No Sacrifice Value Van Who would have thought that Korea's Kia would be competing head to head with the top domestic and Japanese automakers in the hotly contested minivan sector of the market when they started out in Canada not too long ago?
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| The Kia Sedona has earned an impressive list of awards over the past two years, including a 5-star rating from the NHTSA. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Well they are, and they've come to the table with a formidable product. After almost two years of production the Sedona has walked away with various best new vehicle awards, a total value index award and a vehicle satisfaction award, not bad at all. Its National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 5-Star rating for front and rear-seat passengers in both frontal and side impact crash tests was a boost too, showing just how far Kia has gone to not only win over buyers but keep them... alive.
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| The Sedona has a long list of standard features, all at a price well below it's competitors. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
I tested the 2002 Sedona when it arrived on the scene over a year ago and was duly impressed. It wasn't perfect, and didn't completely measure up to the Chrysler Caravan, Honda Odyssey or
Mazda MPV in interior perceived quality or convenience features, but then again offered standard features that should have made some of its competition blush with embarrassment at the prices they were asking. Even without factoring the 2002 Sedona's low price it was good enough to recommend.
