Video: 2016 Kia Sedona Video Review

It's stylish, affordable, and loaded with creature comforts, all of which make hauling people easier. But in the case of our test car, hauling cargo, a little more difficult. (upbeat music) The Sedona is one of the best looking minivans on the market. Now you can't exactly escape that sort of chunky minivan profile, sliding door tracks and all. But up front, it's all style here. Check out this brawny, kind of studded grill here. Just a very clean, attractive face. You'll almost look cool driving a minivan, almost. Inside, the Sedona has comfortable, nice materials in all three rows, but it's not all style over substance. Kia has some innovative features here that families should enjoy. First off, the multimedia system here in our test car, very straightforward, easy to use. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto or not in this car, but Kia says they're gonna be a free upgrade later on this year. There's also a surround view camera system. Very helpful when you're navigating around tight parking spaces. One thing that might bug you though, the center console here. In a lot of minivans, there's kind of a standalone console here that just leaves a sort of well here that you can throw a bag or something else in. Not so much in the Sedona. There is a lot of console storage itself, but again, no low space on the floor here for you to throw a purse. The optional second row lounge seats in our test car have these extending leg rests here. I don't know, they seem kind of gimmicky, like you're on a trip to the dentist's office. But kids are gonna be fighting for a second row seat. You can slide these chairs all the way back, like so. Very easy to sit back here, pop in a DVD and pretty much lounge. That is, if you can actually see the rear entertainment system. The optional one here in the Sedona, pretty small, and it sits very low. It's only eight inches diagonally. The Chrysler Pacifica's screens, they're nice and high. They're both 10 inch screens by comparison. Kia does offer rear tablet holders. They sit on the back of the front seats. So that just seems like a much more practical option. One more significant downside on the practicality front, those second row lounge seats in our test car, they aren't removable nor do they fold down. You can move them all the way forward if you need to put cargo behind them. But if you really want to maximize cargo capacity in the Sedona, you're gonna have to get the regular seats, which do collapse forward. Now, if your hands are full, a lot of cars have a hands-free lift gate mechanism, where you sort of wave your feet underneath the bumper. This is actually even easier. You just stand right next to the Sedona for three seconds. It recognizes that your key's in your pocket, and then the lift gate opens on its own. Very simple. The Sedona starts around $27,000. That's cheaper than any other larger minivan, except the aging and fairly unrefined Dodge Grand Caravan. They may not have the most utility, but the Sedona has a lot of style, a pretty good warranty, and it doesn't cost a lot of money. Hey parents, maybe you can get something nice for a change. (upbeat music) (engine humming) (trunk slamming)