A U T O M O B I L E S
The Sedona’s seating for eight is
made from the same quality
leather as its luxury Kia K900.
As an homage to the SUV, the large
front seat center console is filled with
armrests and the gear shift lever, unlike
the usual minivan. A fascinating feature
is the Smart-power lift rear gate. It opens
automatically when you stand next to it
for three seconds with your smart key, so
that you don’t need to struggle if you
have an armload of groceries. The gate
can be set for different heights and will
retract if it meets resistance. We really
enjoyed this feature.
The Voice Command Navigation system
actually understands you, without your
having to slowly repeat the desired
destination several times. Safety and
convenience wise, we used the front and
rear Parking Assist audible warning and
Rear Camera Display. The LCD Supervision
Meter Cluster was easy to read day and
night. Added to these features are a
Blind-Spot Detection system to help
with lane changes and a Rear-Cross Traffic
Alert, while you are in reverse. The car is
so smart it tells you when you are moving
out of your lane without signaling, and
the Advanced Smart Cruise Control has
built-in radar to keep you a safe distance
from the car ahead.
We test drove a Kia Sedona and were
extremely impressed with all of these
features. There are a slew of others that we
The middle seats on the Sedona have airplane-style head and footrests that
make it one of the most comfortable rides in the industry.
never even tried to use, such as a Parking
Minder that uses your smart phone to
tell you where your car is parked. There
are so many high-tech systems that we
ignored most of them, since they needed
to be connected to a smart phone.
Driving wise, the powerful 276-horsepower
engine and six-speed automatic
transmission provided a smooth ride that
met all our requirements for handling
and pickup. The format of the Sedona
combines the advantages of a minivan
with the appeal of an SUV to produce a
multipurpose vehicle that is stylish,
comfortable and practical. We think it is
the car of the future.
9
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Kia Sedona can be test
driven at friendly Kia. 5817 U.S. Highway 19
North in New Port Richey, (800) 662-9611
or (727) 815-9611.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 155