Long-Term Road Tests
2006 Kia Sedona EX
June 11, 2007
I love, love, love dual power-sliding doors on minivans. With the push of a button on the headliner, door post, or key fob, they make a departure or an arrival an event to behold. They also provide a mini Apocalyse Now fantasy. You know the scene: Flying a Huey through the jungle with Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" blasting through the outboard speakers? Anyway, the 2006 Kia Sedona has those (not the speakers), but more: Power side doors, power-tilt/slide moonroof (natch), and power up-down lift gate, too. Cool eh? I discovered a problem, however.
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- Posted by: Cee-Dubya June 11, 2007, 8:07 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
June 8, 2007
Soon after the odometer turned 25k, the Sedona's tire pressure monitor warned us of a flat right-rear tire. It was just our luck that the screw we picked up punctured the tire where the tread meets the sidewall. We needed to replace the tire altogether.
The Kia dealership closest to our Santa Monica office was 12.5 miles away. That being said, traveling 20 miles to Car Pros Kia in Carson didn't seem too much farther out of our way. We had positive experiences with them in the past, so we scheduled an appointment...
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- Posted by: June 8, 2007, 7:40 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
May 31, 2007
I got busted. I took the Kia Sedona for the long weekend and then didn't even take it to the car wash on Tuesday. I know, I know. I contend that with that beige interior that thing will never look clean...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla May 31, 2007, 11:45 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
May 29, 2007
This weekend, our long-term Kia Sedona lived the active single life with me as I drove it to a hip downtown bar to meet up with an old friend visiting from out of town, to a trailhead in the Angeles National Forest for a 9-mile hike, down over to Playa del rey along with my bike so I could cruise down to the Fiesta Hermosa street festival, to Long Beach for the requisite Memorial Day barbecue and then to West Hollywood for a Wii party.
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla May 29, 2007, 1:00 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
May 20, 2007
Minivans are awesome! Anyone who's not buying one because of image is lame.
In addition to hauling around cousins and a grandparent all weekend, the Sedona also proved useful in another way. My wife and I have been looking for a good patio set but refuse to pay $650 - $1000 for a new one...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody May 20, 2007, 4:40 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
May 14, 2007
If you don't have a load of Muppets to cart around everyday in a minivan, the Sedona is still a practical choice as it makes a great cargo van with its third row folded flat.
I needed a large vehicle this weekend to pick up a chair and I knew the Sedona would be able to handle the load. Last weekend, I tried to pick up this same chair but I was driving a compact SUV for a road test I am working on and the chair would not fit. The Sedona had room to spare...
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa May 14, 2007, 3:26 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
May 10, 2007
There comes a time in every young car writer's life when he must drive a minivan. At some point, I will have to write about them, so it's good to get acclimated. But I'm about as far away from the typical Sedona buyer as you could get -- a mid-20s male with no kids, no pets, or even hobbies that involve large leisure equipment like Fender bass amps or kayaks. Needless to say, my weekly Tuesday-night cruise through UCLA's Westwood Village to meet attractive young women wasn't as successful as usual. When I tried to show off the Sedona's nifty remote sliding doors to a pair of co-eds, they announced they forgot to make a call and started running toward a public phone with a blue light on top. Seriously, who doesn't have a cell phone nowadays? *
Proving that the Sedona is not in fact a good vehicle for picking up women, I decided to find another way for my automotive odd coupling for the evening to pay off...
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- Posted by: JRiz May 10, 2007, 11:23 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
May 8, 2007
A drive from Ventura County to Sonoma County in our long-term Kia Sedona produced only a few whines between vineyard visits. For the most part this van accomplishes the mission of comfortable and capable family transportation. Our EX model has the rear entertainment DVD system with wireless headphones, which means the digital ritalin is always in ready-fire mode for quelling second-row disturbances. The wife, a former 2000 Honda Odyssey owner, was quick to note the Sedona's "floatier" ride and handling, and after four hours both of us noticed a posterior ache from the somewhat squishy seats. After long drives in the aforementioned Odyssey, plus a cross-country jaunt in a 2003 Honda Pilot, we were both somewhat disappointed in the four-hour limit on Sedona seat comfort.
