Topic: Kia To Show Sedona Replacement In New York

[Autos_Editor]

Render shows mid-size van with Optima face

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[Blueprint]

Just with the teaser, I expect stunning looks.  Size matters though in this segment, so I'm curious to see what KIA will deliver. The old Mazda MPV was perfect-size, but had a drinking problem (I had one). Something MPV-sized, with say the current 200hp 2.4 litre, would work wonders in our market.

[dkaz]

It looks Sienna and Odyssey sized. It has to be to be competitive. They have their small people mover the Rondo already. People are going to look at trivial capabilities like carrying a 4x8 sheet of plywood they will never carry.

My first gen Sienna was sized somewhere between the Odyssey and MPV of the time. Not a bad size van, I just feel like interior space wise I'm driving a 7/8th scale minivan, much like that first gen Toyota Tundra was described as -- a 7/8th scale full size pickup. The turning radius however makes my Sienna feel like a full size commercial van. They tightened the turning radius in the second gen by two metres if I recall correctly.

[Blueprint]

It looks Sienna and Odyssey sized. It has to be to be competitive. They have their small people mover the Rondo already. People are going to look at trivial capabilities like carrying a 4x8 sheet of plywood they will never carry.

My first gen Sienna was sized somewhere between the Odyssey and MPV of the time. Not a bad size van, I just feel like interior space wise I'm driving a 7/8th scale minivan, much like that first gen Toyota Tundra was described as -- a 7/8th scale full size pickup. The turning radius however makes my Sienna feel like a full size commercial van. They tightened the turning radius in the second gen by two metres if I recall correctly.

We had the MPV as a 2nd car to our gen2-Odyssey, and it too felt like a 7/8ths Ody right down to the one-piece folding-in-the-floor 3rd row.

Both the MPV and gen-1 Sienna did well in Canada, but you're right - the new Sedona will probably be "4x8" sized to please the 'muricans.

[Noto]

It'd be hilarious to see this thing with a 4-cylinder - Toyota canned it on the Sienna because it just didn't sell.

I'm guessing it'll add a lot of heated stuff (like heated rear and 3rd row seats) and therein lies the 'challenge'.

[mixmanmash]

Took them long enough.  I couldn't wait any longer to buy a new vehicle and hence I went with the 2014 Odyssey.

[Noto]

Took them long enough.  I couldn't wait any longer to buy a new vehicle and hence I went with the 2014 Odyssey.

Well, why didn't you tell them you couldn't wait any longer?!  They would have come out with it earlier!   

[mixmanmash]

Took them long enough.  I couldn't wait any longer to buy a new vehicle and hence I went with the 2014 Odyssey.

Well, why didn't you tell them you couldn't wait any longer?!  They would have come out with it earlier!   

Lol.  I doubt it.  I doubt I would have gone for it anyways.  From the spy shots I saw, it looks like rear & rear 1/3 visibility is heavily compromised by a rising belt line with smallish windows.

[Noto]

yeah, but would you look at that gaping maw and oh-so-functional LED daytime runners?! 
(please note the sarcasm)

[dkaz]

The current Sedona is a poor value proposition for the upper models, so hopefully this changes with the new generation. Standard Bluetooth, heated seats, maybe even a backup camera for one in their base $28k model. Sub-$32k gets you auto climate control and power sliding doors, undercutting Sienna and Odyssey by $2k. They should also come with an 8 seat option as well, I know most people prefer that walk through space in the centre but me I'd like a comfortable 5 seater with heaps of cargo space in the back with seats normally in the floor, with the option of carrying 8 and still having 1200L+ of cargo room behind the 3rd row.

We had the MPV as a 2nd car to our gen2-Odyssey, and it too felt like a 7/8ths Ody right down to the one-piece folding-in-the-floor 3rd row.

Both the MPV and gen-1 Sienna did well in Canada, but you're right - the new Sedona will probably be "4x8" sized to please the 'muricans.

Didn't the 2nd gen Odyssey also have a one piece 3rd row seat? But yea I do see a lot of MPVs around. Not so much of the refreshed 2004-06 models with the sleeker front end, with the new 2nd gen Sienna and 3rd gen Odyssey, Mazda may have seen a huge hit on minivan sales that led to its discontinuation.

I wish I did test drive both the MPV and Odyssey before getting my Sienna. Not that I don't like the Sienna, but I eventually drove my teammate's Odyssey and really liked how planted it was making turns. I heard the MPV was an even better handler and I wouldn't doubt it, but the potential reliability issues made me not want to look at it at all. I saw one a couple of years back stalled in rush hour traffic on a road with no stopping zone, poor guy. I needed something that would not leave me stranded on a road trip to Edmonton. Honda Odyssey, I couldn't find any that fit the bill and my budget.

[Noto]

I'm just generally very impressed with how well minivans handle (not how they are to park - stupid behemoths!), but they really, really do drive like cars.  I had a rental Sienna on the Sea-to-Sky in February and was genuinely enjoying my somewhat hilly/winding drive, somehow.  It was no performance sedan, but it didn't have Hyundai/Kia's awful steering, either.

