2012 Kia Sedona Review
2012 Kia Sedona Review





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Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
Pros
- Excellent warranty
- comfortable ride
- quiet cabin
- great value.
Cons
- Some subpar interior materials and controls
- restrictive and tiered options packages.
What’s new
The 2012 Kia Sedona carries over unchanged.
Edmunds says
Although still an excellent, feature-laden minivan, the 2012 Kia Sedona lags behind revamped rivals and begs for the upgrade treatment recently given to other Kia models.
Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2012 Kia Sedona LX 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 6A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.11 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.
Monthly estimates based on costs in Virginia
$184/mo for Sedona LX
Sedona LX
vs
$210/mo
Avg. Midsize Minivan
Vehicle overview
Kia might need to revisit some landmark legislation from the first Bush II administration, for the automaker has clearly left a child behind. While busy overhauling its Optima and giving fresh legs to its Sportage, Sorento and Rio models, Kia has left the Sedona minivan to languish outside the company's halls of engineering and design. That's a shame, because the 2012 Kia Sedona packs the kind of features, conveniences and warranty in a package that from more established competitors would cost additional thousands.
The neglect of the Sedona is especially critical in light of the redesigned minivans from Chrysler, Dodge, Honda and Toyota. In comparison, Kia gave its van a slight power bump and some minor styling tweaks last year. For 2012, the Sedona gets only a few different exterior colors and an optional rear-seat entertainment system for both trim levels. It's still an exceptional value, but the Sedona suddenly looks a little tired within its class and even within its own brand family.
Ultimately, the 2012 Kia Sedona is still a smart pick if you want a safe and comfortable minivan that won't bust the bank. But the reality is that the Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest and Toyota Sienna offer a number of selective advantages, including better fuel economy, more enjoyable driving dynamics, fresher interior designs and superior resale value. There are also the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans, laudable efforts from the home team.
If you want a minivan that offers a lot for less, the Sedona still deserves a look. As for us, we'll be waiting until Kia gets around to giving the Sedona the redesign it deserves.
Performance & mpg
The 2012 Kia Sedona is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 that makes 271 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic with manual shift control is the only available transmission. The EPA estimates fuel economy at 18 mpg city/25 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined.
Safety
Standard safety features for the 2012 Kia Sedona include antilock brakes with brake assist, stability control, front-seat side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags and active front head restraints. The Sedona earned the top "Good" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in frontal-offset and side-impact tests.
Driving
The 2012 Kia Sedona's 3.5-liter V6 generates plenty of power for family and domestic shuttling duties, and like the Honda Odyssey, the Sedona handles well for a minivan. Its commendable cornering feel offers confidence enough to weave around the road's unexpected obstructions. Ride quality doesn't suffer any for the Kia's heightened reflexes either, as the cabin keeps calm and quiet on the highway and over rougher pavement.
Interior
Inside the cabin, the 2012 Kia Sedona features a modest design that's plain but not unattractive. Most interior materials have a more premium feel, but some elements -- such as instrument bezels, rings and knobs -- feel a little flimsy, underscoring the advantage held by the Sedona's redesigned competitors. Gauges and controls are intuitively placed, with the exception of the haphazardly arrayed manual controls for the climate system.
All three rows of seats provide adequate headroom and legroom, and they're comfortable enough for long-distance road trips. Small storage bins and pockets are plentiful, providing storage for everyone's bottles, cups and portable distractions. The 60/40-split third-row seat folds into the floor and the second-row seats can be folded down at the seatbacks or removed entirely, yielding a competitive 142 cubic feet of maximum cargo space.
2012 Kia Sedona models
The 2012 Kia Sedona is offered in LX and EX trim levels.
Standard LX features include 16-inch wheels, roof rails, keyless entry, full power accessories, rear parking sensors, front and rear-air conditioning, a fold-down table between the front seats and removable second-row captain's chairs. Also standard are 60/40-split fold-flat third-row bench seats, cloth upholstery, a tilt steering wheel with audio controls, cruise control, Bluetooth and a six-speaker CD/MP3 stereo with satellite radio and a USB/auxiliary input jack. A rear seat DVD entertainment system is also available.
Upgrading to the EX trim adds 17-inch alloy wheels, foglamps, heated outside mirrors, a power tailgate, power rear quarter windows, power-adjustable front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a trip computer and wood interior trim. The EX also includes dual power-sliding doors, chrome exterior trim, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and a rearview camera. These features, along with 16-inch alloy wheels, are also available to LX buyers through the Power package.
Additional options on EX models are bundled into packages. The Luxury package adds a sunroof, leather upholstery, heated front seats, power-adjustable pedals, driver-seat memory and tri-zone automatic climate control. Upgrading to either the Premium Entertainment package or Navigation package (you can't get both) requires the Luxury package first. The former package includes a rear-seat DVD entertainment system and a 10-speaker Infinity audio system with an in-dash six-disc changer, while the Navigation package adds a navigation system and eight-speaker Infinity audio.

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Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the Used 2012 Kia Sedona.
