AZCentral.com's view

If this is Sedona, where are the vortexes? It seems ironic that the first vehicle named after Arizona’s famous site of red-rock cathedrals and New Age culture should be something as non-transcendent as a minivan.

But Kia Sedona is unique in at least two ways: it’s the first real minivan from a Korean brand and the only minivan introduced for 2002. The real news, however, is on the window sticker. Kia continues its value pricing with the Sedona, offering a well-equipped minivan for less than $20,000. Or a fully tricked-out model for under $25,000.

Other than the lower price, Sedona falls in line with the minivan herd. Nearly all the minivans sold in the United States follow Chrysler’s successful formula, first introduced in the mid-1980s: broad, front-drive people movers with three rows of seats and carlike handling.

The latest models are aerodynamic jelly beans that have more cupholders than seating spaces. Though increasingly competent and versatile, they still bear the terrible stigma of being too domesticated, too bland, too uncool. And worst of all, not sport utility vehicles.

But the automakers still sell plenty of them. In Kia’s case, the Sedona may be a latecomer, but it’s also a nice driving, fully functional minivan with all the attributes that make these vehicles so practical. Unlike most media test vehicles, mainly high-end models that come loaded with every feature you don’t need, Kia chose to send its base-price minivan, apparently to show that it is well-equipped despite a bottom line of just under $19,000. The only extra was freight and handling at $595.

Despite its budget price, the test Sedona had a nicely finished interior, a smooth and powerful V-6 engine, responsive steering, a supple suspension and an overall solid feel. In its low-end LX configuration (EX is the high-end model), Sedona had power windows and door locks, a good multispeaker stereo system, intermittent wipers, cruise control, rear-seat climate controls, sliding doors on both sides – all the most desirable features.

In some ways, Sedona was a pleasant surprise. The ride and handling are very good, taking some of the onus out of driving a jelly bean. It compared well to the domestic minivans, with a strong resemblance to Ford Windstar, while falling short of the ride and features of import leader Honda Odyssey.

One thing missed in designing Sedona was the improvements other brands have made in rear-seat stowage. Odyssey pioneered a third seat that folds into the floor, station-wagon style, and some other manufacturers have followed suit. Ford even has a foldaway rear seat in its Explorer/Mercury Mountaineer SUV. The middle seats on many vans and SUVs fold forward. But Sedona still forces those who need some extra space to remove the rear seats altogether. Although they come out easily and have wheels so you can roll them up the driveway and into the garage, they’re still quite heavy to lift in or out.

Chrysler mi nivans now have power rear doors, but the big lift-up door on Sedona is also heavy and requires a mighty slam to get it closed securely. On the plus side, the sliding side doors worked very easily, though without power assist. They also ran on runners concealed under the rear side glass, Chrysler style, for a cleaner appearance.

The automatic locking works only on the driver’s door, which is a hassle when you’re trying to be polite and let your rear seat passengers in first. And Sedona is heavy, nearly 2&1/2 tons, which can be felt on the road and which results in low gas mileage, even on the highway.

But in the world of minivans, Sedona is a nice one, which again shows the steady headway in quality being made by all the Korean manufacturers, though as a new model from a young company, there could be questions about reliability.

To offset that fear, Kia carries the impressive warranty of its new owner, Hyundai. That’s 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain; five-year, 60,000mile basic warranty, and five-year road service.

Kia recently donated one of its Sedonas to the city of Sedona, painted ruddy red.