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- Posted by: Karl Brauer May 8, 2007, 10:44 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
May 3, 2007
Here's something you don't see everyday. In fact, I've driven this Sedona several times over the past week and just noticed it. It's the side airbag warning sticker, and it tells you all the things you're not supposed to do because of the side airbags. I find myself in a conundrum on this location, because on one hand I hate the obligatory (and unnecessary) airbag warning stickers that litter the average new-car cabin...
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- Posted by: Karl Brauer May 3, 2007, 10:55 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
April 25, 2007
As the resident cyclist on staff I probably use our long-term Sedona's flexible cargo area more than anyone else. I appreciate the way its third-row seats flop into the floor with almost no effort and I often fold its second-row seats forward to make room for bikes. But this weekend I found its cargo area isn't optimal when it comes to carrying a ton of people, bikes and gear.
Renting a minivan to haul three people, three bikes and luggage over the weekend in Tennessee forced me to choose between a Dodge Caravan or the Kia...
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- Posted by: Dark Helmet April 25, 2007, 7:56 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
April 20, 2007
After over 22,000 miles with us, the paint on our Kia Sedona EX seems to be improving with age. When this minivan is nice and clean, the Claret Red paint holds a nice gloss and shows a lot of depth. Who knew?
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 22,037 miles
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- Posted by: Dan Edmunds April 20, 2007, 9:42 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
April 16, 2007
Faced with the challenge of moving my daughter's beloved sandbox to our new backyard (without having our long-term Silverado available), I was pleased to find the Kia Sedona open for the weekend. What you see here are the dozen bags of semi-wet sand and a trash can with more wet sand becuause my eyeball estimate was about three bags shy.
With the sand taken care of, there was the not-so-small matter of the sandbox itself.
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- Posted by: Cee-Dubya April 16, 2007, 9:35 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
April 12, 2007
As Hyundai and Kia unveiled so many improved products within such a short time, watchful eyes would notice a slight dichotomy when it came to interior design. Namely, the first batch of cars tended toward a somewhat inelegant, pieced-together appearance while the later models (Azera, Optima, Elantra) possessed a grace and beauty almost on level with Lexus – at least to these eyes.
Well, the Kia Sedona falls into the former group. The center stack is a collection of style-free shapes, the dials are frumpy, the colors aren't exactly vibrant, and the fake wood comes from one of the lower-grade plastic forests.
On the other hand, the Sedona does have tons of storage space, a couple million cupholders, windows that open for everyone, power doors, power liftgate, power points everywhere, and second-row seats that are notably easier to take out and snap in than the Toyota Sienna’s. I suppose in a minivan, supreme functionality will suffice.
Brian Sy, Automotive Editor, 21,800 miles
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- Posted by: April 12, 2007, 4:30 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
April 2, 2007
I'm in the market for a new city bike and have my eye on the Electra Amsterdam. And I was more than happy to take home the Kia Sedona for the weekend so that I could transport my new purchase since my real-life car, the Corolla, could do no such thing without a rack. With easy-to-stow seats and a maximum cargo capacity of 142 cubic feet, I'd have ample room. Plus a power lift gate that opens via the key fob meant that I could load the unwieldly cargo in one fluid motion, without having to struggle with the key and pulling open the heavy lift gate...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla April 2, 2007, 3:31 PM
- Categories: 2007 Mini Cooper S
March 29, 2007
We've been driving the Sedona for about nine months now and we already have over 21,000 miles on it. This morning I was reviewing the fuel log to see what kind of numbers we are earning.
On the average over the life of the vehicle we have been getting 17.7 miles per gallon. Our best-ever tank was 29.3 mpg, our worst was 12.3 mpg.
We're running a little below par as Kia's advertised numbers are 18 city and 25 highway...
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa March 29, 2007, 2:28 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
March 26, 2007
Whenever we have shopping to do or a lot of things to carry around, the Sedona is usually our first choice. It has plenty of space and is way comfortable. Even with the second row in place, the cargo area is cavernous. And the rear hatch is power operated...