5 star(51%)
4 star(31%)
3 star(10%)
2 star(5%)
1 star(3%)
39 reviews
Trending topics in reviews
Most helpful consumer reviews
5 out of 5 stars
2012 Sedona
2012sedona, 01/22/2012
2012 Kia Sedona LX 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
We traded our 2011 Soul for this Sedona.
The soul was a great little car but it was difficult for us to get in and out especially with artificial knees.
We absolutely love our Sedona, we have the power package on it which gives you a lot of extras.
We average round about driving 23-24 mpg.
Not as good as the soul but it sure is a lot easier to get in and out of.
The engine is very … powerful and will throw you in the back seat if you kick the gas.
It has a six speed transmission and we don't even feel it shift.
At seventy mph it runs around 1600-1700 rpms.
That in itself saves the engine greatly over times.
With GM, and Ford quit making vans you only have a very few choices. Love it.
3 out of 5 stars
Good Van... 100K look out!
Dan, 04/20/2016
2011 Kia Sedona LX 4dr Minivan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
I have owned several Kia Sedonas' and over all we have been satisfied. I even recommend them to friends that are in the market for a van. I like that the Kia has light truck tires on it. This isn't so good for a ride, but is great in a rural venue. It also lends to a more durable tire. I feel that Kia has kind of skimped on the interior of the van. It could have more options, but I think … they were trying to keep the cost down and threw some of them out the window. There are several issues to be aware of... 1. the AC pump is prone to going out at least once in the vans life. And even when it is working properly, it makes a rather annoying noise. 2. Be prepared to replace the idler pulley at least once. I have owned 2 vans and this has happened to both. 3. The paint job is kinda cheep. The handles are starting to peel and stuff... could have done better. 4. The bucket seat arms are always coming lose and require me tightening them up once a month.... rather stupid. For my major complaint.... 5. at 100K miles be prepared for something to happen. Right now I am dealing with the oil pressure sensor that is leaking oil. The shop wanted $500 to replace it so I decided to tackle it my self. I think $500 for them to do it would have been a better deal. Wicked pain in the butt!! This being said, I hope to have it fixed and back on the road. I would like to run this bad boy till the wheels fall off. I think I would buy another Kia, because there are some good points, but just be aware of the 100k jinks.
4.63 out of 5 stars
Best surprise in less expensive minivan!
rustynutz, 10/03/2011
2010 Kia Sedona EX 4dr Ext Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 5A)
bought used with 33,000 from car rental, saved $$$$. Changed to mobile one oil, took a 2,000 mile trip from SA TX to Wich KS and back, plus sight seeing. Averaged 25mpg running mostly 80mph.
Pros:
Great seating, acceleration, handling, traction and braking.
good visability, low road noise, lots of storage places and plenty of drink holders.
Well placed controls, easy to access while … driving. Good factory window tinting, dual A/C keeps everyone comfy.
Getting around 18 mpg in town.
Cons:
Can't think of any yet, will post later if I find any.
4 out of 5 stars
I've owned my Sedona for 6 years & 105k miles.
Fowler911, 12/14/2016
2010 Kia Sedona EX 4dr Ext Minivan (3.8L 6cyl 5A)
I bought my 2010 as a used rental car with 11,000k and now I am at almost 106k. The remaining warranty was for only 60k (only original owners get 110k), and only had to use it once to replace the fuel pump at 23k, since it was giving off a humming noise. Dealer replaced with no haggle. My trusted mechanic has been maintaining it and is impressed with it's quality. Yes, it isn't the … top of the line in luxury, but we purchase our vehicles for the long haul and want reliability, comfort and safety over the high techie offerings. I know this minivan will go the distance with me for another several years and thousands of miles. My other 2 minivans (1988 Dodge Caravan & 2000 Chevy Venture) needed new transmissions at 100k, but this baby is still going strong! Mine came with Sirius radio which I just recently enrolled in, I have a single CD player and one USB port and I love the backup sensors which I've never had before. I'm sure it isn't the quietest ride around, but I truly enjoy the look and feel of this model and the cargo capacity works exceptionally well as an additional truck for my husband's upholstery business. All-in-all, I love my Sedona - it has gone the distance with literally no repairs so my investment has been well worth it. I would definitely consider buying another Kia!
Update: It is now 2 years later and my Sedona is still running great at 126k!
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2012 Kia Sedona, so we've included reviews for other years of the Sedona since its last redesign.
2012 Sedona Highlights
LX
Base MSRP | $24,900 |
---|---|
Engine Type | Gas |
Combined MPG | 21 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $184/month |
Seating | 7 seats |
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place | 32.2 cu.ft. |
Drivetrain | front wheel drive |
Warranty | 5 years / 60,000 miles |
Safety
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriverNot RatedPassengerNot Rated
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriverNot RatedPassengerNot Rated
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRollover4 / 5Dynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of Rollover13.6%
IIHS Rating
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.
- Small Overlap Front Driver-Side TestNot Tested
- Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side TestNot Tested
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – OriginalGood
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – OriginalGood
- Side Impact Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Roof Strength TestPoor
- Rear Crash Protection / Head RestraintGood
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