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Why remove it when you can fold it up? Who cares if it is not folded into the floor as long as it's out of the way? I prefer this design (assuming it is similar to the Sienna), since we have 3 kids and would typically have one of the rear seats folded away, allowing a lot more cargo area than the Honda. In the Honda, one of our kids would be sitting next to suitcases and on the big trips the magic seat would be not so magical-- it would be in the way.
Power doors are stupid, I agree.
This is an exciting value.
I have not seen a single Pontiac Montana or Ford Windstar on a dealer lot with a towing package here in NJ. I even searched the local huge Ford dealer and with 50 Windstars in stock, not a one with a towing package.
Pull my camper with a rear-wheel drive van? Well that limits me to basically a Chevy Astro or GMC van. Definitely not my choice in vans. Or I go with a full size van that my wife thinks is way too big to drive and get 13 mpg.
The Aerostar is gone, so is the RWD Mazda MPV. So there's not much else to choose from in RWD vans. So I'll continue to drive my FWD Windstar until I can get some definite info on the Sedona towing capacity. So far the Windstar has done an admirable job towing, now with 57K miles on it to date.
Drew
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Steve
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I will be trading in my pickup truck for the minivan so cargo carrying capacity & ease ranks rather high with me. In that regard, no minivan will do a pickup justice, but I'd like to minimize the compromise.
The GVWR is how much the vehicle can weigh on its own with passengers and cargo. The maximum payload of 1186 would be the weight of the vehicle (4700) subtracted from the GVWR. The GVWR is developed based on the weight the vehicle's tires, suspension, etc can handle.
The towing capacity (3500) is the maximum trailer weight allowable. But is only one-half of the equation.
The GCVW (gross combined vehicle weight) is the rating for the vehicle, trailer, passengers and cargo combined. This usually governs for a vehicle like a minivan. For instance, my Windstar's GCVW is 7500, and the vehicle weight is 4000, passengers weigh 500 and cargo 400. That's only 2600 remaining for the trailer, even though the Windstar is rated to pull 3500.
Perhaps the Sedona has no GCVW limit, and the 3500 trailer weight is the only limit.
Hope this all makes sense!
Midlifecrisis-- good question. I also want to know the answer.
Kudos to Hyundai/Kia for giving the Sedona the 3.5L instead of the 3.0L V6 in the current XG300. Even though I'm sure the 3.0L would have done an adequate job, no one ever complains about more power.
I've been spoiled by Hyundai's 5/5/10 warranty that I'd feel shortchanged buying anything else. Now if only HMC would build a sister van under the Hyundai name with a disappearing third row seat... ;-)
Max trailer weight without brake system 1250 lbs
tongue weight 125
Max trailer weight with brake system 4400 lbs
tongue weight 440
They mention that 4400 may be too heavy depending on conditions you are towing (road grade, temp,altitude). The tongue weight should be no more than 10% of trailer weight (loaded). They suggest weighing the loaded trailer and tongue separatley to make sure of this. The total GVW includes curb weight and any cargo or people in it and the tongue weight.
Under the specs the weights are as follows:
Curb weight 4656 lbs for L 4676 for GL
GVWR 5787 for L and 5895 for GL
I hope this helps, all Greek to me. (Just call me mechanically challenged)
Now I must say that the service quality will more than likely differ from dealership to dealership. I may just have been lucky.
And yes, it is B-to-B and road side 5/60k, powertrain 10/100k. The Kia warranty is similar and, I hope, carried out just as good.
See http://english.joins.com/article.asp?aid=20010805234804&sid=400
Also it seems that Hyundai reduced their stake in Kia to 34% in May with the 12.5% being sold to an unidentified foreign source(s). Selling the shares of a domestic darling company to foreigners is a bold step and I am not sure what it means at this point.
See: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2001/05/31/200105310032.asp
www.newsonkorea.com also has an article detailing the recent splittting up of the Hyundai and Kia sales departments to foster competition. Interesting. I read somewhere that Hyundai will be reducing the number of Kia/Hyndai vehicle platforms from 18 to around 7 or 8. We will likely see many more parts swaps such as in the high-end Kia and Hyndai sedans. The same source postulated that Hyundai will probably make Kia the up-market brand and keep Hyundai for economy vehicles. We'll see. I don't mind. Late-model Hyndai engines/transmissions have very good reputations and the Sedona powertrain is the best in a minivan that I have driven.
I remember one Kia representative was quoted at the Optima intro as saying that their research has shown that given the same car (e.g., Optima vs Sonata), the Kia name is "worth" some $400(?) more than Hyundai. I personally find that hard to believe, but Optima's pricing sure reflects their conviction.
OTOH, the addition of the near-luxury XG300 to Hyundai's lineup seems to contradict that marketing strategy. I really think they are still trying to gauge market response before making a final decision.
way better than the EPA 15/20 MPG. I'm gonna have to take another trip to the Kia dealer if this keeps up!
I wonder if the Sedona will get this engine?
