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2015 Kia Sedona Review

We wish Ambrose Bierce had lived long enough to include the word "minivan" in his Devil's Dictionary, a reference work for the comprehensively disenchanted that defines "year" as "a period of 365 disappointments" and self-esteem as "an erroneous appraisal." We want to know how the Socrates of cynics would classify the method of conveyance that enthusiasts won't stop hating, but we just can't get rid of. Today, the minivan is adored for practical reasons – every single one on the market excels at its intended purpose. Dealers say minivans have great margins and they can't keep them in stock even when these vehicles sticker north of $40,000. A market consolidated to five automakers means strong sales for the segment leaders. Combined sales of the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country lead through June of this year with 75,840 units. The Toyota Sienna is in second at 71,381 sales, the Honda Odyssey has sold 62,636, and the Nissan Quest is barely a blip at 5,400. But the three big minivan brands aren't the only game in town. The rival Kia Sedona is an incredibly compelling package, as 20,608 owners have discovered so far in 2015. It's not an old-fashioned way to haul kids, it's a way to haul kids and make a statement. The Sedona's aesthetic is a box that's outside-the-box. Taken from the three-quarter view the profile is close to an urban cargo van with windows; it's a handsome package. It's the same width as its predecessor but 2.4 inches lower, wearing Kia's strongly horizontal frontal identity. We like the tabbed grille, and the intensity of the sheetmetal in front counters the chrome accents. But our SXL tester sure has a lot of brightwork – more than other minivans. From the side, the Sedona keeps up the muscular tones with a stout body that's light on distracting details. But it's hard to miss some similarities to the Odyssey – the way the glasshouse narrows toward the rear, the kink at the C-pillar, the driver's side sliding door rail running nearly to the rear lights. Yet you'd never mistake the two because the Kia, fuller and more upright everywhere, is bolder than the slinking Odyssey. It's not an old-fashioned way to haul kids, it's a way to haul kids and make a statement. Inside the cabin, that statement ends with an exclamation point. Ward's Auto put the Sedona on its 2015 10 Best Interiors list, an accolade warranted because everything inside oozes quality.

Genesis bringing an EV concept and G90 to New York Auto Show

It's official, the entire Hyundai Group has plans for the New York Auto Show. During the Hyundai Sonata press launch in South Korea, design head Luc Donckerwolke told Roadshow "You'll have an electric show car for Genesis." This year will be the charm for Genesis and EVs, after showing the GV80 SUV concept and its hydrogen fuel cell powertrain in 2017, and the electric Essentia coupe concept last year. We will also see the production version of the U.S. market Genesis G90 and its mongo grille. The premium brand's debuts will join the new Sonata sedan and Venue crossover, and an as-yet-unnamed Kia show car expected to be our version of the SP Signature concept potentially called Tusker. Hyundai-Kia isn't getting its electric razzle dazzle ready for New York alone. Auto Express reports the group is working on a new electric car platform to serve the carmaker the same way Volkswagen's MEB architecture serves the German group's brands. At the moment, the only four EVs in the South Korean automaker's range are the Hyundai Kona and Ioniq, and the Kia e-Niro and Soul. They are all built on ICE platforms, the Kona and e-Niro still proving popular enough for this year's planned UK-market production to sell out already. According to a "company insider," the dedicated EV platform is around two years away and will focus on B- and C-segment cars. That's the same year that Genesis is expected to have its EV ready, but unless the luxury arm has plans to dip its grille into C-segment waters, Genesis likely has other EV platform plans. By 2025, Hyundai and Kia have said they'll have 14 EVs in the combined lineup as part of 38 electrified offerings. Whatever's on the way could prove far more radical than today's offerings. Donckerwolke told Auto Express that in order to attract the future EV buyers that aren't necessarily car people, "[You] have to ask whether you want science fiction or whether you want to conform. We can create something that doesn't appeal to someone in the traditional sense." If the head designer gets his way, 3D-printing will help whip up those attractions. Last year's Essentia concept showed off 3D-printed carbon fiber ornament, but the potential goes much further.

Next Kia Sedona minivan spied

After skipping the 2013 model year and returning for 2014, the Kia Sedona is getting a full redesign for 2015, which we see for the first time in these new spy shots. The new Sedona isn't going to look as much like the 2011 KV7 Concept as we had hoped, but we definitely see some key styling cues from the Kia concept minivan.
Even though it's covered in heavy camouflage, we can see that some of the KV7's cues on the 2015 Sedona include the vertical front marker lights, the horizontal taillights and the pinched beltline starting at the C-pillar. Kia's trademark Tiger Nose grille is present and accounted for, as is the telltale dip in the windshield.
All in all, the next-gen Sedona already looks to be a significant improvement over the current, generally boring model, which dates back to 2006 and has a striking resemblance to the Ford Freestar. There is no word yet as to what will power the 2015 Sedona, but our spy shooter said that this prototype was most likely powered by a 2.2-liter diesel.