Automotive

KIA question (mostly for SEDONA)

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Jr. Member
Feb 7, 2018
155 posts
54 upvotes
Toronto ON

KIA question (mostly for SEDONA)

Hi guys,

We know KIA is not popular as Honda/Toyota, so I am curious to find somebody and ask them in general what's the quality of these vehicles? I am now researching the Sedona. Today spoke to a guy, but he had a 2018 Sedona, so nothing to complain so far. Read the comments for Sedona on Edmunds, lots of people praised it. Few complained. The usual.

Any KIA owners here?

Thanks
19 replies
Deal Guru
May 1, 2012
10538 posts
11427 upvotes
Toronto
ginoisselling wrote: Hi guys,

We know KIA is not popular as Honda/Toyota, so I am curious to find somebody and ask them in general what's the quality of these vehicles? I am now researching the Sedona. Today spoke to a guy, but he had a 2018 Sedona, so nothing to complain so far. Read the comments for Sedona on Edmunds, lots of people praised it. Few complained. The usual.

Any KIA owners here?

Thanks
I am personally not big on Korean cars. I think both KIA And Hyundai cars have a crappy image. Having said that, there's really nothing wrong buying a KIA or Hyundai. They may not be as reliable as Toyotas, but then again nothing is.

Go ahead, nothign wrong with getting a KIA besides others thinking you got terrible taste or are not wealthy.
Member
May 17, 2018
278 posts
125 upvotes
OP, consider taking a look at Lemonaid.
“Of this one thing make sure against your dying day – that your faults die before you do.” - Seneca
Deal Expert
Jan 15, 2006
21392 posts
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Richmond Hill
It’s not even competitively priced. The only reason to buy a Korean car is because they give you more bang for buck. They are out to lunch at these prices which is also why you almost never see one on the road.
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Apr 22, 2013
3039 posts
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Markham
Not an owner, but I've dealt with several Sedonas from 2017 to 2019. As far as reliability, despite the hundreds of units we've processed, surprisingly there's no problem with them both before, during and after service. Only criticisms I could give it is its not as refined to drive as a Sienna or even Caravan. Nothing really wrong with it overall, there is only one limitation it has versus the other minivans, you can't remove the 2nd row seats, only the 8-seater model can you remove the small center seat in the 2nd row. Caravan and Pacifica have the best solution with stow n' go where the fold flat into the vehicle without removing them. Odyssey and Sienna have a solution but its not ideal, as you have to outright remove the seats, the Kia just doesn't give you the option. Its up to you whether that will be a problem, with the 3rd rows though, every minivan has a stow option.
- Jegan V
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Feb 16, 2006
5264 posts
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Vancouver
EP32k2 wrote: It’s not even competitively priced. The only reason to buy a Korean car is because they give you more bang for buck. They are out to lunch at these prices which is also why you almost never see one on the road.
I see a lot of these in the Vancouver area. They are said to handle better than the Chrysler Pacifica.

KIA is still at or near top of list in the JD Powers & Associates ranking of makes but was not included in the 2017 Minivan category.

http://www.jdpower.com/cars/study/Initi ... ke/2430ENG

http://www.jdpower.com/cars/study/2017- ... nivan/1050

However, it is basically the same platform as the Sorento so take the following for what is worth and many here will debate that JD Power is not worth much.

http://www.jdpower.com/cars/study/2017- ... e-SUV/1085

Consumer Reports rates Minivans as follows:
Toyota Sienna 79
Honda Odyssey 76
Chrysler Pacifica 74
Kia Sedona 72 ........ predicted reliability 4/5


check out Youtube for reviews - there are many.

Alex on Autos
Redline Reviews
+

They go under the vehicle here >

.
.
Deal Guru
Sep 1, 2004
12894 posts
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JeganV wrote: Only criticisms I could give it is its not as refined to drive as a Sienna or even Caravan. Nothing really wrong with it overall, there is only one limitation it has versus the other minivans, you can't remove the 2nd row seats, only the 8-seater model can you remove the small center seat in the 2nd row. Caravan and Pacifica have the best solution with stow n' go where the fold flat into the vehicle without removing them. Odyssey and Sienna have a solution but its not ideal, as you have to outright remove the seats, the Kia just doesn't give you the option. Its up to you whether that will be a problem, with the 3rd rows though, every minivan has a stow option.
Man, it drives worse than Caravan? No wonder nobody buys it. Caravan is the worst piece of shit I have ever driven, although that was 10 years ago, a 2008 model.

