2008 Kia Sedona consumer reviews

Three years ago, my wife and I bought a 2008 Kia Sedona for half as much as the competition and we absolutely love it! Also, what the others offer in slight perks and technology, the Kia makes up for in gas mileage, power, and exterior appearance. Performs like a coupe, rides like an SUV, and hauls kids like a "Grocery Getter" should. For the money, there is no mini van that can touch the Sedona.

I bought a 2008 Sedona LX in early 2009 taking advantage of great sales incentives at that time. This vehicle replaced a 2000 Toyota Sienna whose engine and transmission had both failed and had to be replaced...this made the 10/100K warranty of the Kia seem very attractive...if Honda and Toyota have such confidence in their quality, why not match Kia's warranty? The price, warranty, and safety ratings made me pick the Sedona. I read consumer reports and their less-than-stellar reliability ratings for the Sedona worried me, but after more than two years, I've had zero problems with it. I wasn't looking for style or sports-car-like handling, but that said, it looks nice (for a minivan), it is extremely peppy, handles well, has a very flexible interior; it seems to offer everything the Honda and Toyota vehicles do but at a much lower price and with a much better warranty. It is a great vehicle for hauling kids, mulch, project materials, etc. I like it so much that when it was time to replace our 2001 Lexus RX300, we chose the Kia Sorento as our next SUV...so go Kia!

We bought a Sedona after researching minivans. It appeared that the Toyota Seinna was the best - but a comparable unit was about $7000 more than a similarly equipped Sedona (purchased 2 years old). We bought an SE that came fairly well equipped and its doing the job. We have four children and the old Ford Freestyle wasn't up to the job of constantly hauling all of them a pain (seat arrangement made getting to the third row dificult). The 3.8 engine is extremely powerful compared to the Freestyle it replaced but doesn't get as good of mileage (21 MPG average every tank of mixed driving) compared to reports on the Sienna. New brakes at 55K and some rubber bushings replaced under warranty at the same time are the only repairs. The cloth seats are OK but foot and leg room for the driver is just a bit cramped for a vehicle this size (6' 1" and size 12 shoes) but my wife doesn't notice it all. Its our first mini van and it fills the need of moving large numbers people with safety and comfort. The sliding doors close easily (our 5 year old can do it) and the three way airconditioning works well. We bought an EX and think maybe an LX would be the way to go next time with leather and built in DVD. Given everything I've read I would avoid electric doors on all mini vans and especially avoid them on a Kia (we don't have them and are glad). Our personal experiance has been that repairs and warranty coverage has been better than what our friends report with Dodge and Honda vans.

Purchased a used 2008 Kia Sedona EX several months ago after extensive research on cars.com and other sites. I had previously owned a 1999 Chrysler mini van which had served me well. Started looking at Kia vans after reading about them in various articles and looking at them on cars.com. The Kia Sedona is very pratica;, duall sliding doors, huge rear hatch and a very versatile interior. It has three seats for 7 passenger seating. Very convenient, the third row seat easily folds into the floor for increasd cargo space. Second row seats don't fold into the floor but they do have folding backs and then flip up to iincrese cargo space and cargo length. If more space is needed, they are easily removable and are light enough to be handled easily by one person. They are just as easily re-installed if more passengers need to be hauled. One of the strongets selling points for me was the strong and refined 3.5 liter V6. It is very smoothe and moves the van with authority. It is combined with a 5 speed automatic transmission that gives the option of manual shifting or it will shift itself.Ratios seem good though first gear is very low and the engine can be easily reved to the red line if one is not paying attention in the manual shift mode. The transmission is very smoothe and often I don't feel the shifts, up, or down. You can see the shifts however on the included tachometer. Instrumentation is pretty complete and includes fuel and temperature gauges, plus tachometer and very large, easy to read soeedometer. Plus all the usually warning lights for almost everything, including door open, hatch open, low tire pressure, brake on, etc. The van has many comfort features. Front passengers have separate temperature controls for heat and airconditioning. Handy since I like it much warmer than my wife. No more fighting over the temperature control. Rear heat and air conditioning can be controlled from the front or rear passengers can control their own heat and air conditioning by setting it that way in the front. A plus my Chrysler van did not have, the sliding door windows can be lowered by rear seat passengers or from the driver's control console on the driver's door. All windows are power as are all door locks. Unfortunately, on this model van, the doors do not lock as the verhicle begins to more as they do on many vehicles. But it is a simple push of one button to lock all doors including the rear hatch. Rear hatch can also be opened with a button on the driver's console. Well thought out, the fuel filler door has a remote opening and is in a totally different place from the rear hatch so you don't accidentally open one while opening the other. Just have to remember which is which. The van drives like a dream. It is smoothe and responsive and although there is some body lean in corners it always feels under control. Anti-lock breaks are combined with traction control to give a secure feeling to all driving situations. The traction control can be turned off though i have yet to find a reason to do so? I am averaging about 18 miles per gallon in mixed city/highway driving though another friend who used her van mostly for freeway commuting is getting closer to 21. Using the cruise control increases fuel efficiency as with most cars and the controls for the cruise are easy and familiar to use, at least once you find the cruise on/offk switch just behind the other controls on the back of the steering wheel. All in all I would rate this van a solid 4 stars overall. I don't think you will find any other van that offers as much for the money as the Kia Sedona. I highly recommend this van for those considering moving to a van for their transportation needs.

