2006 Kia Sedona-Update

Just an update for folks looking at the new Sedona....

We're approaching 10K miles on this van and it's been flawless. MPG has now improved to about 24MPG at sustained speeds of 80 MPH. Locally it's around 17 MPG. This is athe fully loaded EX and with so much to go wrong nothing has. We're in NY, so the Sedona takes quite a beating on some of our roads. The class leading power of this van continues to impress, but the handling is average. Overall I generally forget that I'm driving a larger vehicle, so it's fine. We've put in Sirius radio and Garmin C340 van...this is a really great long range car. We drive about 400 miles on a tank!

Good luck,

Robert B NY

Reply to
Bobsprit
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I also have a 2006 Sedona EX w/6,000 miles. Mileage about 22-23 on hwy and 18-19 in traffic. Lowrance 500c GPS. No problems of any kind. Also have a 2006 Sportage (My toy). 4wd LX. Only 1,100 miles. 21.7 mpg so far. Thomas

Reply to
Thomas Avery

Thanx for the updates.

The one negative I heard was only "so-so" handling. I suspect it has to do with Kia's choice for original equipment tires. When it is time to change them, you may do better.

Or not, at least if you have the EX. The LX version has a size from which you have seemingly infinite choices. The EX size, at least for now, has very few alternatives, and most of them don't look very appealing.

Maybe, since most won't need tires for a couple of years or so, by then, they will have more and better choices.

Sounds like a good van overall.

Tom Wenndt

Reply to
Rev. Tom Wenndt

Glad to hear you are happy with 2006 Sedona, the UK ones are equipped with Bridgestone tyres,

225/70R16 or top model has 235/60R17, I have the 225/70R16 and handling is very good. So far done 1400 miles, the only thing I can find to niggle about is the Coolant Temp. Gauge, it reads about 12% low, but it is constant. All my previous cars have indicated normal, can you let me know if your Temp.Gauge reads normal. Gordon
Reply to
Spanner

Glad to hear that your sedonas are treating you well. Stop over and check out the Sedona & Entourage forum at

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to share your thoughtsabout the van.

We too are enjoying our Entourage (4000 miles now).

Reply to
art.obrien

And so begin the quality issues with the new Sedona. Can't say I'm shocked... >>>

Nonsense. There are bound to be issues. My van also had a noisy fuel pump. Kia replaced the WHOLE VAN. My Subaru ALSO had a noisy fuel pump. Took weeks to fix. My 2006 Sedona has been perfect after 5000 miles and we keep getting calls from Major Kia to make sure we're happy. Free oil changes too! My friend's 2005 Toyota Sienna has tranny and window problems. But even without those problems he prefers my Sedona because it's got a real engine in it. The poor Sienna can't get out of it's own way.

Capt RB NY

Reply to
Gilligan

How come when Gilligan says your on a 'second Sedona', you say 'nonsense', then confirm you have been given a second Sedona replacement? Gordon>

Reply to
Spanner

Gilligan is a troll from another group. He doesn't even own a car and basically just trolls these groups with no respect for the folks here.

Back to the 2006 Sedona.... Our Kia Sedona was delivered and picked up with two errors. Noisy fuel pump was the main issue. Rather than start us off with a problem, they quickly gave us a whole new van. This was from Major Kia and we just returned from a 1250 mile drive to Ohio and back. Again, this van is amazing! With the Garmin C340 GPS we carefully tracked fuel and speeds.

Average speed over 510 miles = 81 MPH Top Speed over 510 miles = 117 MPH Fuel Stops = 1 MPG recorded over 510 miles = 23 MPG

A few comments: We drove with AC off for most of the drive. We were three adults and some luggage. I used premium fuel and usually left the van in manual mode locked in 5th. The top speed of 117 MPH may sound crazy, but it was done on an empty stretch of road. The van was still pulling strong at that speed, but the profile of the van is not suited for this type of speed. Still, you can drive for LONG stretches of road at 90-95. It's very secure at these speeds. The large tank of this van means you can run over 400 miles without a stop! On handling: This vehicle was designed to bridge the gap between Honda and Toyota. It outhandles the Toyota, but misses the mark against the Honda. It's a plush ride most of the time, but I do agree that better tires would improve things. The Toyota is just too underpowered to be considered now and is about to get a better engine. Here's some more food for thought: When we visited the service center for our free oil change, not a single 2006 Sedona was in for service. The manager said they have had no problems that kept a single Sedona overnight. In the end you can only go by your own experience. Somewhere someone's Sedona is a Lemon and Kia is not quite on level with the Toyota or Honda yet. The gap HAS narrowed. More importantly you might actually prefer the 06 Sedona over other minivans overall....as we did. At 30K or so, it's not cheap to buy. Kia did not design it to win just on value. It's a better van in many areas than the others. Motor Trend recently did a shootout and the Sedona came in second behind the Honda...but it was a close second. It easily beat the Nissan and Chrysler. Read the review and you'll see that the Sedona was right up there. Toyota refused to enter the shootout....they didn't want to lose to the Kia. Next up: We're waiting for Subaru to bring out a AWD luxury van.

