Used 2015 Kia Sedona Consumer Reviews

Sedona SXL is more than a minivan

We purchased a Sedona SXL 7 months ago and have put 12000 miles on it since then. Coming from a 2008 Honda Odyssey there are some distinct differences. Most noticeable is how much quieter the interior is in the Sedona. You can have conversation with people in the back seats at highway speeds in the Sedona without shouting, unlike the Odyssey. The body structure of the Sedona feels very solid -- no rattles, or flex over bumps, like we would notice in the Odyssey. The layout of the instruments and controls in the Sedona are very user friendly and intuitive, more so than the Odyssey. With the console mounted shifter the driving position in the Sedona is less "minivany" than Odyssey. Both vehicles have a comfortable ride, with the Sedona having firmer seats and slightly firmer suspension, which gives it a more stable ride, with less wallow than the Honda. Both are great road trip cars, but the Sedona definitely feels like a more of a luxury car than the Odyssey. Tracks better on the highway too. Real world MPG is about the same, around 24 highway and 18 around town. In terms of driving, the Sedona is more satisfying on the road. We were first considering a Sedona SX model, but after looking at the SXL my wife really liked the extra features -- lounge seats, nappa leather, flashy chrome wheels, and especially the technology package with surround camera. The camera is an amazingly amazingly practical feature. We've owned Mercedes, BMW and Infiniti, Honda, Land Rover, Ford, Lincoln and Chevy vehicles over the years. This is our first time buying a Kia and we are still surprised how much we like it. While it likely won't hold it's value like the Honda, for us it was a better overall value than the other vans. Odyssey advantages: The engine and transmission in the Odyssey felt slightly smoother and more refined under quick acceleration, and the Odyssey has more third row room (since we only use the third row occasionally this was not a big deal). We looked at the new Odyssey and Toyota Sienna as well before we purchased. We also had a Town and Country rental for a week and were surprised that we actually liked it. Side by side it's not quite as good as the Asian minivans but considering that you can buy one for $9K less than the other vans I understand why so many people buy them. All these minivans are great family vehicles but the combination of unmatched features, styling, drive quality and price swayed our decision to buy the Sedona. Of the four we ranked them Sedona, Odyssey, Sienna and Town and Country.

Still in love!!

After testing other mini vans I decided to go with the Sedona. The interior of the Toyota Sienna look too bland for my taste. Honda Odyssey too ugly for me. Test drove Chrysler Town and Country and it felt like it was going to break down. Nissan Quest poor crash ratings so I did not bother. After two years of driving Sedona I had two issues. One was side power sliding door it would not completely close until 2-3 times using remote. Dealer greased power latch and it was corrected. Second transmission shifts harsh one time 1-2 gear when cold then it drives very smooth. Took in for inspection they found nothing and just reset trans cpu. Still have this issue. Electronics are easy to use including gps. With several kids interior is still looks new. Seats are comfortable on long trips. Leather is very nice. After a couple of road trips I still don't have any rock chips so the paint is excellent. Performance is great easy to drive 80-85mph with no effort. I have done 29.5mpg hwy in the city about 16-18mpg. I highly recommend the Kia Sedona. After owning several mini vans this one is my favorite.

The Optimal Choice for Minivan Haters

My wife hated wagons and minivans and swore to never drive one. Then we had our first kid and I convinced her to go with a wagon for the extra cargo room and grew to really appreciate it. So when we had our second child a few years later, the wife readily agreed to a minivan upgrade after having had seen the light. It just made sense since having to deal with multiple child seats, strollers, kid gear, and hauling parents/in-laws with a single vehicle. But since I'm the primary driver on the weekends, any old minivan wouldn't do. What I really like about the Kia Sedona SX-L is the SUV-like styling (exterior, cockpit, center console), luxury accommodations (cooled seats, soft-touch surfaces, Napa leather -- something not even offered on a 3-series BMW, but available as an expensive upgrade on the 550i), safety/convenience/technology features (360 camera view with rearward turning radius, blind spot monitoring, collision warning and rear cross-traffic alerts, proximity keyless entry/start, smart lift gate), performance (strong engine with passing power, relatively nimble handling), and value (cheaper than competition with long warranty). There's plenty of room in the third row seats for adults to boot. We've owned it for 13-months now without any problems or reliability issues. Things we don't like: drive-by-wire throttle input delays; tiny interior conversation mirror; occasionally laggy infotainment system; difficult to move second row captains chairs; cheap-feeling plastic chair controls; Lack of steering wheel transmission paddle controls; poor visibility of blind spot indicators in bright sunlight; lack of sunglasses holders; LED "positioning lights" only come on with the headlights; and the rear suspension bounces over bumps even when fully loaded with passengers.

