EmailBest Reviewed
Minivans
- Best full-size minivan 2009 Honda Odyssey *Est. $26355
- Minivan with available all-wheel-drive 2009 Toyota Sienna *Est. $24540
- Best budget minivan 2009 Kia Sedona *Est. $21065
- Small, gas-miser minivan 2009 Mazda Mazda5 *Est. $17995
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Best budget minivan
- Least expensive full-size minivan
- Top safety scores
- Long warranty
- Powerful, smooth engine
- Roomy interior
- Upscale features
- Worst resale value among minivans
- Heavy handling
- Interior refinement is lacking
- Reliability
February 2009. If your budget is tight, experts say the Kia Sedona is an excellent alternative to the top-rated Honda Odyssey (*est. $26,355 to $41,005). For thousands of dollars less, the Sedona ties the Odyssey for first-place in safety among minivans. It's just as roomy, just as powerful, and it's backed by a longer warranty (five years/60,000 miles) than the Honda.
But there's a catch. The Sedona has not been nearly as reliable over the years as the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna (*est. $24,540 to $37,865) have proven to be. Owners have reported breakdowns with the Sedona's drive system, electrical system and engine. And while the Odyssey boasts the best resale value among minivans, the Sedona was named the worst value-losing vehicle (not just minivan) by Forbes in 2008. Although some reviews say the Sedona's resale value has been improving, Kelley Blue Book still ranks it below average.
Kia is owned by Hyundai, and the Sedona is nearly identical to the Hyundai Entourage (*est. $23,995 to $29,895). The Hyundai doesn't have a short-wheelbase version like the Kia does, and it costs more. The two differ on a few features; for example, the base Hyundai includes rear power windows and roof-rack rails. Both include all of the major standard features you'll find on more expensive minivans, such as cruise control, keyless entry and three-zone climate control. Luxuries like heated leather seats are options, as with all minivans. To get a DVD player for the backseat, you must buy the top-of-the-line Sedona EX plus all three option packages (*est. total $32,390).
The Sedona's interior gets mixed reviews: Some say it's of good quality, while others say it seems cheap. Testers say the seats are comfortable enough. Unlike the Honda and Toyota minivans, the seven-seat Kia/Hyundai has no eighth-seat option. The second-row bucket seats are removable. The folding third-row seat on the base Sedona (*est. $21,065) splits 50/50 and is removable, while the LX (*est. $23,965) and EX (*est. $26,565) trims have 60/40 split third-row seats that fold flat into the floor. The third row is a bright spot for the Kia/Hyundai; reviews say it's the roomiest in its class, and very easy to enter and exit.
The Kia/Hyundai's 250-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6 engine and five-speed automatic transmission with manual mode provide plenty of smooth power, reviews say. But handling is heavy. Testers criticize the Sedona's excessive body roll and vague steering, and they say it just feels big, although the short-wheelbase model is easier to maneuver. Fuel economy is about the same as most other minivans, at an EPA-estimated 16 mpg city, 23 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined.
Consumer Reports looks more closely at the Kia Sedona than other review sources do. Experts there analyze everything from the Sedona's ride and comfort to its fuel economy and reliability. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety perform the scientific crash tests that earn the Sedona its high safety scores. A review conducted by the nonprofit National Motorist Association is unique, because it includes the perspectives of four different people. Forbes.com uses Kelley Blue Book data to estimate which vehicles lose their value fastest (the Kia Sedona is one). Edmunds.com, ConsumerGuide.com and Kelley Blue Book are reliable sources, but their reviews of the Sedona are not as detailed as Consumer Reports'.
Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
Unlike some other reviews, Consumer Reports' analysis of the Kia Sedona takes long-term owner satisfaction and reliability into account. Editors also rank the Sedona against other minivans based on performance, comfort and more.
Review: Kia Sedona, Editors of Consumer Reports
2. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The NHTSA crash-tests 2009 minivans and posts the results here. Like most other minivans, the Kia Sedona earns five-star impact and four-star rollover ratings.
Review: 5-Star Safety Ratings, Editors of SaferCar.gov
3. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
The Kia Sedona earns a Top Safety Pick designation at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The 2008 model earns good scores in all crash tests, and the 2009 model is unchanged.
Review: Kia Sedona, Editors of IIHS
4. National Motorists Association/The Car Family
Members of the Car Family -- a mom, a dad, a young working woman and a working teenage male -- test five minivans and pick the Kia Sedona as the best of the bunch. They praise its long warranty and its performance.
Review: Mini Van Shoot Out: Town and Country, Quest, Sedona, Odyssey, Sienna, Editors of The Car Family
Most minivans on the market get either a Best Buy or Recommended designation from ConsumerGuide.com; the Kia Sedona earns a Recommended tag. Editors award the Sedona numeric scores in 11 categories (such as acceleration and fuel economy) as well as giving it an all-around score, but they don't compare the Sedona with any other minivans.
Review: 2009 Kia Sedona Full Review, Editors of ConsumerGuide.com, Nov. 22, 2008
6. Forbes
The Kia Sedona "tops our list of value-losing vehicles," Forbes.com reports. The Sedona loses 80 percent of its value in five years, this review estimates.
Review: Ten Cars That Lose Value Fast, Jacqueline Mitchell, Feb. 29, 2008
7. Edmunds.com
Edmunds.com editors discuss the 2008 Kia Sedona, but it is still valid because the Sedona did not change for 2009. Editors give an overview of the Sedona's pros and cons, although there's not as much depth here as with some other reviews. The current Sedona is mostly compared here with the first-generation Sedona, and not with its competitors, which would be more helpful.
Review: Kia Sedona Review, Editors of Edmunds.com
The Kia Sedona is one of five 2009 minivans recommended by Kelley Blue Book. Its buyer's guide links to this review of the identical 2008 Sedona. It includes very little detail, although editors do appear to have road-tested the Sedona.
Review: 2008 Kia Sedona Review, Editors of Kelley Blue Book
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