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.''
Fresh styling cues and additional standard and available equipment were ''designed to bolster Sedona's established position as a safety and value leader in the highly competitive minivan market,'' Butterfield adds.
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.
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| 2006 Kia Sedona (photo: Kia) |
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.
 |
| 2006 Kia Sedona (photo: Kia) |
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.''
Fresh styling cues and additional standard and available equipment were ''designed to bolster Sedona's established position as a safety and value leader in the highly competitive minivan market,'' Butterfield adds.