When the word ‘Minivan‘ comes to mind, usually weird things start happening with my nerve endings and then I promptly fall into a state of nausea – I’ll be honest here and say that minivans interest me as much genital warts or watching paint dry.
In saying that, while not the most attractive automotive art forms to grace our roads, they do serve a well-respected purpose. From carrying families and band members to cult leaders and church-goers; they’re primarily designed for one thing – moving small groups of people in comfort (albeit minus the style).
One manufacturer that still sights opportunity in this segment is Kia. Its Sedona 8-seater offering is one of the most comfortable on the market, and comes with a 3.5-liter V6 and FWD layout. Yet it’s also getting on in years – unfortunately, now resembling a tired tin barn. Kia knows this and under the new styling direction initiated by Peter Schreyer, is eager to ditch the agricultural look in favor of something much sleeker as illustrated exclusively here.
At a first glance, the upcoming Sedona appears lower, courtesy of visually trickery via a higher belt-line and an upwards kink over the hindquarters (similar to that on the Kia KV7 Concept). Effort has been placed on making the side-pressings to exude more elegance with pumped wheel-arches and a contoured hipline that rolls over on itself. This design feature runs the length of the wagon – adding dynamic tensile strength to what would otherwise be a slab-sided vehicle.
Whilst nothing radical, the frontal area follows Kia’s more recent offerings with its ‘Tiger-nose’ chromed grille (and accompanying top overbite). Pleasant views ensue with vertically positioned fog-lights that are tied cleanly into the lower air-intake. Aerodynamics have been a priority in this redesign, with a steeply raked windscreen and longer bonnet (also helping with crash worthiness). Like the grille, a central overbite also dips down from the roof over the windshields top edge.
Glancing at the back-end will have bystanders yawning – admittedly, there is only so much design freedom with this type of vehicle. Nevertheless, the important ingredients have been tastefully arranged with oblique, horizontal LED tail lamps that wrap round into the sculptured hipline. Also wrapping its self curvaceously, is the side glass as it curls around into the tailgate. This combined with a tapered roofline and prominent rear spoiler helps add optic spice to an somewhat beige formula.
Inside is where it matters most; the outgoing Sedona is decently roomy, and expect that cabin real estate to grow through careful interior packaging. Like Kias of recent, expect a noticeable lift in interior quality with nicer feeling and grained plastics. Also making an appearance is the brand’s UVO infotainment system that can be found on other premium-spec models. Whether or not Kia goes toe to toe with Honda Odyssey’s big-ticket draw card – a built-in vacuum cleaner, remains to be seen. However in spite of my sarcasm, it would be handy for those with messy kids or rampant hitchhikers.
Don’t expect soulless Hamsters under the hood, but rather a direct-injection 3.3-liter V6 shared with the Kia Cadenza. I hope that the way power is transferred to the pavement is improved – the current Sedona has me in fits of laughter and bystanders looking puzzled by it uncharacteristically wheel spinning away from parking lots. Having said that, the out-going 3.5-liter V6 does have a rather tasty engine note.
Typically, the top selling contenders in this segment come in form of the Chrysler Voyager/Dodge Grand Caravan, Toyota Sienna, and Honda Odyssey. No doubt, it currently sells far less than those big players mentioned, yet the Seoul-based carmaker still envisions a strong response to the stylish upcoming Sedona. Kia has yet to announce when it will exactly be revealed (it’s known as an MY2015 release), however expect more information to surface later this year.
Overall, it’s shaping up to be a rather smart people carrier. Whether it will entice large families and church groups to ditch their more established MPV purchases for this South Korean offering remains to be seen – maybe they will need to offer two vacuum cleaners to suck in the punters.
Does it grab your attention or put you to sleep? Tell us your thoughts below.
By Josh Byrnes
Photo Renderings Copyright: Carscoops / Josh Byrnes
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