Life is Poppin'

I believe in sharing my life so I can save you time, money and a few headaches! Always learning from my screw-ups.

  • Drives With Girls
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • DIY
  • Kid Stuff
  • Reviews
    • Giveaways

2015 Kia Sedona: An executive ride to NYC

Apr 12 by 4 Comments

2015-kia-sedona-nyc

“How did the kids enjoy the Sedona, that’s the most important thing I wanna know!” Missi and I were asked by a genuinely interested, and rather energetic Michael Sprague, Kia’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President in New York City.

Luxury, technology, handsome styling and even great handling aren’t attributes you’d normally associate with a minivan. The 2015 Kia Sedona is one of the newest players in the minivan arena dominated by Toyota, Honda and Chrysler, and while the Sedona’s predecessors left us wishing for more, the 2015 model has over-delivered. Missi and I had the opportunity to transport our kids in luxury and style aboard a 2015 Kia Sedona SX-L from our home in Indianapolis, Indiana, to New York City. Curious to know how it turned out?

As a typical male, dad, and  husband, I’ll be the first one to tell you that minivans aren’t purchased for their looks, they are brought into a home because of their incredible ability to haul full size humans, tiny humans and a lot of cargo. That being said, the 2015 Sedona is hands down the best looking minivan for sale today. It is a styling movement that Honda started with the Odyssey back in 2005, when they decided to make the first good-looking minivan and they corralled the entire market share. The Sedona has a bit of a rugged but luxurious look. If you pay attention to the ride height, you will notice it sits a little bit higher off the ground than the rest, much like a cross-terrain vehicle.  It also has strong, muscular lines, and a headlight and grille combination that could very well wear the Bentley badge.

IMG_2328

LED lights, 19″ wheels, and a muscular stance separate the Sedona from the rest.

IMG_2368

 Power sliding rear doors, liftgate, and even side mirrors make everything a effortless.

Maneuvering the 2015 Sedona is cake, thanks to its tight turning radius, and even Missi managed to park the 201.4 inch Sedona into a parking spot, although she did rely on the high tech surround cameras to avoid hitting stuff. But then again, that’s what the technology is there for, to help us! The cameras and parking sensors came in very handy while driving and parking around New York City, as it seems that everyone is out to scratch and scuff your bumpers.

Once on the highway, the 2015 Sedona is very light at the wheel, and the 276-hp 3.3 liver V-6 propels you with creamy surge of power reminiscent of European power plants. I’ve driven a Mini Cooper S through the Pennsylvania mountains on I-76, and now I’ve driven the Kia Sedona  through there as well, and only a lunatic would say it was just as much fun. But when you consider the 600 pounds of luggage and four total passengers, it puts into perspective how well the suspension, steering and overall dynamics of the Sedona work in harmony to create a driving experience envied by others in its segment.

collage-2015-kia-sedona

A feature that Missi and I are over the moon about is Kia’s Smart Cruise Control, which like the rest of the technology in the 2015 Sedona, it was simple and easy to use. Turn cruise control on, set your speed, then you have the option to use or not use Smart Cruise Control — Use it. Then simply tell the system how close you want to follow the car in front of you. I went upwards of one hour and thirty minutes without having to override the system with the pedals. Over the years I’ve thrown many tantrums because someone cut me off right after I settled into a nice rhythm with cruise control on. Then you have to slow down, cancel cruising speed, then speed up and re-set the speed all over again. Well, say goodbye to such shame — it’s amazing!

But perhaps you’ve reached admiral level on your frequent flyer program with United Airlines and primarily travel first class. And perhaps, for some unknown reason, this time you chose to mingle with the mortals that travel by road. Then Kia’s first class lounge seating is for you, Sir (Or Madam)! In this case, it were our kids that lounged in the first class accommodations for most of the trip, and they loved it, it must be the reason why they slept for 80% of the trip. The 2015 Kia Sedona offers front, back, left and right sliding second-row chairs with armrests, cupholders, and even leather leg rests, yes — leg rests. There is room for a total of seven passengers, and even the third-row offers ample leg room as well as protection by the full-length side curtain airbags. Sadly the third-row folding mechanism is the Sedona’s weakest point. It’s clunky, confusing, and the seats are heavy enough that Missi had a hard time folding them in or out.

IMG_2740

 Missi and Josephine were the first to explore the executive seating upon delivery.

2015-kia-sedona-seating-trunk

 Stowing the third row is a pain, but once done, cargo space is abundant.

We all enjoyed every minute in the 2015 Kia Sedona, and I can promise you that’s not a simple task to accomplish over a 1,600 mile, 23 hour round trip. We love the fact that Kia dealers, engineers, and executives like Michael Sprague have listened to their customers, gone back to the drawing board, and boosted overall quality, finish, and brand perception way, way up. We have a feeling they understand that it’s not in the awards, the statistics, and even the balance sheets that build customer loyalty, as those will come and go and fluctuate due to a thousand variables. We were most impressed and pleased by the fact that they care about their customers, and their customers’ kids.

