

Dear Sir or Madam:

Just recently I unpacked our floor mats from its original plastic (my wife insisted on keeping the plastic covering on the carpet when we first got the van) and discovered there is no third row floor mat. When I went to the Edmunds Town Hall discussion list for Sedonas, I read that some vans did not ship with the mats, but that it might be possible for customer service to send me the mat. Below is information that you may need should you be able to provide the third row floor mat:

Dan Harper
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Madison AL, 35758

VIN KNDUP13112XXXXXXXX
Purchased from Union City of GA.

Thanks for your time and please let me know if you need any other information to process this request.

Sincerely,

Dan Harper

Paul responded:

Dear Mr. Harper:

Thank you for your correspondence. Kia Motors America is only shipping the 3rd row mat to customers who purchased there vehicle on or after February 1, 2002. Per our system your vehicle was purchased in October, 2001. If you seek to purchase a mat please contact your selling dealer.

Thank you
Kia Motors America

Undeterred, I tried yet again by sending Paul this email

Dear Mr. Stapleton:

Thank you for answering my email so quickly. I am, of course, disappointed with your answer. I hate to beg, but I know that others on the Edmunds townhall list have reported receiving 3rd row floor mats from you despite having purchasing the vehicle prior to February 1, 2002. You wouldn't want to make a grown man cry, would you?

Please, please see your way clear to sending me the mat or I fear that I will further humiliate myself with this sort of shameless begging. It is liable to wreck my self-esteem and who knows where it could lead from there. I might be unable to hold a job, leading to missed payments on my van and a failed marriage. Who knows, I could end up destitute, disillusioned, and forced to join the Taliban.

I'm sure you are fair and decent man who would not want to see these catastrophes befall upon me. For motherhood, for apple pie, for love of all that is good and decent in the world please send me the mat. The fate of my life, nay, the world, hangs upon your response.

Humbly yours,

Dan Harper

Paul reply was simply:

Dear Mr. Harper:

Thank you for your correspondence. Sorry we are unable to assist you in this matter, please contact your selling dealership to purchase the mat.

Sincerely
Kia Motors America

Any ideas anyone? Apparently humor and just plain old begging won't work.

Dan Harper

yolo

As far as I remember reading the posts, no one with a purchase before Feb. 1, 2002 got a mat by "e-mailing". I do however recall some posting that theirs came with a mat and bought in late 2001. Maybe that's where your confusion is. I'm sure if someone bought before Feb. 1 and they sent an e-mail request for the mat and actually got it, that they would post when reading this.

newvan2

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. I bought my Sedona EX on January 30th, 2002....I received the exact same emails from Stapleton. The first one and the second. I think it is stupid and bad PR to make such a firm decision about a stinkin floor mat. Especially when this is the first model year and we are a bunch of guinea pigs. Gheezz....Well I have better things to do and will hope that Mr. Stapleton will reconsider in the future.

sritrovato

Believe it or not, back in the "olden days", I tried running higher that 87 in my old bucket of bolts. I think this was a result of training from an old fashioned father who was a genius when it came to cars, trucks, and assorted pieces of heavy equipment. HOWEVER, his expertise was pre modern fuel injection and other newer engine evolutions. The results with my car were poor with 89 or higher. As a matter of fact I had the "ping" using the premium fuels. The car hesitated so badly, especially when cold, that I thought I was going to be creamed a few times, trying to get out of someone's way. Repeated visits to the dealer proved completely unsatisfactory. I lost patience after leaving my car there for days on end with no clear diagnosis. Finally, a mechanic friend suggested that the answer might be fuel. I was not hard to convince after a tank or two of regular eliminated the problem. I'm obviously van "shopping" these days, but my 1989 Olds is still running smoothly on regular gas!

gregoriusm

I stand corrected.

Thank you for pointing me to objective analysis of the situation.

... Greg :-)

marklj

I, too, have been denied a 3rd row mat. I purchased mine in 12/01 and Kia emailed me back with a "so sorry" response.

