2014 Kia Sedona Review

The Kia Sedona is back after a one-year hiatus. Minor styling changes inside and out are the only notable updates.

The 2014 Kia Sedona has the minivan basics covered, but its outdated design makes it hard to recommend in the face of its more recently updated competitors.

When an automaker brings out an updated version of an established model, there's usually a "ta-da!" moment when the company ticks off the long list of improvements it has made. In the case of the 2014 Kia Sedona, however, we're witnessing the return of a minivan that hasn't really changed all that much.

After Kia put its minivan on hiatus last year, most industry watchers expected an all-new Sedona model for 2014. Instead, the Sedona is back with no major changes to speak of, save for a handful of minor styling tweaks. To its credit, the 2014 Sedona still has some nice attributes, including a smooth ride, secure handling, attractive pricing, a roomy interior and, of course, Kia's healthy warranty coverage.

While those are all admirable qualities, though, the Sedona has fallen even farther behind the more recently updated leaders in the minivan class. This is most obvious in the features department, as you can't get the Sedona with useful items like keyless ignition/entry, a rear-seat entertainment system or blind-spot monitoring. The Sedona's interior design looks rather dated as well, and you won't find a second-row bench seat option as in some competitors. While the 2014 Kia Sedona still has a lot to offer, we strongly suggest minivan shoppers compare it with the Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest and Toyota Sienna before making a final decision.

Powering the 2014 Kia Sedona is a 3.5-liter V6 that makes 269 horsepower and 246 pound-feet of torque. It sends its power to the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. EPA fuel economy estimates are 20 mpg combined (17 mpg city/24 mpg highway), which are a bit less than those of the Odyssey and Sienna.

Standard safety features on the 2014 Kia Sedona include antilock brakes, traction and stability control, front seat side-impact airbags, side-curtain airbags and active front head restraints. Rear parking sensors are standard on all Sedonas, while a rearview camera is optional on the LX and standard on the EX.

In government crash tests, the 2014 Kia Sedona scored a rating of five stars overall, with five stars in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover testing. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the 2014 Sedona a rating of "Good."

The 2014 Kia Sedona's V6 engine delivers the performance expected for a minivan, with suitable power for tooling around town and quickly getting up to speed on freeway entrance ramps. The Sedona's ride quality is also quite comfortable, enough so that your brood might very well nod off on longer trips. Through turns, the suspension delivers secure, though unremarkable, handling.

Inside, the 2014 Kia Sedona sports a functional interior, though the layout and look of the dash and controls is a bit of a throwback compared to the fresher designs in newer competitors. Noise levels are low and captain's chairs for the front and second-row passengers offer good comfort and legroom. The 60/40-split third-row bench seat is fine for the elementary school crowd.

The interior also offers an abundance of storage bins, including an overhead holder for sunglasses and a center console sized to fit iPads and other portable electronics. When it comes to bigger cargo, all or part of the third-row seat can be folded into the floor to open up 80 cubic feet of storage space. If that's not enough, one or both of the second-row seats can be folded forward or wrestled out entirely (making it necessary to find somewhere to store them) to create a 141.5-cubic-foot cargo hold.