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa March 26, 2007, 11:51 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
March 19, 2007
It's slightly embarrassing to admit, but I like minivans. Soccer mom stigma or not, their utility combined with their car-like driving characteristics are a draw not found in any other kind of vehicle. When Keymaster Kelly hands me the car list at the end of the day and my choice is between a Chevy Tahoe or Kia Sedona I'll choose the stigma of the minivan over the hassle of the large SUV every time.
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- Posted by: Dark Helmet March 19, 2007, 1:29 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
March 6, 2007
Last night, while slogging though my homeward commute, I was very happy to find a "useable" 12V jack for my iPod FM transmitter/charger....
It's hard enough to locate an empty FM frequency, but I'm annoyed with 12V plugs that are placed in odd places (for my particular use). Inside the center console armrest , in an ashtray, or at the base of the dash don't really help much when trying to flip between podcasts or skip to the next song. With the Sedona's plug location, my iPod was easy to see, and handle safely.
John Adolph, Video Production Specialist @ 20, 665 miles...
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- Posted by: March 6, 2007, 2:22 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
March 5, 2007
I ran out on Saturday evening to pick up a couple of things needed for dinner and my $10 trip to the local grocery resulted in a few hundred bucks of body damage.
As I walked out of the store, I saw a white Ford Escape driving the wrong way down the aisle where I'd parked the Kia Sedona. Just beyond the Sedona, the Escape cranked a hard right turn, attempting to pull into a parking space that was angled the opposite way. Part way into the spot, the driver decided he couldn't make the turn, backed out, and took off...
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- Posted by: Kelly Toepke March 5, 2007, 5:28 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
February 26, 2007
It's Girl Scout cookie season in Southern California, and Brownie Troop 421 has been busy taking orders since late January. Cookies are the troop's annual cash cow, and these ten first and second graders have been working their Brownie beanie charms on family members, neighbors, and of course their parents' co-workers in an effort to make their troop goal of 910 boxes.
As the troop's Cookie Mom, it was my responsibilty to pick up the the entire order from the warehouse, all 1,176 boxes, which equals 98 cases or three towering pallets. The veteran moms informed me that 100 cases would fit in an open-bed pickup truck, but since our Silverado was at the body shop and the weatherman was forecasting the threat of rain, I opted for the Kia Sedona instead...
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- Posted by: Kelly Toepke February 26, 2007, 10:55 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
February 16, 2007
Last night as my friend and I were getting into the very dark cabin of the Kia Sedona, I fumbled around trying to find the light switch to turn on the interior lights when the doors are open. I instinctively reached for the buttons over the center console near the lights since experience has taught me that that's where the door light buttons are usually located. Nope, not in the Kia. Instead I ended up opening the rear cargo door...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla February 16, 2007, 11:23 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
February 13, 2007
Huge news on the Sedona this week.
Had the privilege of spending the weekend in it. With its center row seats removed it did its usual van duty by hauling mountain bikes (two of them, wheels attached). And squeaking...
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- Posted by: Dark Helmet February 13, 2007, 3:45 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
February 5, 2007
At over 4,300 pounds, the Kia Sedona is no lightweight. You'd never know it when you're behind the wheel, though; she's quick out the gate, with acceleration that's nothing short of eager.
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- Posted by: Warren Clarke February 5, 2007, 1:16 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
January 25, 2007
I've said it before, I'll say it again. I have no beef with the Sedona. I've driven it home the last few days and I think it rocks. I am a purebred sports car/sport sedan owner/lover/driver, down to my soul, but for what it is, the Sedona is a fantastic minivan...
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- Posted by: Doug Lyoyd January 25, 2007, 1:12 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
January 23, 2007
My apologies to Steve Martin. After much avoidance, I finally found myself in our long-term Kia Sedona minivan, and to be honest, it ain't half bad. Maybe I'm a little more used to driving big cars now (Edmunds fleet's Benz R500 and Chevy Silverado pickup) but I found the Sedona to be pretty smooth. Much better visibility than either, didn't feel half as long or ungainly as the R500, and generally I enjoyed it...
