[Daddio]

Our little one just switched from rear to front facing. There is now plenty of room for the big kids to pass through to the third row (we removed the 8th seat) without having to move anything. I agree that the Honda layout is superior, either sliding the seat inward or allowing the whole thing to tilt with the car seat in place. But our temporary inconvenience has now passed, and I still find the Sedona far more attractive inside and out, and remain impressed with the ride and handling and comfort. Only fuel economy has been disappointing. When our lease is up in a couple years, we will review the competition, but it'll take a lot to change my loyalty at this point. Bring on an upgrade to the driving assistance features (stop n go for the auto cruise control, rather than cutting off entirely at 6 mph) and keep everything else the same, I'll be more than satisfied. Word is a refresh is coming soon, not sure if that includes any mechanical updates or just cosmetic.

 

[Volfy]

Hyundai/Kia typically does a minor update & facelift every 3yrs, and a complete redesign every 6yrs. For us here in NA, that would be 2018 MY at the earliest for some front fascia restyle and package reshuffle. Since the minivan isn't one of Kia's big volume seller, don't be surprise those timelines get stretched quite a big. Last generation Sedona stayed in production for 9yrs from 2006-2014.

 

[rougeben83]

Well, its a general trend for minivans since their market has shrunk considerably in the last 15 years. The sienna is going on its 9th year, the caravan on its 10th. Even the Odyssey was at its 7th year mark before being replaced this year. For those in the market for a minivan, they may end up being left with not much of a choice, or be driven to the "alternative" CUV segment.

 

[Volfy]

Wife wanted to try the 3-row SUV route, so we went with a Veracruz for a few years. While we loved the ride, comfort and luxury, the interior space utilization just isn't as efficient as a true minivan, when you have a car full of kids. Personally, I don't get the "soccer mom" stigma and couldn't care less what others think of what I drive.

IMHO, the minivan market won't shrivel up and die completely and probably has bottomed out to a stable volume. There will always be car buyers that appreciate the ideal kid hauler and aren't so image paranoid.

I prefer to think of it as glass half full. Competition in a shrinking market has weeded out the weak and less desirable. The minivans that have survived are the best of the best, and you really can't go wrong with any of them. Okay, with the exception of the quirky Nissan Quest, the latest iteration of which looks like an phat hearse and probably is not long for this world.

 

[SWSedonaSX-L]

Edmunds TMV does not appear to show much discount at all, at least on the highest trim level. Maybe they are just selling well enough in this area.

I haven't found Edmunds to be of value really at all. Dealers here mark them down 4-6k just on the website, no negotiating at all. Then on top of that you have all the rebates, theres $3,750 in rebates, conquest cash of $1000, so right there is $10k off with no negotiating at all.

Bear in mind this is for a 2017. Once they clear the rebates and all will turn on the 2018. This is how Chrysler does business.

Our little one just switched from rear to front facing. There is now plenty of room for the big kids to pass through to the third row (we removed the 8th seat) without having to move anything.

But not my 70 year old mother. I don't have big kids, so for me even with forward facing seats the Sedona is a 2 row vehicle.

I still find the Sedona far more attractive inside and out, and remain impressed with the ride and handling and comfort.

Its more attractive, but you need to drive the Pacifica and Odyssey. They are considerably more refined, smoother riding and quieter than the Sedona.

 

[Volfy]

But not my 70 year old mother. I don't have big kids, so for me even with forward facing seats the Sedona is a 2 row vehicle.

When my kids' grannie visits, she sit in the second - or first - row. Sure it was a bit of a hassle to buckle the little ones in, but we'd rather inconvenient ourselves than to put elders in the back of the bus. Anyhow, that's just us. Every family is different.

 

[SWSedonaSX-L]

Issue is she lives down the street, so we do things together on a regular basis. If we go away or something we put one in the back since we’ll all be riding together for a while. If we want to say, all go out to dinner one Tuesday, it’s really annoying.

 

[Rick26]

Not even close!

I'm a "car guy" from the '60's and was pretty much loyal to MoPar (Chrysler) products during that time. Over the years, time hasn't been kind to Chrysler. Today, I wouldn't consider any Chrysler product for ownership. All you have to do is check out the car mags, Consumer Reports and other auto-related info sources to realize that Chrysler products are less-than-reliable, low on quality and way short on resale value. Granted, there have been a few improvements over the last 5 years or so, but no where near what it would take for me to even think about buying one.

About 12 months ago, we bought a new 2016 KIA Sedona SXL. Based on all my research, it sounded like a nice vehicle and certainly worth our consideration. I'm happy to say we've loved it ever since we got it. Yes, we though about Honda and Toyota models, but ultimately went with the KIA...and glad we did. It's certainly got the best "looks" of all the mini-vans and loaded with features that we wanted.

Yeah, the Pacifica may be less expensive (equally equipped), but the Sedona is far and away a better, long-run purchase!

