Kia SEDONA CRDi DIESEL RANGE
When breaking into a market thats already stuffed with worthy rivals, it helps to have a Unique Selling Proposition. Being the biggest, the fastest, the cheapest and so on is always good for sales and usually guarantees a headline or two. The latest Kia Sedona CRDi diesel does better than most in this respect. Theres no cheaper full-sized diesel MPV and certainly none as powerful.
Sizewise, its only beaten by the Chrysler Grand Voyager, dwarfing expensive rivals such as the Renault Grand Espace and the Toyota Previa. No wonder British buyers cant get enough of them.
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Think of it like this. For each Renault Scenic 1.9dCi Expression horsepower, youll pay around £150 and get a car that will cast a 7.1 square metre shadow on your driveway.
Try that with the Sedona CRDi L and youll pay around £117 per horsepower and get 9.3 square metres worth of metal. See what we mean about value for money?
"British buyers are a canny bunch and they quickly cottoned on to the fact that the Kia Sedona was the biggest bargain in the MPV sector"
That diesel engine is a high-tech 143bhp common-rail diesel engine which places it amongst the most powerful diesel MPVs on the market. Automatic transmission is also available at a premium of around £1,000, giving the Koreans another advantage as most European rivals dont yet offer a self-shifter with a diesel engine. Fuel economy, not always an MPV strongpoint, is a laudable 36.3mpg if you opt to shift yourself and a reasonable 33.
2mpg if youve paid the premium to let the Kia swap cogs for you. It would be human nature to be looking for the catch, expecting a huge but to come crashing from the heavens like a grand piano. Thing is, thats not going to happen with the Sedona. Kia may not be the most aspirational brand out there but British buyers are a canny bunch and they quickly cottoned on to the fact that the Kia Sedona was the biggest bargain in the MPV sector: residual prices have held impressively firm as a result. The days of buying a Korean car at what seemed like knockdown rates only for a full tank of fuel to double the cars resale value are but a distant memory. This contributes to a running cost that few mini-MPVs can touch let alone full-sized wagons. Kia wont maintain this position if they rest on their laurels, hence a raft of recent improvements.
Gone is the appalling wood-effect trim which blighted the dashboard of plusher versions (LE and SE variants now get a far more tasteful metallic grain-effect trim instead). Perhaps more importantly, buyers can now expect to find front seatbelt pre-tensioners, a surprising omission from the original specification. Anti-lock brakes and EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) further combine to bring the safety package belatedly up to scratch. On a practical note, this car of course remains a full seven seater but those banished to the rearmost row of seats can at least now stretch out a little more thanks to a lever which has been added to enable those seats to be moved backwards and forwards.
Also on a practical note, gas struts have been added to the bonnet to assist with lifting. Other detail touches include an additional remote control unit for the central locking system, a smarter seat fabric pattern and the addition of an electric sliding sunroof for the plushest SE model. Removable seats are fitted for those wishing to keep their chiropractor in club class, with both middle and rear rows able to be hauled out. This gives an absolutely cavernous load area that doubles up the Sedonas versatility.
The rear bench seat is a 50/50 split/fold number to help with bulky items and aircraft style seat back tables have been included. Kia has mounted the gear lever or automatic transmission selector high on the centre console, allowing a walk-through layout with easy access from parents front seats to the kids in the rear. Having just two seats in the centre allows you to place nuts, confectionery and a selection of delicious hot snacks on the aircraft-style tables should you so wish. Dont expect the Kia to handle like the Ford Galaxy/VW Sharan/SEAT Alhambra-cloned car that many buyers will also be considering.
But then exemplary on-the-limit road manners are not generally high up the priority list of customers for cars like these. What they do want is plenty for their money and the Sedona doesnt disappoint. Standard equipment on the base L is notably generous and includes driver and front passenger airbags and a side impact protection system, power adjusted and heated door mirrors, front electric windows, electric aerial and variable-delay wipers. Nor must we forget eight interior lamps, 11 cup holders and numerous storage bins.
If you want more, the LE and SE models wont disappoint. At this level, youre getting a very generous amount of equipment for money that would get you only on to the lower rungs of the European or Japanese MPV ranges. With Kias Carens now firmly established as a rival for the Vauxhall Zafira, Citroen Picasso and Renault Scenic, the Sedona can concentrate on its successful guerrilla assault on the full-sized MPV market. Korea is, year by year, now targeting niche vehicle sectors that manufacturers in other countries might once have thought their exclusive territory.
Just as Japan shocked the Germans with Lexus a decade ago, few in Japan would have thought Korea capable of models like this. There are only a few cars on sale in the UK that effectively sell themselves. The acknowledged class leaders like the Porsche Boxster, Ford Focus, Mini and BMW 3 Series will always fly off forecourts. It may sound faintly ridiculous but the Kia Sedona CRDi deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as these undoubted winners.
Do the sums, check what else is available and buying any other full sized MPV looks an act of reckless self-indulgence
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Kia Sedona CRDi range
PRICES: £16,750-£20,195 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 10-11
CO2 EMISSIONS: 205g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 104mph / 0-60mph 15.5s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 26.6 / (extra urban) 45.6/ (combined) 36.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4890/1900/1790mm