Meantime, I have picked up set of 3 tan rubber mats from the local Walmart for about 2 bucks each. They are just the right size so that 3 of them cover the floor nicely, but they don't stay in place very well.

Anyone care to tell what they have paid for the famous 3rd row mat from Kia?

bluedevils

Over the weekend, I noticed that the cruise speed was still in the memory even after the vehicle had come to a stop: After tapping the brakes (maybe I hit the Cancel button; don't remember for sure) to temporarily disengage the cruise, I came to a stop. I sped back up, and pressed the 'resume' button. Cruise re-engaged.

bluedevils

Sure, why not!

The heater seems adequate in terms of the amount (plenty) and temperature (hot enough), but it just seems to take longer to warm up than other vehicles I've owned.

my bluedevils ID is the result of being a huge longtime Duke basketball fan. That and my regret for not applying to Duke when I was a high school senior. I'm in Michigan, so the "Duke fan" thing is the extent of my North Carolina roots.

bluedevils

1. To echo yolo's comment, my impression from this board was that anybody who has a 3rd row mat and whose Sedona was bought before 2/1/02, received it when they bought the van. I don't recall anybody emailing Kia and getting them to send one gratis.

2. Thanks for mentioning "t*@iban" in your email. Thanks to that, we'll probably have the FBI, CIA, etc. scrutinizing this board 24 hours a day!

3. Folks, the floor mat thing isn't Paul Stapleton's decision to make! He is bound by the rules set forth by Kia USA. Yes, it's disappointing to see such an arbitrary rule put into place, but it's not a rare occurrence. Manufacturers often change standard equipment on vehicles in the middle of the model year. I feel bad for the folks who didn't get a 3rd row mat, but please don't hold it against Paul Stapleton!

4. Your second email to Kia was very humorous! Thanks for sharing.

mikeymike01

Well it seems that I've joined the list of unlucky Sedona owners involved in a vehicle accident. We parked our Sedona EX at the mall and came out to find the right rear corner of the bumper smashed and cracked. The culprit also got our taillight and dented part of the quarter panel. To top it off, it was a hit and run. This is the 3rd time I've been the recipient of a hit and run with my parked car. The past two times were with vehicles with less than 1,500 miles on the odometer. Makes you want to not buy a new vehicle because there are people in this world that refuse to take responsibility for their actions.

Anyway, the rear bumper has a 2" hole where it was punctured. The rear bumper is simply thin plastic with styrofoam inside. We left for a vacation today with the Sedona so the timing of the accident wasn't great. I'll be taking the minivan to some body shops for some estimates and will report back on the message board with the damage total.

I too am one of the owners who didn't get the 3rd floor mat (purchased the minivan in December 2001). Mr. Stapleton didn't reply back to my second e-mail - perhaps it was due to the fact that I left the Kia e-mail address on this message board from my original e-mail request that resulted in the flood of e-mail requests for 3rd row mats.

After getting nowhere with Kia, I talked to my salesman and pleaded my case for a 3rd row mat. I told him my sob story about the fender bender and then asked for a 3rd row mat. He said he would get me the 3rd row mat for free. My logic was that some owners got the mat and some (like myself) did not get one. Perhaps others will have similar luck if they talk to their dealers about the issue.

excelent3

I went to a soccer tournament this weekend and discovered that I could take the 3rd row seats and face them backwards, looking out the tailgate. With the tailgate up I was very comfortable. It took a little effort to get them to "lock in" but I never felt that I was forcing them in the slot. This should work out fine for all kinds of viewing events!

marcolius

Fred, now THAT is good information. I can see using that feature freely for tailgate events, etc. It helps greatly, too, that the rear door on this van at least opens up high enough that I can walk under it. I was forever leaving chunks of blood, skin, and hair from my forehead on the corners of my Recallostar's tailgate. Just add the disclaimer, "I am not advising any Sedona owner to drive down the road with the seats configured as I described." 'Cause you KNOW someone's going to do it.

