2010 Kia Sedona Review

The Sedona EX gets a standard rearview camera, and both the LX and EX versions get standard rear parking sensors. Also, the V6 loses 6 horsepower but gains an estimated 1 mpg in both city and combined driving.

The 2010 Kia Sedona is all about bang-for-the-buck, delivering virtually all the comfort, convenience and safety features of its high-profile competitors for a lot less dough.

Many American families are watching their pennies in these tough economic times. If you've embraced this frugality at your house but need a new minivan, we think it's a pretty safe bet you'll like the 2010 Kia Sedona. The story here is value, as the Sedona delivers virtually all of the same family-friendly qualities as its higher-profile competitors, but at a bargain price.

For an illustration, just compare the Sedona's list of standard features with those of its competitors. Even the roughly $22,000 base model comes well-equipped, and if your frugality happens to lapse at the dealership, the top-of-the-line EX version offers plenty of upscale bells and whistles -- all for notably less than comparably optioned rivals. If it's peace of mind you're after, Kia's got that covered, too. With one of the longest warranties in the business (10 years/100,000 miles on powertrain components) and perfect safety scores, the Sedona is quite literally a safe bet.

That isn't to say that the 2010 Kia Sedona doesn't have its faults. For one thing, the quality of some interior materials is unimpressive, and the Sedona also lacks some of the neat interior seating options offered in other minivans. Resale value is another concern, making the Sedona less attractive if you don't plan to drive it into the ground. Still, we're convinced that families looking for a safe, comfortable minivan that won't bust their budgets would do well to consider the Sedona.

Power for the 2010 Kia Sedona comes from a 3.8-liter V6 that sends 244 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels by way of a five-speed automatic transmission. In performance testing, the Sedona recorded a 0-60-mph sprint of 9 seconds. EPA estimated fuel economy is 17 mpg city/23 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined.

The 2010 Kia Sedona comes standard with antilock disc brakes with brake assist, stability control, front-seat side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags and active front head restraints. In government crash tests, the Sedona earned a perfect five-star rating in both frontal and side impacts. It also received the top "Good" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in frontal-offset and side-impact tests.

The Sedona's V6 engine delivers plenty of power whether you're chauffeuring the whole family around town during the week or pulling the boat to the lake on the weekend. The suspension provides a comfortable ride, and while minivan buyers tend to value comfort over cornering ability, it's worth noting that the 2010 Kia Sedona is as sharp-handling as anything in the category outside of the Honda Odyssey. Add a cabin that is surprisingly quiet at highway speeds, and you've got a value-packed minivan that only gets better from behind the wheel.

The Kia Sedona's seven-passenger cabin has a rather basic design, but it's not unattractive. Most materials are of adequate quality, though a few cheap-feeling trim pieces and switches detract somewhat from this overall positive impression. The gauges and controls are well laid out with the exception of the less-than-intuitive manual climate control system.

The interiors of long-wheelbase LX and EX models offer comfortable seating and good head- and legroom in all three rows. There's also plenty of storage for small items in cubbies scattered throughout the cabin. For schlepping larger items, the second-row seats can be folded down at the seatbacks or removed entirely, and the LWB models' 60/40-split third-row seat folds into the floor. Maximum cargo space is an enormous 142 cubic feet. In the SWB model, removing the 50/50-split third-row seat is a labor-intensive process, but it opens up a useful 121 cubic feet of maximum stowage.