[mixmanmash]

I'm just generally very impressed with how well minivans handle (not how they are to park - stupid behemoths!), but they really, really do drive like cars.  I had a rental Sienna on the Sea-to-Sky in February and was genuinely enjoying my somewhat hilly/winding drive, somehow.  It was no performance sedan, but it didn't have Hyundai/Kia's awful steering, either.

And if you thought the Sienna was good, the Odyssey is way better. 

[Noto]

I'd say that I look forward to giving one a try sometime soon, but I'm probably the better part of a decade away from having my first child based on my and Lady Noto's career paths.  We'll get married, eventually...then a few years sans kids.

She grew up with her parents having one small and one mid-size sedan and believes, therefore, that nobody needs a minivan and she will never, ever drive one.  Just my fricken luck - if we need one, I'm the one stuck with it.  Probably for the better, she could never, ever park it.

I think Minivans are great, great vehicles.

[dkaz]

Agreed. We used the Sienna to move and my wife was impressed I was able to fit a living room full of boxes into the Sienna. Along with a 5x8 Uhaul trailer, it was a moving machine.

Even now, I love that I can throw a bicycle in it with the third row folded down, leaving the second row with its child seats in place.

I did drive the 3 to hockey practice last night. Enjoyed slinging the car into corners, something that's not quite the Sienna's forte, but the Sienna wins the utility war.

[mixmanmash]

I'd say that I look forward to giving one a try sometime soon, but I'm probably the better part of a decade away from having my first child based on my and Lady Noto's career paths.  We'll get married, eventually...then a few years sans kids.

She grew up with her parents having one small and one mid-size sedan and believes, therefore, that nobody needs a minivan and she will never, ever drive one.  Just my fricken luck - if we need one, I'm the one stuck with it.  Probably for the better, she could never, ever park it.

I think Minivans are great, great vehicles.

Well, I'm the one who will have to drive our minivan.  Why?  I live the closest to home, so it makes sense that I drive the vehicle that is larger with worse fuel economy the shortest distance.  As well, I work for myself and if there is an emergency with the kids, I can run at a moments notice to take care of it.  That said, I really don't feel like it is punishment after test driving the 2014 Honda Odyssey.  Drives pretty nice.  As a bonus, in the summer, I'll always have my 300ZX to drive.

[Noto]

That would make sense - and in that way, it's a mixed bag as to who would have to drive the minivan - we both work long, busy hours, but she's in surgery and can't up-and-leave, and I can, but her commute would be FAR shorter compared to mine.

I would see it as something of punishment, though.  I care about what I drive, I want to enjoy it, and I want 'something' of an image when I park alongside a bunch of lawyers.  Part of me wants to see a Subaru minivan now that would be interesting.  Good AWD, good handling, an interior that can handle a beating, decent fuel economy (now-a-days)...just no Tribeca styling, please!

[mixmanmash]

Well, if you're going to see it as punishment, don't get one.  In reality, you may find that your opinion changes as life progresses. There was a time I would have thought of it as a punishment.  But it is a blessing.  Sliding doors in tight parking spots while trying to load your infant(s) is so worth it.  Not having to bend down to get them in or standing outside in the freezing cold while your toddler(s) are fighting you to get into their seats is a huge bonus.

In my case, having twin girls is a blessing.  That also means I need 2 reverse facing car seats, meaning that only a minivan offers the configuration I need that will allow me to transport 3+ adults and my children regularly.

[dkaz]

My Sienna's proven to be a very comfortable commuter vehicle, albeit one that likes to drink quite a bit of gas. Seeing how I took transit exclusively before weekdays and only drove the 3 weekends, the only thing that's changed is that it's now a combination of the Sienna and either transit or cycling. With cycling, I like how I can easily throw the bike into the van with just the 3rd row stowed if I take the front wheel off, or I can leave the front wheel on if the 3rd row is out. The second row with the toddler seats stay in place all the time, so it becomes a family hauler at a moment's notice with little hassle.

[OliverD]

It looks Sienna and Odyssey sized. It has to be to be competitive. They have their small people mover the Rondo already. People are going to look at trivial capabilities like carrying a 4x8 sheet of plywood they will never carry.

They used to offer a short wheelbase Sedona in the U.S. I don't think I've ever seen one.

[Noto]

Well, if you're going to see it as punishment, don't get one.  In reality, you may find that your opinion changes as life progresses. There was a time I would have thought of it as a punishment.  But it is a blessing.  Sliding doors in tight parking spots while trying to load your infant(s) is so worth it.  Not having to bend down to get them in or standing outside in the freezing cold while your toddler(s) are fighting you to get into their seats is a huge bonus.

In my case, having twin girls is a blessing.  That also means I need 2 reverse facing car seats, meaning that only a minivan offers the configuration I need that will allow me to transport 3+ adults and my children regularly.

I agree.  Like I said, Minivans are great, great vehicles!  ...but, as I did not clearly indicate, my current life stage isn't amenable to one (nor would I have any reasonable use for one other than a few (<2) days per year).