Robert B NY

Reply to
Bobsprit

Toyota stated this as their reason for not entering?

-- Christian

Reply to
CMM

Let's call it a rumor. I have friends that work at New Rochelle and Manhattan Toyota. The Sienna is ready for a makeover, so why hurt the rep by losing or barely beating the Kia? Remember the Honda, which beat the Sienna is previous tests, barely beat the Kia and some rated it better. After driving all three I think the Kia is the top minivan period. BUT, the Sienna AWD version is a clear winner over the Kia and Honda in areas where it snows a lot.

Robert B.

Reply to
Bobsprit

Understood. If the rumor is true, that's a good marketing decision on Toyota's part since the makeover is so close. A bit weaselly but still good marketing.

-- Christian

Reply to
CMM

that's a good marketing decision on Toyota's part since the makeover is so close. A bit weaselly but still good marketing. >>>

Well, in defense of Toyota, the Sienna IS old now. It does not represent their current design ability. Both Honda and Toyota took risks as they engineered their minivans. Even Chrysler employed stow-n-go seating for two rows showing some imagination. All Kia has done is COPY the best aspects of these vans after careful market research. Kia hit these vans when they were on the tail end of their design arc. Easy prey and an easy target for Kia to hit now. Expect both Toyota and Honda to raise the bar big time and soon. Then we'll see how well Kia can respond. The biggest mistake Kia has made was in calling the 2006 mini-van "Sedona." It's so far beyond the old Sedona in every way, why laden it with a suspect name? The new Sedona feels just like a Honda or Toyota and better in some respects, while the old Sedona felt very cheap. Obviously Hyundai's takeover has really changed things.

Robert B NY

Reply to
Bobsprit

An absolute lie. I pointed out that you KIA had to replace your minivan, which you did not divulge until someone else caught you. Now you attack the one who pointed your omission out as a troll? I have a deep respect for the people here - that is why I demand the truth and full disclosure, something of which you are unwilling to give.

Reply to
Gilligan

An absolute lie. >>>

Truth, and I never lied as Major Kia simply handed us a new van because they will not accept two errors on a new vehicle out of the dealership.

Sadly, even Major Toyota is unable to match that policy. Call them and see. As I said, our new Kia (now with 11K miles) has been 100% perfect. My friends with the Honda and Sienna can't say the same. As I said, Gilligan is a troll. See if you can find ANY posts from him in this forum. He's only here because I'm here.

Robert B

2006 Sedona EX
Reply to
Bobsprit

What problems have they seen at 11K?

Must be love. {;o)

-- Christian

Reply to
CMM

After a 3000 mile trip, our Sedona is working flawlessly. No rattles, buzzes or other signs of problems. Power is really really nice. MPG averaged on a drive from NYC to North Carolina was 23.1 MPG with 4 people and luggage. Driving throught heavy rain and high winds at typical speeds (75-85 MPH), the van never felt unstable. Noise levels are quite low. So far this continues to be the mini van to beat. The only real issue is that a loaded one is really not all that cheap anymore...but hey, that sound system with DVD 7.1 surround sound is one of th best stock systems on the market. Add Sirius radio and a Garmin C340 GPS and you'll be all set! BTW, the Garmin is better than ANY factory installed

unit I've tried (Acura RL & Lexus 330) and can be used in more than one car. Just for kicks I took the Sedona to 110 MPH and was pleasantly surprised that it remained glued to the road. With a mini-van you really want torque on tap and that's where the Toyota really falls short. Then again, just get into a new Sedona and the Toyota and Honda feel dated anyway. I've revised my opinion....the Kia Sedona (as other reviews agree) is now king of the mini vans. But I'm keeping my STI, which I just drove damn fast through heavy rain to stock up the boat!

Capt RB

35s5 NY

So which version of the story is true? Or is this the first KIA? A phone call to Major KIA reveals it is not their policy to replace the entire vehicle if it has only two defects.

Reply to
Pup Socket

So which version of the story is true?>>>

Same troll, folks. Anyone with doubts can "really" call Kia. Good luck!

Robert B

2006 Sedona EX
Reply to
Bobsprit

You realize one of the onboard computers logs rpm, driving speed and such. Driving at 117 mph is logged and flagged. You have voided your warranty.

Reply to
Gilligan

Very funny.

Robert B

2006 Sedona EX
Reply to
Bobsprit

Gah. I hope you're joking, because believing that would be daft.

Reply to
CMM

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