3 months ownership of used 2015 Sedona SX

On Purchase: Purchased used with 17k mileage, very happy with it, but will replace OEM (kumbo) tires as they are real noisy. No DRLs, mileage is 18-19 mpg in city, but great acceleration and brakes. Watch out when folding up/down 2nd row seats , seatbelt buckle can hinder seat movement to lock in seating position, found out the hard way and mashed the buckle mechanism not knowing it was the problem. Overall very pleased so far, last van was 2004 Odyssey. 3-month follow-up: Follow-up after 3 months - still very impressed with Sedona especially after replacing tires with Bridgestone equivalents (from Costco), now quiet ride. Transported two twin beds (mattress, box, headboards and rails) all in one trip after moving middle row seats all the way up. Noticed brakes were not as solid as I braked one time hard with seven passengers onboard and the van didn't quite stop as quick as I wanted as the brakes faded, no harm, but need to have dealer check it out. All in all, still impressed and pleased with my purchase, will see what my first check-up experience will be with the dealership is like at 30K service. 18-month followup: Still enjoying the Kia - no problems to report. I checked the brakes at the 30K service, dealership said no problems on brakes, but I know that they fade when I brake hard with full van of my 5-6 kids due to weight? I may replace brake pads soon and hope this remedies this problem. I really like using the Android Auto with the Kia big screen - works nicely with touchscreen. I would recommend Kia (this is my first one) and hope the reliability continues.

Best technology options on the market.

I have cooled seats, around view monitor and adaptive cruise control, touch screen navigation that i actually use (unlike my Mercedes's) for $45k No other minivans have this options available. Own for 15 month, 12k miles. Nothing went wrong ever. I wish i could see climate temp all the time.

Will Never Drive Anything But Sedonas

Please note that my previous vehicle was a Z71 Silverado, and I've never owned anything but GM vehicles! But I have converted to being a Kia MUV Mom (multi-use vehicle). The smart lift gate is The BEST with little ones because I never have any free hands. On a trip out of state, we rented a Yukon, and within a half a day, I was wishing for my Sedona, which I NEVER expected. But the height of it is conducive to car seats, especially infant seats. The sliding doors are perfect with kids. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, Kia converted a truck driving country girl to a Sedona-loving mama!!

Rides like a car

It was between this van and a 2017 dodge grand caravan. I felt like I was driving a giant box when I drove the caravan. The sedona was much more comfortable and welcoming and quiet. The only thing that I do not like is: lifting and lowering the 3rd row seats are not easy. Dodge definitely made that easier in their 3rd row seats. I wish I could find a combination of the two.

Redesgin The Dead Pedal!!!

Would be the perfect minivan if they could redesign the dead pedal for the driver. There is NO WAY I could purchase this vehicle due to the lack of space available for my left leg. EVERYTHING else was PERFECT but that mammoth dead pedal would not allow me to stretch out my left leg. (You could half the size of the pedal and the problem is solved by the way!)

Not worth it.

Low buy up front. Spendy in long run. $240 to change trans. fluid properly (sealed system). Quicky lube places charge extra for kia only oil filters (some lawsuit). Trans. gets shifty after a bit. Power steering fluid goes bad quick. Suspension could use a beef up for its frame size. Wears tires fast (2 sets in two years). And the biggest irritation is the GDI. Manual says intake manifold cleaning every 15,000. $140 at a quicky lube place IF they have the equipment for working on a kia. You can buy the can yourself (seafoam or some other brands for 13 to 20 bucks), but best works with 2 people and can take 30 minutes spraying and fluttering gas pedal so engine wont die. If dont do, then heads go "bad" and can cost alot more to fix which can result anyway even if you spray clean the intake manifold. Dealership can do but not for $140. Ive mostly been frustrated with the area i live in saying they are not equipped for working on a kia so either i do it myself (job, 2 kids, sports, and car is my daily...downtime is an issue) or i go to dealership and enjoy not having to worry about saving money.

KIA got this one right!!!

