ROAD TEST: Kia Grand Sedona 2.2CRDi SXL
By: Kevin Ritchie
Johannesburg - Years ago when I was in the market for a big people carrier to transport my super-sized family, the options were slim – as was my budget.
There were the luxury leviathans which would have involved selling the house and living in one, or horrid MPVs which in some cases were little more than station wagons with dickey seats at the back, which meant you could get the kids in with space for a nappy bag and a pram, but that was all.
The market is a lot different these days. There are even more behemoths, from converted panel vans with windows and aircons to just-about homes on wheels. The other segment, the traditional MPV sector, is also dramatically different – and competitively priced to boot.
My favourite of them all is the Kia Grand Sedona. It’s the top-end MPV offering from a marque that has grown unimaginably over the last 30 years in terms of build quality, safety and general peace of mind, without growing the price exponentially at the same time.
The Grand Sedona is a big MPV, make no mistake, but it’s nowhere near the size of the nine-seater terrors of the mall parking lots. Instead it’s much the same size (without the height and the road clearance) of the top-end SUVs. It handles like a car, however.
There are two engine variants: a 2.2l common-rail diesel producing 147kW or there’s a 3.3l V6 petrol engine pumping 199kW. Both of them run through a six-speed automatic gearbox.
ROOMY, GADGET-PACKED CABIN
The diesel version under test was both nimble and smooth, extremely quiet like a luxury car, and the trimmings in the cabin further reflect this aspiration to luxury, leather seats (heated and cooled for the driver and the front passenger – and electrically adjustable to boot) with separate air-con controls for each of the three rows of seats, lots of stowage space for passengers, and for the driver as well, including a cavernous console that keeps anything from map books to full-sized tablets.
The driver’s particularly spoilt with a range of aids, including the now almost obligatory cruise control, blind spot detection and lane change assist, as well as a rear-view camera for reversing. There’s also a nifty “cross traffic alert”, that detects approaching traffic from the rear, when you’re reversing out of a parking bay.
The Sedona comes into its own at shopping malls, school parking zones, and even airport drop-offs, with its remote tailgate lift and electronic sliding side doors – a boon for when you have your hands full, as well as a clever space saver spare.
VERDICT
This is the third iteration of the model that was first introduced on our roads in 1998 as the Kia Carnival. Those in the know are unanimous that the current model, introduced last year, is a totally overhauled and re-imagined version of the second version. After a week behind the wheel I’d go one further; for my money it’s the best in its class.
Pricing starts at R535 995 for the entry-level 2.2 CRDi 7-seat EX all the way to the 2.2 CRDi 7-seat SXL at R705 995. All models come with Kia’s 5 year/150 000km warranty and 5 year/100 000km maintenance plan.
FACTS
Kia Grand Sedona 2.2CRDi SXL
Engine: 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder turbodiesel
Gearbox: 6-speed automatic
Power: 147kW @ 3800rpm
Torque: 440Nm @ 1750 - 2750rpm
0-100km/h (claimed): 13.6 seconds
Top speed (claimed): 190km/h
Price: R705 995
Warranty: 5-year/150 000km