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- Posted by: Doug Lyoyd January 23, 2007, 12:47 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
January 17, 2007
Since we editors get to cycle through different cars every day, there's a brief period of disorientation in the first moments when we get in a new car and have to adjust to its family sedan spaciousness or sports car handling or big-truck proportions. Unfamiliar characteristics are to be expected but nothing made me actually laugh before until I switched on the windshield wipers for the Kia Sedona.
On my way in today, I encountered a bit of sprinkling and waited until the windshield was covered with raindrops before I flicked the wipers. Suddenly these long, skinny arms of wipers came up and cleared the drops away...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla January 17, 2007, 2:19 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
January 16, 2007
I didn't get to drive the Sedona anywhere exotic or far away this past weekend, but the wife and kids and I did spend a fair bit of time in it. The following is a brief rundown of our observations.
Like the 2006 Azera I wrote about last week, our 2006 Kia Sedona has no CD track or preset scan button on the steering wheel. I presume the '06 Hyundai Entourage has the same issue, as they are the same car. No really. I wonder if the 2007 Sedona/Entourage steering control is upgraded as it was in our 2007 Azera?
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- Posted by: Dan Edmunds January 16, 2007, 10:53 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
January 8, 2007
I just took the Kia Sedona EX minivan on a quick errand. It was my first time driving the vehicle and when I got in to readjust the seat I quickly adjusted the rear view mirrors which had been tilted down for a view of the concrete. Though I quickly wondered who could possibly enjoy driving with such a poor rear view I began backing out of the parking space and realized that the car automatically tilts the rear mirrors downwards when the van is in reverse. I guess one could claim that this feature is useful in preventing run-ins with the curb, but for those of us that have been driving good ‘self-adjusting cars for all this time, the updated technology takes some getting used to.
Alison Steinlauf Anziska- Community Coordinator
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- Posted by: January 8, 2007, 3:42 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
January 5, 2007
I took our Kia Sedona on a few errands last night and it's a pleasant vehicle to drive around town -- good power off the line, fairly agile handling. But the steering is just too heavy when you're trying to maneuver it into a parking space. This is an area in which more expensive vans, like the top-rated Honda Odyssey, still feel more refined than the Kia. The Odyssey's power assist has more subtlety to it: Its steering is truly light in the parking lot, and it firms up progressively as your speed increases.
Unrelated to this complaint, the Sedona's interior still looks great after almost 18,000 miles and who knows how many kids passing through...
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- Posted by: Erin Riches January 5, 2007, 11:04 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
January 3, 2007
This morning as I was about to back out of my carport, the Kia Sedona sounded an alarm in the cabin. I checked to make sure I didn't leave the parking brake on. Nope. I then looked behind me to make sure my roommate had already cleared the parking space behind me...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla January 3, 2007, 2:09 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
December 28, 2006
Our Sedona served as the Toepke family's Christmas sleigh this year, and over the 5 freeway to Grandmother's house we went.
Three kids, Katie (17), Kyle (12) and Emma (6) settled into the rear two seats for the 1,000-mile round trip and did so with little complaint.
Northbound was a quick six hours, but it was slow going on the way home--eight hours or what the kids call a "four movie" trip. After watching the Grinch, Polar Express and too many episodes from Saved By the Bell, The Box Set, we arrived home in Long Beach, hardly worse for wear...
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- Posted by: Kelly Toepke December 28, 2006, 11:05 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
December 6, 2006
"Cavernous" is an apt word to describe our Kia Sedona when its seats are stowed. The third row folds flat and disappears into the floor. The second row can be rolled into a fetal position or removed. I chose to leave in the second row as I used our Kia minivan to move my belongings to my new digs...
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa December 6, 2006, 7:06 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
December 1, 2006
After nearly five months, four dealership visits, one dealership out of business and a long line of cassette tapes our Kia Sedona's CD changer is finally fixed. Car Pros Kia in Carson got the job done and the staff was very helpful. Our van was not ready at the time promised but they did give us an 05 Sedona as a loaner without charging us.