Hitch and bike rack work great, by the way. Thanks again for all your pointers.

austinsedona

I bought my Sedona this month and it did not have the 3rd row mat. The dealer told me he would check on it, but, I went ahead and emailed Kia to see if they would send it. Paul Stapleton replied immediately and I received the mat today.

excelent3 -- I will definitely try the backward rear seat config. That is one thing that I really liked on the MPV.

One note - I have a really annoying rattle coming from the passenger side 3rd row seat. Everything seems tight, but, I can recreate it by rocking the seat from side-to-side. Anyone else have any rattle issues?

mfbono

Hey Marco... I'm looking into buying the Hidden Hitch trailer hitch from etrailer, did u buy the bike rack from them as well ?? Funny the bike rack costs more than the trailer hitch.. I'm looking at the folding one that can hold 4 bikes..
also anyone buy one of those cargo carriers, are they worth the price.. any recommendations ??
Im assuming that the hitch doesnt interfere with the spare tire holder ... thanks for any help.....:>)

mcperr

New(?) review of our Sedonas in the main Edmunds site. If some of you are like me and bookmarked just this forum, you may have missed it.

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadtests/roadtest/58606/article.html

Congratulations to mom23girls and excelent3 in joining me in Consumer Commentary notoriety.

Despite their obvious and stated Honda bias, I feel that they gave the Sedona a fair review. One point, though. All reviews that I have read use Kia's stated figure for horsepower of 190. Has anyone seen a review that dyno'd the van for an actual hp number? Certainly feels like more than 200hp to me, especially with the weight.

grandtotal

Kia Canada thinks the Sedona engine produces 195 HP at 5500 RPM. Peak torque happens relatively early at 3500 RPM which is probably why it feels powerful. For a minivan that's exactly the sort of engine characteristic that you want. The 5 speed auto probably helps quite a bit too as does overall gearing. Can anybody tell me what sort of engine speed you register at say 70 MPH?

bb8

Less than 2000RPM/70MPH

wberndt

Just remember that additives are put in gasoline - raising the octane rating - with the purpose of retarding the explosion. This is necessary in high compression engines because, without retarding the explosion, it would happen too soon, causing pinging and (in severe cases) self destruction of the pistons. Think of it this way - lower octane actually explodes more easily so you are using a purer gasoline in your engine.

excelent3

**************ACHTUNG****ACHTUNG***************

I hereby proclaim all owners of the aforementioned
notorious vehicle known as the FORD WINDSTAR from this date forward to eternity be rebadged........ and officially documented as the "RecalloStar", as again aforementioned by the honorable Kia charter owner known as Marcolius.

I own a 2000 LX on its FOURTH, yes you read it right 4444444444444th recall. It deserves no further mention on this honorable forum.

bluedevils

My approximate figures from highway driving in our Sedona:

75 mph: 2400 RPM
70 mph: 2200 RPM
65 mph: 2000 RPM

These are pretty low numbers, which is good for fuel economy, but not as low as bb8 reported. Probably attributable to the 5-speed tranny.

bluedevils

Just finished reading it...

I thought it was a very thorough and fair review. The Edmunds reviews tend to be more "real-world" and "average Joe" than the major automotive mags (CD, MT, RT, AW, Automobile, etc.). This approach allows for more, and more helpful, information while allowing the writers to avoid the stupid witty remarks that the other guys are so hung up on.

mfbono

hi hj.. check posts by yolo ( # 1519, 1520 & 1526 )

marcolius

I got the Hidden Hitch from etrailer.com. It does not interfere at all with the spare. (Doesn't make it any EASIER to get to, either!) I already had a 2" Thule bike rack from a previous car, which also holds four bikes, and folds down to allow rear cargo access. Since the Hidden Hitch only came in the 1 1/2" receiver size, I had to buy an adapter. Though I can't actually tow with it, and it causes the whole rack assembly to protude back about an extra six inches, it works just fine.

austinsedona

very good review. It's one of the best all-around reviews that I've seen so far.

big_guy

I enjoyed reading the review as well. The Sedona looks like a winner . . . mainly due to the low cost and features you get.

One thing I did notice however, the article states that the Ody and the Sedona are the only minivans available with a 5-speed auto tranny . . . this is incorrect. The 2002 MPV also offers a 5-speed.

bluedevils

big_guy, I think you're correct.

