The Sedona's plentitude of horsepower and standard equipment is not accompanied with the big-ticket pricing that stalks its
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| The Sedona's plentitude of horsepower and standard equipment is notaccompanied with the big-ticket pricing that stalks its three toughestimport rivals. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
three toughest import rivals. Plot the price range of the 2006 Sedona on a graph against similarly equipped minivans and it becomes visually apparent. It enters the pricing arena much lower than the others and tops-out, with all the bells and whistles, in the competition's mid-level price range. Lastly, the drive: if what you've read fails to impress, driving the new Sedona is sure to.
The introductory drive Kia planned for journalists attending the Sedona's Canadian coming-out event was ambitious to say the least. This wasn't about tooling around flowerbeds in nicely manicured parks, it was about hitting the highway and knocking-off high mountain passes and hairpin turns in damp foggy weather. Kia's confidence was obviously bolstered by the hardy dose of 244-horsepower and the potent 253 pounds-feet of torque residing beneath the Sedona's sleek nose. Incidentally, that horsepower
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| Kia's confidence was obviously bolstered by the hardy dose of 244-horsepower and the potent 253 pounds-feet of torque residing beneath the Sedona's sleek nose. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
rating exceeds the specs offered up by both the Nissan Quest and the Toyota Sienna, but falls short of the 255-horsepower embraced by Honda's most recent Odyssey van.
Interestingly though, the Honda's torque rating of 250 foot-pounds of torque is slightly shy of the Sedona's healthier rating of 253, and when it comes to grunt work such as pulling trailers and slogging up steep terrain, torque is king. The Sedona's all-new 4-valve per cylinder powerplant delivers 50 more ponies than last year's V6 and has gained a 9 percent increase in city fuel-economy and a 12 percent gain on the highway, where the Sedona is no slouch. The sizeable aluminum mill includes Dual Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) in its bag of performance-enhancing tricks.