My 2015 Kia Sedona LX, has been a great vehicle. It comes with plenty for storage space and seats 8 people or kids without any issues. It rides like an comfortable SUV, and does not feel like a minivan. I averaged up to 22MPG City, and 26-27MPG HWY, and has a low cost when filling up at the pumps (AVG $30-$45 fill-ups from almost empty). I only wish the re-sale/trade was much higher, but for the money it holds more than a large SUV or crossover, and more cost effective. You can't beat KIA's 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty, which is one of the best on the market (Along with Hyundai). If your looking for a reliable minivan, with a great warranty, and plenty of space, then the KIA Sedona is the one for you!!!!

Engine stall while driving

At only 800 miles since bought new, the car engine stopped and the steering wheel locked by itself while driving with my 2 year old son and 9 month pregnant wife. The car had to be towed to the dealership and I was told it needs a new computer. Now I am waiting for their final response to see if it gets repaired. Don't know how much I will trust its safety in the future travelling with my family. Very Disappointed!

Do not rely on 2015 Kia Sedona Brochure

I leased 2015 Sedona EX Premium Package based on the information in regards to features and options shown on the brochure I picked up on the dealer in mid-January. At the night I picked up the car to home, I found out that there was no 110v inverter and no Drive Memory Seat. It is clearly shown on the brochure that 110v inverter is the standard features on EX trim and Drive Memory Seat is included in EX Premium Package. You can still see on the downloadable brochure from Kia’s website at http://www.kia.com/us/en/forms/brochurerequest/sedona/2015. Kia said no fault on them because window sticker is the one I had to rely, but the sticker doesn't show all. This is Fraud.

Kia Sedona 22K miles of reliability

All I can say is I had this minivan for 4 years during which time we put 22K miles on it. So for what it's worth, no real issues, HOWEVER, literally within the last maybe 3 months or so I noticed a rattle type noise on startup for a few seconds but that's it. The air conditioning system also is just about in need of service which is unusual for such a car only 4 years old with so little mileage. The rear seat belts are poorly designed and very often get caught in the sliding door when closing it such as when someone leaves the seat and you close the door. The belt tends to pop out and get caught in the door. The OEM tires were total garbage (Hankook) 22K miles and they are BALD! OEM tires are usually inferior anyway so no surprise there. The drives / front passenger armrest is BIG PAIN! For some stupid reason it slides about 2 inches in either direction and it is constantly moving when you don't want it to. Come to a stop light it lurches forward. Pull out, it lurches backward! BEYOND annoying!! Our replacement vehicle is a Chrysler Pacifica MUCH better quality the Kia is cheapy inside. Very small difficult to read screen. That's about all I can think of!

3 Year Lease

Sedona has been a great car but only driven 17000 miles in 3 years. Not sure if buying it now at lease end would be good decision. Update: I turned in the Sadona at end of the lease. Now lease 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Limited. Pacifica is a great Van, great technology, drives and rides very well. Right choice for me. Update: No longer own the Pacifica

Back up camera where have you been all my life.

If you are looking for the best minivan for the price you should shop KIA. Staring with the excellent back-up camera to help grandpa navigate over the singing of 2 year old triplet Granddaughters. Every week I discover another feature the KIA team has thought of to make driving this vehicle a pleasure. I have owned nine big 3 American cars and 2 BMW's over a span of 45 years and none has brought the driving enjoyment and reliability of this vehicle. Thank You KIA!

I Just bought out my lease

I couldn't be happier about this car. I leased for three years and I decided to buy it out since my family loved it. We have great travel stories and my children fit all their friends in the minivan. It is a big car, so it is better for suburbian life. It handles like a sedan and it looks like an SUV. the most luxury section has the reclining seats which are like flying in first class. However these seats have limited folding possiblities which makes difficult to move your freshman student. We love camping and you can fit anything you imagine. The back row is for kids mainly or short adults in short distances. The central console has a lot of capacity but is fix, so you can't walk to the back of the car from the first row seat. The trunk with the three rows is big enough and increases greatly folding the back row seat. For the luxury trim I wish it comes with entertainment system, but I plug to video screens and it has plenty of plugs , even a 115V! No a single mechanical issue so far.

I used to love my car until today...

the engine wiring harness blew up and almost blew out the entire engine...

Knocking Noise in Front

I purchased this Kia brand new and am the only owner. It has been problems from day one. There is a terrible knocking noise in the front that has never been able to get repaired correctly. I've had it in the shop for over 60 days with the same repair since I've owned it. The resale value is horrible. Sticker price was $38,000. I have it 3 years, 65,000 miles on it, no wrecks, no body damage, excellent condition on the interior. There is still plastic wrap on the seat belts from where nobody has sit in the seats! The trade-in value is 13,000!!!!!!! I would never purchase a Kia again.