Some chronology:

I think the Sedona was the first 5-speed auto minivan available in the U.S. market. That's why the Sedona brochure says it's the only minivan available with a 5-speed auto tranny.

Odyssey (the 2002 or the '03?) was released shortly after, with the 240hp engine and 5-speed auto.

Since then, the revised MPV, with 200hp 3.0L V6 and 5-speed auto, has been released.

grandtotal

The 2002 Odyssey's brochure claims that it is "the only minivan in it's class to offer a 5-speed automatic transmission". That may have been true when the brochure was printed, as we all know it's not true now, although I suppose if 'in it's class' means minivans over 200" length then it is true. The only thing you can say for sure is that these three will not be the last. 6-speed auto minivan anyone?

I realise this is not the right forum to raise this question but does anybody know whether the Mazda transmission selector will let you select '4' thus limiting the transmission to it's first four ratios only? Neither the Sedona nor the Odyssey allows this.

stever

Here's the link.

Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

javadoc

I didn't notice when I test drove one on Monday. I'll look again and post over on MPVs.

/j

austinsedona

doesn't the switch that disables overdrive limit the transmission to the first 4 gears?

mfbono

and I quote "To put it simply, this is a great minivan.".. isn't that what we've been saying... :>)

hoyahenry

I think austinsedona is correct. The o/d switch is effectively the toggle between 4 and 5 gears. I think the Ody has a no o/d switch also, but reserve the right as always to be wrong.

grandtotal

You're correct the Odyssey has no O/D switch, it could do with one.

hoyahenry

The Sedona has an O/D switch and the Odyssey does not. I still believe the O/D gear in the Sedona is effectively the 5th gear.

lagavulin

Unless I've missed it in a previous post, I don't think anyone has mentioned that the Sedona received a 4-star rollover resistance rating in the NHTSA tests. I think that's outstanding for a tall, 4700 lb minivan! I scanned through the NHTSA listing and I didn't see one minivan that did better than four stars.

stever

Someone must have heard you - when I finally got around to reading the review an hour or so ago, we listed the MPV as one of "three" minivans with a 5 speed tranny.

Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

tbragg3

The good news: I too e-mailed Mr. Stapleton last Thursday 4/18/02. We received our mats via FedX on Monday 4/22/02. The bad news (for some): We bought our Kia Sedona EX on 2/18/02. Some more bad news; We took our van back to the dealer for 2 minor problems & 1 not so minor problem. Minors: One week after we bought the van my wife noticed that the center console tray had what looked like a cold-weather crack on the right front corner by the passenger seat. The 'mode' button's black coating was chipping off to reveal more white on the button (very minor). Not so minor: Last Saturday we noticed the passenger 2nd row seat belt would not go into the 'ratcheting mode' after fully extending it. This is a big problem if you want/need to place a child seat in that position. Since we usually ride with the 2nd row drivers' side seat out, this posed a little more of a problem because we were away from home picking up our children. When I took it to the dealer on Monday 4/22/02, the worst part of this whole thing, I had to completely explain the 'positive locking' / ratcheting seat belt operation vs the passive restraint system to the service manager. They said they would have the parts next Monday 4/29/02. It's been a very good experience overall. We love the van & the options with the seats are......priceless!

mc126

My wife's job requires her to have a cell phone. They are paying to have a cell phone mount installed in our Sedona. I don't know anything about what type of mounts are available or what best location is. Any suggestions on type/placement? Her coworkers have their mounts installed on passenger's side of dash/floor but I would rather not give up the comfort/leg space involved.