Still, with several Kia dealers in the Los Angeles area closing we can't help but wonder how a Kia customer from the midwest or deep south would have done given the same set of circumstances...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody December 1, 2006, 9:34 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
November 27, 2006
I have an abundance of sunglasses and a shortage of places to store them. Until this weekend I've been annoyed by our long-term Sedona's lack of places to store glasses. Seriously, this is problem. After all, the Sedona is a minivan...
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- Posted by: Dark Helmet November 27, 2006, 3:52 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
November 20, 2006
Our Long Term Kia Sedona just returned from service and the bill seemed a bit high. The 15,000 mile service included an oil and filter change, rear brake adjustment, fluid top-off, tire rotation, battery test, and replace the air cleaner. Total parts and labor including excessive California sales tax - $218.06. Granted, they did a lot of tangible work but over $200 sure does seem steep...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody November 20, 2006, 12:07 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
November 17, 2006
The bad news is, the Sedona's CD player still isn't fixed, the good news is we think we've finally found a dealership we can trust. They're going to order the part but this time we think they mean it.
We took the van to Car Pros Kia in Carson, California and were very pleased with the experience. We were greeted with a "Good morning, how can I help you?" from our advisor Yuri and she then promptly told us of three minor recalls which could all be fixed that day...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody November 17, 2006, 6:04 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
November 13, 2006
It is safe to say my two-year-old son was the major benefactor on my recent road trip to Las Vegas in our long-term Kia Sedona. Admittedly I haven't previously driven a minivan from any other manufacturer, however first impressions are everything -- and keeping the kid happy is paramount.
I concur with Brian Moody's assessment of the DVD player that it is annoying to have to restart it once the motor is off. Additionally, had my wife not been sitting in the (she claims slightly uncomfortable) backseat to restart the DVD, we would have been pulling over every 45 minutes to replay Leapfrog...
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- Posted by: November 13, 2006, 11:55 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
November 7, 2006
Kia service drive at 4:00 on a weekday.
4:00 pm on a Tuesday and our local Kia of Long Beach is shut up tighter than a drum with but two new Kias on the whole lot (they're locked up inside the showroom). Why do I get the feeling we won't be getting that busted stereo fixed any time soon. We're told there's another Kia dealer in nearby Carson...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody November 7, 2006, 7:07 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
November 6, 2006
It's been more than a week since we were told our Sedona's radio needed to be replaced. Still no call from Kia of Long Beach and when we call them we're stuck in a never ending cycle of "press 3 for service." We press 3. It rings and..., right back to the "press 3 for service" menu. At this point, we're not even sure anybody still works there.
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- Posted by: Brian Moody November 6, 2006, 3:43 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
October 26, 2006
Why are we still listening to cassette tapes? That's a good question. Unfortunately, the answer reads like a role playing chapter from a customer service handbook titled "What Not To Do."
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- Posted by: Brian Moody October 26, 2006, 5:57 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
October 25, 2006
And I don't mean that in the good, speedy way. On the open road, in the middle of the desert, we were travelling 70-80 mph most of the time. Whenever we encountered cross-winds, which was often, the whistling scream the Kia Sedona EX emitted was immensely irritating. It was worse the faster we went, but with the speed limit at 70 mph, we couldn't go much slower than that without facing the wrath of fellow drivers...
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- Posted by: Michelle Magoffin October 25, 2006, 12:26 PM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
Fortunately for Brian Moody's kids (see post below), I changed the batteries in both of the wireless headsets when I had the 2006 Kia Sedona EX this weekend. The batteries looked like the originals that came with the headset 13,000+ miles ago. That seems like a decent amount of battery life to me, not knowing how often those headsets were actually used.
As I discovered over the weekend, the DVD player does not just keep kids entertained in the back seat -- it works equally well on husbands, wives and sisters...
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- Posted by: Michelle Magoffin October 25, 2006, 11:36 AM
- Categories: 2006 Kia Sedona EX
October 24, 2006
Guess what? Very small children don't like headphones. Luckily, our Kia Sedona EX has an Infinity sound system along with a rear seat DVD player that lets you listen through the speakers OR use headphones. Actually, I'm mistaken, our daughter loves the headphones - here she's trying to figure out which part will taste best...
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