IMG_2968

 Parked on the famous Madison Ave. in New York City.

Tested Features:

  • 1st and 2nd Row Sunroof
  • Heated and Cooled Seats
  • HID Xenon Projector Beam Headlights with Auto Leveling and Smart High Beam
  • UVO Infotainment System with Bluetooth Connectivity
  • Infinity Surround Sound with HD Radio and Subwoofer
  • Rear Camera and Surround View Monitor and Back-up Warning
  • Blind-Spot Detection
  • Rear Cross Traffic Alert
  • Forward Collision and Lane Departure Warning System
  • Eco Driving System
  • Remote Keyless Entry and Smart Key

The Great:

  • Fuel economy.
  • Striking looks.
  • 10 years. 100,000 mile warranty.

The not so Great:

  • Third Row folding system.
  • Incoming call ringtone (think 80’s Atari).
  • Conversation mirror, aka “kid monitor” is too small to see clearly.

2015 Kia Sedona

  • Starts at: $26,100
  • Price as Tested: $43,295 (Limited trim level)

Related Posts

  • Toyota Highlander Hybrid – Kia Sorento Limited ReviewToyota Highlander Hybrid – Kia Sorento Limited Review
  • Battle of the Car Seats: Britax vs GracoBattle of the Car Seats: Britax vs Graco
  • 2015 SEMA Show Las Vegas – #KiaWanderlust2015 SEMA Show Las Vegas – #KiaWanderlust
  • Kia Unveils new Cadenza at the New York Intl. Auto ShowKia Unveils new Cadenza at the New York Intl. Auto Show
  • 2015 Ford Expedition King Ranch EcoBoost2015 Ford Expedition King Ranch EcoBoost
  • 2015 Lexus NX200t: Mother’s Day in style2015 Lexus NX200t: Mother’s Day in style
  • 2015 Infiniti QX80 Limited – Living Large2015 Infiniti QX80 Limited – Living Large
  • 2015 Toyota RAV4 XLE2015 Toyota RAV4 XLE

Don’t Miss the Latest

2023 Mazda CX-50: Practical and Stylish

Mazda’s new take on one of our favorite crossovers renders a family ride just as practical as the CX-5, yet looks more modern.

Celebrating the New Year in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

We drive the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 to the Great White North, where we say goodbye to a rather tumultuous 2020. 2020 has been a year for most of us, huh? So happy to get rid of it and here’s to hoping 2021 is better in every way! Of course, we say this with the […]

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Family Road Trip In the 2021 Chevy Tahoe

A large and rugged country requires a large and rugged vehicle. With COVID-19 shutting down most things around us or at least applying rigorous restrictions to help slow the spread of the virus, a lot of activities we would normally do with our family are off the table. Luckily, we’ve always loved family road trips, […]

Explore Chicago: The Four Seasons With Kids

We head to the Windy City in the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime Once upon a time, we could get away as a couple whenever we wanted wherever we wanted. Early mornings, late nights, breakfast in bed, shows, clubs, parties—you name it, we enjoyed it. But for a while now, we’ve had to play by a […]

Filed Under: Pit Stop Tagged With: drive, family, kia, kids, luxury, minivan, new york, nyc, roadtrip, sedona, test drive, travel

Trackbacks

  1. Battle of the Car Seats: Britax vs Graco - Life is Poppin' says:
    April 14, 2015 at 2:37 pm

    […] So I set off to research some of the top rated car seats in the market, by going on a huge road trip and testing one seat on the way there, and another on the way back. […]

  2. 2015 Mazda 3: It should have its own infomercial - Life is Poppin' says:
    April 20, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    […] Smart City Brake, and a Heads-Up Display (HUD) which help you have a safer and more comfortable road-tripping experience, are also available as an […]

  3. What's it like to race a Toyota Sienna at Road America? - Life is Poppin' says:
    May 23, 2015 at 3:03 pm

    […] Sienna manages to shame the much better looking Honda Odyssey and the quite striking Kia Sedona in areas like ergonomics and user friendliness. I became fan of the Sienna the day that I […]

  4. Toyota Highlander Hybrid - Kia Sorento Limited Review - Life is Poppin' says:
    August 6, 2015 at 11:14 am

    […] – Quick Spin 2015 Lexus NX200t: Mother’s Day in style All Hail The 2015 Nissan Murano 2015 Kia Sedona: An executive ride to NYC (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

follow-me-on-pinterest

Get to know Drives with Girls!

Drives with girls, lifeispoppin.com

Gifts for Dads

Fox 59 Segment

drives-with-girls

Popular posts you will love:

Fairy in a Jar Night Lights

Fairy in a Jar Night-Lights

4C Spider

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

gala

Womens Daily contributor transTODAY.com Parenting Team FC Contributor

TODAY.com Parenting Team Parenting Contributor

Everywhere

This post may contain affiliate links

Copyright ©2023, Life is Poppin'. All Rights Reserved. Custom design by Pixel Me Designs