Our Sedona is simply a very good van. Lots of room, lots of pep, handles well for a mini-van and it just seems to be a very well put together vehicle. We love it.

My wife and I just got married, and we have three kids between us, from previous marriages. We needed a larger vehicle so each child had their own space. We had our hearts set on a particular 3-row suv, also of a import nature. But when we drove this, the search was over! I've never driven a minivan that yearned to stretch its legs so eargerly. It begs to let all of it's 250 horses loose with vigor. The handling is impressive. It doesn't drive like a minivan. You almost forget taht it's as long as it is, until you glance in the rearview and see the other rows behind you. The ride is smooth and quiet. This was a real deal! We found this 2008 with only 15,575 miles on it and with the deal we were given, we just couldn't find a way to pass it up. Had we waited to go the next morning, it would have been gone, so we ended up the last customers of the night. There are enough cup holders to entertain an entire dance company. The leg room is impressive for both rear rows. The seats are firm, but very comfortable for long trips, without causing fatigue. And for once, a car company actually put the lumbar support in your lumbar area! I have but two complaints... The engine, as powereful and energetic as it is, adds more to the road noise than the tires or road surface. And the sounds system is great for CD's, but it's sound quality wains a bit with the AM/FM tuner. It could use a little more punch. But then again, it's easy to cure with an aftermarket head unit and speakers. We love the Sedona. I'd often dismissed Kia in the past, for lack luster reviews and reports of being underpowered. I'm sold so far. I'm even considering replacing my old car with a new Kia.

I never thought I would own a minivan, but I needed a roomy vehicle for hauling things and dogs. I test drove the Sedona thinking I would hate it, but my gosh! It drives like a dream!!! So many features on the EX model, and 25 mpg on the highway - driving fairly fast. For the same price I would have only been able to afford a 3-year-old Odyssey with 30K miles and no warranty. My Sedona has 25K miles on it and not one problem. I will buy more Kias in the future!

I love our new Kia. It now has 20k miles on it with no problems. It is comfortable, well designed, the cupholders actually hold cups (unlike the Windstar). I love the dash design and the stow away seats. This van has so much power for a 3.8L. It is by far the best value for the money and unfortunately blows the American minivans out of the water and it's $10,000 cheaper!

I recently purchased this minivan after finally deciding that it was time to expand. We test drove all of the major competitors that we could and found the performance to be on par with those vehicles. I just needed the basics and didn't want to pay for all of the extra features like heated seats, six disc CD changer, etc. and this minivan was several thousand dollars cheaper than the comparably loaded competitors. There is plenty of seating for passengers, plenty of room for cargo, and does an excellent job of handling both at the same time. The 100,000 mile/10 year warranty gives me peace of mind, as does the five star safety rating.

Me and the wife just returned from a 3week tour traveling South Africam from Johannesburg to Cape Town we then went up the garden route to Sodwana bay and back to Johannesburg, driving a 2,9 TDI Kia Sedona, my goodness,what comfort,reliablity and economy (11.6KM/LT) traveling an average speed of 90km.hour over 3590 kilometers. Can and will recommend, drive a Kia Sedona and enjoy...! Thank you Jan and Kobie