 

[rtb001]

Interestingly Consumer Reports have ranked KIA 3rd in overall brand reliability for at least 2 years running I think. Higher than parent company Hyundai and much higher than the FCA brands, although I think Chrysler is usually the least nonreliable FCA brand compared to say Fiat for instance.

Not sure about CR's methodology in determining reliability, but they typically have the Japanese cars at the top (along with Buick for some reason) and Chrysler/Dodge products near the bottom, so it is interesting that lately the 2 Korean brands are closer to the top than the bottom.

 

[tungsten_22]

For Consumer Reports predicted reliability, Kia Sedona is actually the #1 rated minivan for 2018 model year. This is probably because the Sienna is getting a refresh for 2018 (1st year models always take a ding from CR) and the Sedona is pretty much a carryover from 2017.

I just bought a 2018 SXL last week so I'm probably a little biased at the moment, but I'm happy with my decision. We also test drove an Odyssey. I didn't like that it was too big (even Sedona is a tight squeeze in my garage) and my wife didn't like lack of sunroof in the back. Also, I'm terrified of the 9-speed ZF transmission on the Odyssey, and I don't want to beta-test the 10-speed Honda transmission for the Touring/Elite either.

As for the Pacifica, a quick hop over to the NHTSA database told me to steer clear despite the fact that I could probably get pretty good pricing (especially with rebates on the hybrid). I'd already been following Pacifica reliability issues on their forums and NHTSA database, and I couldn't even convince my wife to test drive one with me after I showed her the data. The day after we bought the Sedona was when all the articles broke about the Center for Auto Safety calling on an NHTSA investigation and for Chrysler to issue a recall for loss of throttle/power steering while people are barreling 60mph down a freeway. Bullet dodged as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Volfy]

These days, Japanese cars no longer rule supreme in the reliability department. A great number of older drivers/owners still have that biased mindset, and that affects how they fill out the surveys. Consequently, they still get an unfair advantage in the numbers game. If you could filter that bias out of these ownership surveys, Japanese cars would rank even lower.

Personally, I don't give too much credence in these ownership surveys, mostly because they assume every driver answers in the exactly same objective manner, which is patently unlikely.

 

[Mizunogolfer]

Recall for the Pacifica. IMO not surprising. Almost par for the course for Chrysler.

 

[Volfy]

Good luck getting it fixed, even with the recall notice. The rear quarter window of our T&C didn't work when we bought it. Found out it that Chrysler had determined the motor circuit could be a potential fire hazard, but at first couldn't come up with a fix, so they instructed dealers to disable the motorized window. By the time I got it, they had already issued a recall, so I scheduled an appt to bring it in for get fixed. No loaner car. Dealer service dept later called and told me they had to order a part and will call me when it came it. They never did in the roughly 2yrs we owned it. Just before we traded it in for the '16 Sedona, I received a letter from Chrysler stating that they have had problem getting all the recall vehicles fixed in the past (no kidding!), and complaints had triggered NHTSA to order Chrysler to stop with the delays and get them fixed. I said "screw it", we were about to get rid of it, and I'm not about to bring it in a second time, do without our second car for who know how long, and deal with any more BS they might come up with. Next owner can deal with it.

Contrast that with the only two factory fixes I've had with the numerous Hyundai/Kia vehicles over the past 20yrs. Both times, including an airbag light coming on in our Gen2 Sedona, I scheduled appt, brought it in, got a loaner, and the problem fixed in a couple of days... with a car wash and detail thrown in for our troubles IIRC.

 

[SedonaXL8]

I'm a "car guy" from the '60's and was pretty much loyal to MoPar (Chrysler) products during that time. Over the years, time hasn't been kind to Chrysler. Today, I wouldn't consider any Chrysler product for ownership. All you have to do is check out the car mags, Consumer Reports and other auto-related info sources to realize that Chrysler products are less-than-reliable, low on quality and way short on resale value. Granted, there have been a few improvements over the last 5 years or so, but no where near what it would take for me to even think about buying one.



About 12 months ago, we bought a new 2016 KIA Sedona SXL. Based on all my research, it sounded like a nice vehicle and certainly worth our consideration. I'm happy to say we've loved it ever since we got it. Yes, we though about Honda and Toyota models, but ultimately went with the KIA...and glad we did. It's certainly got the best "looks" of all the mini-vans and loaded with features that we wanted.



Yeah, the Pacifica may be less expensive (equally equipped), but the Sedona is far and away a better, long-run purchase!

I couldn't agree more with you...

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[SedonaXL8]

My Kia has been a great van, but it just doesn't hold up to the much newer, more refined Pacifica. Technology is way better, better riding, quieter. Sedona is better looking still, but that doesn't overcome the other benefits of the Pacifica. Will be trading the Sedona on a new Pacifica Limited anytime now.

Hi SWSedonaSX-L
Been a long while...

So did you trade in the Sedona for the Pacifica?

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