Stow N Go is the only nice thing about Caravan. You can turn it into a panel van for a trip to Home Depot in 5 mins. But downside of those captain's seats in the 2nd row are not very wide or comfortable compared to the non-foldable ones in Odyssey/Sienna.
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Apr 22, 2013
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Xtrema wrote: Man, it drives worse than Caravan? No wonder nobody buys it. Caravan is the worst piece of shit I have ever driven, although that was 10 years ago, a 2008 model.

Stow N Go is the only nice thing about Caravan. You can turn it into a panel van for a trip to Home Depot in 5 mins. But downside of those captain's seats in the 2nd row are not very wide or comfortable compared to the non-foldable ones in Odyssey/Sienna.
Caravan has improved in its 10 years, not only has the power improved noticeably but the braking and to a lesser degree the handling are better than a 2008, although the main thing that was fixed was the majority of its reliability issues. The Sedona I'm comparing it to a 2018 Caravan since I do get to drive these back to back sometimes. Its been a long time since I've driven the Caravan with its original powertrain, I would probably agree with you that it indeed sucked because I remember not liking them at the beginning in fact preferring its predecessor in a few cases. I also remembered as time went on that they kept getting better. Although it seems I'm slighting the Kia Sedona for its driving dyanmics, we live in a time when minivans no longer are the worst driving vehicles out there. I can definitely come up with way more vehicles that are worse to drive than any of today's minivans, sadly people buy those in droves...
- Jegan V
Member
Feb 2, 2018
414 posts
387 upvotes
Montreal
I remember reading from a comparison review (autotrader.ca) that the Sedona’s seat folding mechanism wasn’t has solid as the ones on the Odyssey and Sienna. When folded there were also gaps in the covers protecting the mechanisms. Also, entry height is higher, so less convenient for small children to enter themselves.

I sat in one of these in the auto show. All souped-up, the interior and especially the seats are gorgeous.
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Jan 31, 2006
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never had a Sedona but had two Kia Souls. One when it first came out in 2010 before it was totaled. it had over 110k km on it and never had an issue. Currently have a 2012 Kia Soul with 120k on it, never had an issue either. Just regular scheduled maintenance.
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Deal Guru
Feb 9, 2006
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Anikiri wrote: I am personally not big on Korean cars. I think both KIA And Hyundai cars have a crappy image. Having said that, there's really nothing wrong buying a KIA or Hyundai. They may not be as reliable as Toyotas, but then again nothing is.

Go ahead, nothign wrong with getting a KIA besides others thinking you got terrible taste or are not wealthy.
No body thinks that because no one seriously gives a damn about what Minivan you drive.

For the OP the Sedona is what I'd say is an "underrated" vehicle.
You got your 3 usual suspects for Minivans. 2 fighting for from the mid to top end(Odyssey and Sienna) and one value play (caravan).
Even inside Kia's own line up the Sorento is the main focus instead of the Sedona. Sales Eclipse the Sedona, you get better pricing and promotions because of how competitive the Crossover segment is.
Not so much for Minivans.

The Sedona has no known major issues. As mentioned the problem with the van is it's neither here nor there against the competition. It's better than a Caravan for fit/finish and Features but not as cheap (not as good value).
It's not quite as competitive as the latest gen Odyssey and Sienna and almost as expensive. It was very competitive with the previous generations of those vans but not as refined as the latest.

The lack of units moved also affects the used car market in that you don't get super low prices despite Kia's usual high depreciation.

