Bigger, faster Kia Sedona minivan coming this year

[Ming]

Bigger, faster Kia Sedona minivan coming this year
by Alex Law , Auto123
http://www.auto123.com/en/info/news/...tid=35809&pg=1



Canadian car buyers love minivans and getting value for their money, so the arrival of a new model in that segment from Kia Motors should be a big deal for them.

Attention should be paid, then, to the arrival of the 2006 Sedona from the Korean conglomerate that builds and markets Kia and Hyundai models around the world.

A bigger and more powerful Sedona made its entrée at the Chicago auto show this week and will be in Canadian Kia dealers late in the year, sporting a pair of features that are increasingly popular -- fold-flat rear seats as standard equipment, and power sliding doors and liftgate as an option.

But the really important news is that the seven-seat 2006 Sedona will have nearly 15 percent more passenger room than the model it replaces though will actually weigh less than a comparably equipped old model, and be powered by a much more powerful V-6.

That new aluminum block engine is a 3.8-liter DOHC 24-valve V-6 that's expected to generate more than 240 hp at 6,000 rpm (up from 195 at 5,500 rpm) and 250 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm (up from 218 at 3,500 rpm). The precise numbers will follow at a later date, but it's unlikely they'll be less than these estimates.

As before, the Sedona will get a five-speed automatic transmission.

The primary motivator for the larger size and smaller weight is of course a new platform, one that sits on a longer wheelbase and allows for a longer and wider body. The key new measurements are a length of 5,130 mm (up from 4,930) and a width of 1,989 (up from 1,895). The new height of 1,760 mm is also an increase (up from 1,730), but not one that will play a role in most minivan use.

Kia likes to call the new Sedona ''competitively-sized,'' which means it shouldn't cramp the average family going about their daily duties.

Kia has designed the inside of the 2006 Sedona with an eye to versatility as much as space, so it will have flip and fold second row seats that provide easy access to the simple-to-operate 60/40 split-folding-into-the floor third row seat.

The interior of the next Sedona suggests how important it was for Kia to get this vehicle right. It is, after all, the best selling Kia in the important U.S. market, and was the second best-selling Kia in Canada in 2003 behind the Rio. It dropped behind Spectra in 2004 into third, again behind Rio.

So calling Sedona an ''incredibly important vehicle for the company'' is a fair statement for Peter Butterfield, president of Kia Motors America, Inc, to make. It forced them to ''pay careful attention to every detail during its redesign to make sure this new minivan lived up to the tradition of its nameplate.''

As a result, Butterfield says, ''the all-new Sedona offers considerable upgrades, not just in styling and appearance, but in practical applications such as horsepower, safety equipment and standard and available features that will make it fully competitive in the segment.'

[Ming]

Well that just blows the CSV's out of the water, unless they get the 3900 engine.

We know why they didn't get that engine last fall -- GM hadn't finished working on the engine's development yet -- but there is really no excuse for it not to be put in there now that the competition is stomping all over the CSVs.

Either do that, or give the public a 7000 dollar rebate on the CSV's.

[jro4566]

Originally Posted by Ming

Well that just blows the CSV's out of the water, unless they get the 3900 engine.

Amen to that.

[ElmerMCR]

Originally Posted by RCtennis3811

Amen to that.

[GM_Guy81]

how come everytime another company releases a marginal product its doomsday for the GM?

[logansowner]

Originally Posted by GM_Guy81

how come everytime another company releases a marginal product its doomsday for the GM?

Because marginal products are all that it takes to beat the inbred GM vans.

[ElmerMCR]

Originally Posted by logansowner

Because marginal products are all that it takes to beat the inbred GM vans.

True.

[AndrewGS]

The current Sedona is a great van. This new model could really upset the current minivan community, especially the Chrysler twins, the Ford twins and the CSVs. With the Astro gone I'd probably look at the Sedona before going to the Chevrolet dealer to mull over the Uplander.

[gmwsag]

You know when your definitely doomed when a Korean automaker is beating you in safety, performance, and critics-choice.

Definitely an improvement over the last Sedona...except for the front....it looks too foreign-esque to me, turning me off, but a 240 hp V-6 really adds to an already great car. This model is still built on the same platform...I believe...so it should get that nice 5-Star IIHS/NHTSA rating for bragging rights.

[cad1cts]

[quote=Ming]Well that just blows the CSV's out of the water, unless they get the 3900 engine.
why don't they again? i'm blown away by that one.

[the prix]

Why don't they just stick the LS7 in the CSV's and smoke em' all?

:drive

That would be a mini-van I would drive.

[spudglo08]

Originally Posted by the prix

Why don't they just stick the LS7 in the CSV's and smoke em' all?

:drive

That would be a mini-van I would drive.

HAHAHAHAHA thats what i was thinking it might sound dumb but come on a 500HP mini van suv thing how can you go wrong.Soccer moms could get to the store in 23 seconds.

[spudglo08]

Does anyone else think that van looks like a windstar?

[spudglo08]

Or an odysee?

[giagastormer]

Yeah it does look like a Windstar?