By the way, Terracan is Hyundai's luxury SUV.
In post 73, jlngwr's mileage is about what most people are getting for Honda Odyssey; every now and again someone in a new Odyssey will complain about 15 or 16 MPG around town, but go for a highway trip and get 24/25. The weight and aerodynamics of stop and go traffic really cut into the minivan's mileage around town.
Let me add that Kia is very smart for not making power sliding doors. True, a major convenience (and cool thing) but when they fail (and they certainly do, even in some Hondas) it is a tremendous hassle.
My current theory is that the superior aerodynamics of the Kia help lower the hwy consumption. This van is extremely quiet at highway speeds which implies a clean exterior. However the weight of the van causes stop and go city mileage to suffer. Also it does not help the city mileage that the engine sounds and power encourage fast take-offs.
Its frustrating that Kia would not anticipate high demand and adjust their production accordingly. Any thoughts?
Results of the MPG survey are self-evident. Everyone reporting said about 15-16 city and
24-25 highway, much better than the EPA 15/20. The 15 city is a matter of physics, accelerating 4700 lbs just takes a lot of energy, the 25 highway is an excellent showing and I think another testimony to this great engine. I think the engine's most efficient torque band is right around highway speed and this may account for the good showing. Typically MPG improves after a few thousand miles so it could get even better. The transmission shifts are excellent. I thought the brakes were solid but feel like they may not have much reserve for towing. I think an owner could verify this sometime. Overall, what a deal... the LX is really loaded and has everything most people need. In my book, this is a luxury van. My dealer had quite a few in inventory and had no problem talking MSRP prices.
Hey, that '78 Chevy gas mileage must be tough on the wallet when you can drive for free, ehe?. Nearly every post that you have offered on other boards has been argumentative, and you certainly are a proven Sedona basher, and bash others as well. We got your number. Run along little boy.
The armrests on the captains seats also have several positions, although I am not sure why anyone would want an armrest to be locked partially down.
Confirmed that our EX does indeed have auto-on headlights. However, the intrument lights must still be switched on with the headlight switch.
Finally got to try out the automatic windshield wipers. I haven't figured out how they work yet, and my wife won't let me take them apart. They adjust the wiping speed from variable intermittant to high speed according to the amount of rain on the windshield. They work well but are a bit too sensitive. I will be contacting Kia to see if the sensitivity can be adjusted.
Continually amazed at the stereo quality, on the few occassions that I can pry the keys from my wife's fingers. A couple of extra tweeters cannot cost the manufacturer much but make an incredible difference to the buyer. I especially like the way that the volume comes up gradually when you start the van.
Over 2500 kms so far (1500 mi) and absolutely no problems. No squeaks, no rattles. Nada.
Steve
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http://www.detnews.com/autosweekly/0109/12/lead/lead.htm
One thing I noticed was that the sticker price for the EX had been modified to include a regional adjustment of almost $1000! Anybody know what that's about? The only other time I saw that type of thing was on a Plymouth Prowler.
Also, all the Sedonas had some type of environmental package option added by the dealer, which cost $600+. I have no idea what that is.
Only you can decide if the value of the van merits the price the dealer puts on it, and market forces will dictate whether the dealer can sell his allotment at premium prices. Due to the recent horrific events in NYC and DC, market forces don't look encouraging for dealers at the moment.
Have fun shopping.
Steve
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But I agree with you about the market changing since last week's events. I can't imagine too many people are in the mood to be buying vehicles right about now.
What, exactly, do they mean by automatic headlights? If this means that the headlights come on as soon as the car is turned on, or put into gear like my wife's Grand Am, then that would count this van out for me. If they do come on when the car is started, is there a way to override this feature?
May seem a little strange, but I am into amateur astronomy and go to a lot of dark sites. If the lights came on when I turn the vehicle on, I would be shot by my fellow astronomers!
The good stuff: great ride, comfortable, wonderful climate control (the A/C very powerful, heat great and fan system strong), wonderful turning radius, passenger areas convenient to use and comfortable (so the kids say). Cargo area easy to use except (see below).
The bad stuff: lousy gas mileage in town (the 15 mpg is for real) but respectable on the highway (24 mpg). With what's going on these days, gas prices and availability may become an issue. Visibility out the rear is limited - had to remove the back seat head rests- haven't used the "touch system" of backing out of parking spaces in years (like when I was 16 - a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away). This is what really irks me about the van, never being able to see where you are in tight places. The mirrors don't really help with this. The rear seat folds easily enough for cargo space, but you have to remove the head rests or move the middle seat up to accommodate their space. This is fine in pre-planned uses, but a pain when out there and you need to fold down the rear seat for some reason.
All in all, I would recommend the van - but depends on your driving needs. Lots of highway and long trips - absolutely. Mostly around town, not so sure. I would probably shop around more than I did if money wasn't a big object - it was for us. So the LX at $19.5K looked really good. It still does. Don't know that I'd pay the premiums some dealers are asking though. Then you're up there with the competition.