Better be no troubles for 3 years

Leasing for 3 years, right now near end of model year Kia is giving incentives to lease, you should make sure before you go. what kinda sucks is the 8-passenger SXL takes away the sunroof that I wanted, makes no sense. paying so much and not getting a sunroof cause it's only available on the 7 seater? My wife has trouble finding a comfortable seating position, she feels her old Odyssey seat was better. kids feels seats in back are comfortable. The power is supposed to be same as Odyssey but I can't help but feel it is more sluggish to accelerate. The surround view camera is only available on the highest level and seems on par with luxury car makes (Infiniti is what I've experienced so far).

Not perfect but pretty close

Wife and I purchased a 2015 SX-L (top trim) in July, 2020 with 30k miles. We were coming from a 2004 Honda Odyssey. Since buying our 2004 Odyssey (in 2013), it seems minivan styling has gone off the rails; it's incredibly difficult to find a minivan that looks halfway decent. We liked our old Honda and would have liked to get another, but the newer Hondas look horrendous with that awful sloped back end giving it the appearance of a hearse. The Chrysler Town & Country and Sienna were considerations but we felt the Sedona had the best combination of looks, features and price. The van simply put, looks awesome. The exterior styling is light years ahead of the competitors. The interior is wonderful and gives and impression of luxury, quality and good layout. The only potential drawback would be the large center console prohibits movement from the front seats to the back which would probably have been a deal breaker when our kids infants and toddlers, as that pass through was essential for changing diapers and attending to the kids while on long road trips. Our kids are all self sufficient now, so the center console is a huge plus in our case, as it gives tons of extra storage and features to the driver and passenger. The powertrain is one of this van's greatest assets. The engine is smooth, refined and has a wonderful growl to it when pushed-- it's one of the best sounding V6's I've heard. The engine being a 3.3L is a bit smaller than most minivan engines, and you can tell it lacks some low end torque compared to other vans I've driven. The transmission is pretty aggressive in its upshifts; it likes to keep the engine below 2500rpm unless you're aggressive with the throttle. When encountering hills it keeps the transmission busy, having to downshift on even small grades. But once it's over 2500rpm or so, the power comes in quickly, and above 4k RPM, it will even put a smile on your face. The 270-something horsepower moves this van around pretty darn good. The transmission is a true gem, shifts buttery smooth and never feels harsh or strained. The top gear is pretty tall for fuel economy, the engine turns around 2100rpm at 75mph which is pretty much par for the course with a 6 speed. The ability to manually shift is nice for when you are hauling heavy loads or going up mountain passes, or just want to have a little fun. It will actually keep the van in the gear you choose, even if you mash the throttle, the only time the computer intervenes is if you forget to downshift while slowing to a stop. Fuel economy leaves a lot to be desired, we average about 19mpg, whereas our '04 Odyssey would consistently get around 23 in the mostly highway driving that we do. We've gotten up to around 21-22 on long road trips, but that's pretty low compared to most vans. The SX-L model we have has a different final drive ratio, the lower trims are said to get better fuel economy. Brakes have good feel and stopping power. Our van has all the tech safety features like blind spot monitoring, auto-high beams, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning. All seem to work good enough, though not perfect. The blind spot warning indicators are too small and difficult to see in sunlight as it's a small yellow light on the side mirrors. Auto high beams tend to switch back and forth too frequently unless you're on a perfectly dark road, but I've experienced this on other vehicles. The only real gripes I have with the van: second row seats are a pain to adjust. The levers are not intuitive and difficult to tell which adjustment is which without looking down, which you can't see when you're sitting on them. You pretty much have to get out of the seat to make the adjustment, at least until you've familiarized yourself with the controls, which takes awhile due to the number of them. They aren't smooth and require considerable effort to pull the lever, at times it feels like you're going to break them. I suspect small kids will have a problem with these. This will become less of an issue as we spend more time in the van and get more familiar with which lever does what. The rear seat entertainment is system is old an antiquated. I'm pretty sure it's not a high definition screen and it's rather small. If you have a bluetooth phone connected, anytime you use that phone (even if it's not playing sound), the audio will cut out of the movie or whatever you have playing in the back seat. Just seems as though the entertainment system was an afterthought and not well executed. In the age of tablets and handheld devices, you might not care. In conclusion every time I drive this Sedona, I feel like I'm in an Audi or something much more expensive than it is. It's the most comfortable, well mannered van I've ever driven and gives you a feeling of luxury that you just don't find in minivans. Time will tell how reliable it is, we've only had it for about 10k. I don't think we could have done any better choosing a minivan Update: Nearly to 60K miles now and owned it about 2 years. I reread my review and my feelings haven't changed. Reliability has been stellar; aside from a couple recalls (no money out of my pocket), I've had zero issues and have only had to perform regular maintenance. Two thumbs up!