Off topic: Don't underestimate how a Caravan drives(It's no sports car), part of the reason why it drives better than you'd think is because it's relatively light for it's power and lighter than a lot of crossovers with Junk electronic steering while it still has old school hydraulic steering.
Deal Expert
Jan 15, 2006
21392 posts
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Richmond Hill
I had a Town and Country rental for 2 weeks 3 years back and it was actually ok to drive and decent on gas. The only gripe I had with it was the 6 speed transmission that it hunted a lot, it was smooth but you would hear the engine rev up for no real reason as it down shift or up shifted lol. Stow and go is the biggest seller and it's amazing.


Pacifica is suppose to be real nice too and I'd buy one of those over a Korean van anyday.
Deal Addict
Nov 13, 2006
1377 posts
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If you are going to buy a Kia, make sure you are in it for the long run and planning to keep it until the end.

The re-sell value on Kia's are horrible.

Case in fact, look for a 2017 Kia Sedona and compare the price to the 2018, you will save a lot of $$$. 2017 and 2018 are the same.
Sr. Member
May 12, 2004
984 posts
244 upvotes
As an owner of a 2009 Kia Sedona, it's been reliable powertrain wise. Besides wear tear brake servicing, the only major issues I have are the power sliding doors and power lift gate. Had to have them serviced a few times. Also the power window motors are weaker imo, as they sometimes freeze during cold winters.

I'm not brand conscious and would get another Kia in future based on value. I've owned a Hyundai before as well so have no beefs about Korean. Besides this Kia Sedona, I currently own a Toyota Prius C and an Infiniti Q50S RS.
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Jan 15, 2006
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Tennoh wrote: As an owner of a 2009 Kia Sedona, it's been reliable powertrain wise. Besides wear tear brake servicing, the only major issues I have are the power sliding doors and power lift gate. Had to have them serviced a few times. Also the power window motors are weaker imo, as they sometimes freeze during cold winters.

I'm not brand conscious and would get another Kia in future based on value. I've owned a Hyundai before as well so have no beefs about Korean. Besides this Kia Sedona, I currently own a Toyota Prius C and an Infiniti Q50S RS.
That's the key word. There's no other reason to buy these.
Member
Aug 8, 2006
486 posts
156 upvotes
Had a Sedona rental last summer and was one of the worst driving vans I've ever used. I was very wary driving it faster than posted speed limits on the highway.
Member
May 17, 2018
278 posts
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In general, Kia (and Hyundai) vehicles used to be lousy. These days, they usually aren't... but they still depreciate as if they are!
“Of this one thing make sure against your dying day – that your faults die before you do.” - Seneca
Sr. Member
Nov 21, 2010
515 posts
108 upvotes
Ontario
JeganV wrote: Caravan has improved in its 10 years, not only has the power improved noticeably but the braking and to a lesser degree the handling are better than a 2008, although the main thing that was fixed was the majority of its reliability issues. The Sedona I'm comparing it to a 2018 Caravan since I do get to drive these back to back sometimes. Its been a long time since I've driven the Caravan with its original powertrain, I would probably agree with you that it indeed sucked because I remember not liking them at the beginning in fact preferring its predecessor in a few cases. I also remembered as time went on that they kept getting better. Although it seems I'm slighting the Kia Sedona for its driving dyanmics, we live in a time when minivans no longer are the worst driving vehicles out there. I can definitely come up with way more vehicles that are worse to drive than any of today's minivans, sadly people buy those in droves...
Plus bang for buck. You can pick up a base 2018 Canada Value Grand Caravan for under $21,000 plus tax and license. That's the main reason you see so many of them on the road.
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Dec 15, 2017
1847 posts
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Toronto
I have a KIA Sedona. From 2004. Its the best most reliable minivan I ever had. A powerful V6 engine that makes it feel like a rocket. I would buy a KIA without even thinking.

The transmissions and engines are made for tanks. When in history have you heard of Sedonas with transmission or engine problems?
Deal Addict
Dec 14, 2007
2144 posts
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OP, what did you end up getting?

Just had a Sedona rental. Practically brand new at1700km. Worst van I have experienced. Its suspension is so soft yet doesn’t take bumps well. It made a few people sick in the car. I have done the same route multiple times with the same people before in a grand caravan or town and country. Never had a problem.
It also handled like crap. Like another poster said, it felt like it was gonna fall off the cliff on mountain roads.

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