Thanks

claywaterfill

You guys may want to check out the "Hyundai is the greatest..." thread in the News & Views oard. There is a link to the LA Times about an article talking about how well Hyundai/Kia is doing in the US. They specifically mention that Sedona is their top rated mini van. Check it out!

claywaterfill

Their brochure is probably right about the Oddysey being the only van in its class with a 5 speed auto. I would think the Ody and the Sedona (and now MPV) would be in two different classes since the Ody is larger than the Sedona.

bluedevils

My guess is that both Honda and Kia were referring to the same class-- minivans-- but they both were able to make their unique-in-class claim because at the time each company was compiling its brochure, the other company did NOT have a 5-speed minivan on the market.

sound4him

Hi, I am new to this. I just purchased an Ex on monday Blue/silky beige w/ sunroof,home link, with an after market dvd player for about 22,500.
Tuesday, I was on my way work and my dashboard went wacky. All the gauges went up and down, the lights were flashing and when I stopped and the vehicle was slipping in and out of gear. I turned around and went straight to the dealer. I was furious, to make a long story short, I came home with the showroom vehicle, white/silky beige with leather and antilock brakes,homelink, but with no sunroof with an upgraded DVD player, pin striping for the same $$$.
Has any one had any electrical problems?
How do I get a third row seating mat??
We love the vehicle by the way. I live in NJ and will be making a trip to PA this weekend, so I get a chance to test it's performance...

This is a great discussion group I wish I found it before I purchased my vehicle.

mobilmac

they have been sitting behind the 3rd row seat for over a month, to my surprise i have a third row mat. I still haven't removed the plastic liner from the floor and don't think i will.
I noticed on the back side of each mat, it designates where each mat is to be placed, what are the metal plate and the screws for. I have not read the accompany paper work, but could someone tell me what its for before i get started tomorrow. Btw, we could use a mat at the rear deck. Don't you guys think so.

vanphan

I'm not sure what you are referring to, but a metal plate I received, but have not installed yet, attaches to the left hand base of the drivers seat and secures the carpeted floor mat so it doesn't slide forward when you get in and out. There are also cutouts in the 3rd row mat for a tethered car seat in the second row. As far as a mat at the rear deck, a rubber one is what I needed. I bought a cheap one at K-mart and trimmed it to fit.

1badhippie

AUTOPACIFIC PICKS MOST SATISFYING

AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Survey (VSS) for 2002 places some brands in its winning lineup for the first time....The survey seeks to measure buyer/lessee satisfaction with new cars.

** Kia makes its first mark on the list with the Sedona minivan, rated as the top vehicle in its class. **

The Sedona scored 670 points.
The Odyssey scored 666 points.

The details:

Over 34,000 new car and light truck acquirers responded to the questionnaire. To qualify to be included in the VSS Scores, a vehicle must typically have been rated by at least 100 owners.

Respondents acquired their new 2002 model year vehicles from September through November, 2001.

Respondents to AutoPacific's 2002 Research Suite questionnaire rated 43 attributes for both importance in their purchasing decision and satisfaction after purchase. Thirty-seven of these attributes pertain directly to the product and six pertain to financial and dealership aspects of the vehicle purchasing experience.

Respondents to AutoPacific's 2002 Research Suite questionnaire rated 43 attributes for both importance in their purchasing decision and satisfaction after purchase. Thirty-seven of these attributes pertain directly to the product and six pertain to financial and dealership aspects of the vehicle purchasing experience.

The VSS is not an index. It is a simple numerical "score". This score results from the multiplication of the importance and satisfaction ratings for each of the 43 attributes. A 5-point scale is used for each measurement, so the maximum possible score for each attribute is 25-points. The total number of points which can be scored in the VSS is 1,075 (43 attributes x 25 points). The total score is then normalized to 1,000 through simple factoring.

The info above was collected at these links:

http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=4848

http://www.autopacific.com/

Chris

tinman08

Dont know if this is old news, there is a gas cap holder built in on the gas door, by accident. The gas cap can fit in hinge opening. It works well.

About the sunroof, the first few weeks no noise but after the third week it sounds like air coming in. I have taken it back to the dealer 3 times, they first said it was the cargo rack, the second time it is common on all the sedonas, and the third that it was the wind deflector.
Well I decided to take off the wind deflector and I noticed that the sun roof is not sitting level. The driver side is lower than the passenger side.
I believe that is where the air noise is coming from. Is the roof flexing enough to cause the sun roof not to side level? Any other sun roof owners have the problem?