transmition problem and front noise

transmition replaced 2 times and damage tires also,i owned 5 kia before but this time my experience change completed.my last kia

fits just right

There is a tech bulletin on computer draining the battery. Easy dealer fix. Have only seen one minor recall the didn't affect mine.

kia has got a gem in this one

this is the best minivan out there I test drove them all ive owned 5 vans and this is by far the best one yet

Engines and customer service sucks.

I gave a local dealer my business twice knowing they weren't the greatest. My fault! They try to say I need a new engine because I failed to have spark plugs replaced, but head gaskets blow BEFORE needing spark plugs. They think their customers are dumb! I've reached out to everyone I can and CRICKETS!! No response of any kind. Now I have to pay thousands of dollars to have an engine replaced when I'm still making payments on it. It's your faulty engines that's the problem! Thanks for nothing! I'll be buying something with a better engine and it WON'T be a kia! I'm also going to tell everyone else I know how KIA AMERICA treats their repeat customers!

Family Transportation Done Right

Broken engine les than 10000 miles

It's a really bad car, the engine it's broken less than 10000 Miles, I'm using just in the little town DON'T BUYING THIS HORRIBLE CAR

KIA Sedona is so terrible car.

KIA Sedona is so terrible car. Because I experienced lots of car problems and poor service about KIA Sedona and car agency in only one year after buying the car. For example, several times' water leaking of sun roof, Front window's projecting rubber, Flat tire, Failure of auto alarm, etc.. The worst thing is terrible service of KIA car agency and Support Center. They didn't take care of customer's inconvenience and discomport due to their car, not at all. And they didn't response customer's problem. Their service is so terrible. So I would not buy KIA car in the future any more.

Greatest

I love this van.easy to get in and out of. Everything is easy access. Sliding doors close with a touch of a button same with hatch. And has room for everyone and still has plenty of space for extras.

One of the safest vehicles, with drawbacks.

We only buy vehicles which have the highest safety rating by the IIHS, the 2015 Kia Sedona does not only have this, but exceeded and got the Top Safety Pick. We also have our vehicles serviced by the dealership and according to maintenance schedule. Vehicle was bought new 3 years ago with around 160,000 miles on it. Now, 3 years and some 30,000 miles later, we still like it. Our pros: Very comfortable, reliable and lots of space. And we like the looks. Sliding door windows roll down all the way. Our cons: Thin dealership network (ours is 2 hours away). No engine immobilizer (our 16 year old Hyundai has one!). No in-store folding center seats, they fold up straight upright but still block access partially. Even though we have the convenience package which added power sliding doors, no power hatch. Plastic snap-on covers over access panels keep falling down. Fuel mileage is mediocre (rated 18/24 MPG), in real life we can manage around 20/26 MPG. When driving over even the slightest bumps, there is always some 'clanking' noise from the rear. Very small touchscreen with slow response time and no direct access to stored radio stations. Since comfort is a priority item for us (seats, seating position etc.), and the Sedona does great, we can live with all the cons.

Good car, serious dealership/maintenance issu

We love our van, very comfortable to drive. Seat arrangement and storage is vintage compared to Chrysler's/Dodge's 'Stow-N'Go'. Kia dealerships are far away (closest 1 hour), offer no shuttle service nor loaner car. Regular maintenance can be done at any shop. Vehicle specific issues, like the non-latching sliding doors, software upgrade for anti-theft, or airbag light which is on cannot be addressed as dealership state that I cannot wait for it, service would take a whole day. For comfort of riding, I would like to buy another one. Because of all the above mentioned issues, I have to stay away.

Great Value

Just recently purchased a used 2015 Kia Sedona and we are in love. It is such a smooth, classy ride. It's plenty spacious with enough power and beautiful interior. Very happy.

Transmission problems at 88k

The vehicle was good until about 88k. Starting hearing a low growl/grind at low speeds. Turns out it was transmission low gear. Had recommended 60k transmission service at dealership. I guess I just got a bad transmission. Having a Kia remanned transmission put in. I doubt I will ever buy another Kia and do not recommend them.