Kia Sedona (06 on) - Review

Thanks to a hugely spacious cabin, the Sedona offers great comfort for passengers. The three rows of seats are arranged in a 2-3-2 layout and both the front and third row slide and recline independently, so you can maximise the space for individual seats. Thanks to the high roofline there's plenty of headroom and getting in and out is easy too - the rear doors slide to create a wide opening (this is particularly useful in narrow car parking spaces) and on LS and TS models they are electrically operated. A smooth ride and low noise levels mean the Kia is a great long distance cruiser.

The Sedona comes with individual second and third row seats all of which are removable. This isn't quite as useful as other people carriers (like the Chrysler Grand Voyager or Ford Galaxy) which have flat folding systems, but it still gives the Kia good versatility. Unfortunately with all the seats in place boot space is very limited with only 214 litres available - that's less than the average small hatchback, including Kia's own Rio. As a five-seater you get a far more useful 1,068 litres while removing all the seats gives you a van-like space of almost 3,500 litres. There's plenty of storage too including a dual cupholder, a CD case below the gear lever, a sunglasses holder in the roof, large door pockets and bottle holders. The LS and TS models also get a table with four cupholders between the front seats.

The cabin of the Sedona is functional and easy to use, rather than particularly stylish. The driving position is good and all round visibility is impressive for such a large vehicles. Plus the steering adjusts for both reach and height while all the controls are placed high up on the central console - this includes the gear lever. It may not feel especially upmarket, but build quality is excellent and there's plenty of room.