The Kia Sedona minivan was never popular, and it didn't offer as much as Honda and Toyota. That could change. The 2022 Sedona (known as 'Carnival' in other markets) goes from a minivan to a more capable 'Grand Utility Vehicle', and Kia seriously knocked this one out of the park. The unique exterior, luxurious dashboard, comfy, spacious interior, and seating for up to eleven (yes, eleven) passengers. It also features a longer wheelbase, longer hood, SUV-like styling, and a shorter overhang.

The front fascia has Kia's new tiger-nose grille, nice LED headlights that relate to the K5 sedan, and blacked-out bumpers that look like their SUVs. The rear has a thin light bar that spans the entire rear end. Buyers get to choose from eight exterior colors, as well as 17, 18 or 19 inch wheels. The new platform allows Kia to offer three different sizes with three different seating configurations: three rows (seven or eight t) or four rows (eleven seats). The minivan is 1.1" longer in wheelbase, 1.5" longer in total size, 0.3" wider, and has a 1.18" longer rear overhang to increase third/fourth row space, and better cargo capacity.

Second row passengers can enjoy new 'Premium Relaxation Seats' that recline and have arm, back and leg-rests. A quiet, calm ride is provided by the Sedona's new independent suspension system, and 'noise, vibration and harshness measures'. Making the car more luxurious is the dual-screen dashboard setup that includes a 12.3" digital instrument cluster (housing speed, performance and fuel economy management systems) and a 12.3" touchscreen (housing navigation, entertainment and comfort features) all under one seamless piece of glass. This thing is the Mercedes of minivans.

The infotainment screen features a large number of exclusive applications, such as Kia Live, providing live traffic information, weather forecasts, points of interest, and highlights of potential on- and off-street parking, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, 'Rear Passenger View & Talk', a brand new feature that allows front passengers to check on their kids in the second, third (and maybe fourth) rows with a camera that is connected to the infotainment screen. The front passengers can also amplify their voices through a speaker so that the other passengers can hear them. The Sedona also includes a button that can open or close the power-sliding rear doors as well as the tailgate.

Engine options and pricing weren't announced for the US, but the Korean market can choose from a 3.5-liter gasoline direct injection V6 producing 289 hp and 261 lb-ft of torque, a 3.5-liter MPi gasoline V6 with 268 hp and 244 lb-ft of torque, or a 2.2-liter Smartstream diesel rated at 199 hp and 324 lb-ft of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission comes with all engines.

Safety features include Available safety tech includes a forward collision-avoidance assist with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, intelligent speed limit assist, driver attention warning, blind-spot view monitor, high beam assist, smart cruise control, lane following assist, highway driving assist, and a surround-view monitor. Another new feature introduced in the 2022 Sedona is the 'safe exit assist', that keeps the automatic rear door from opening when the car is moving.

The 2022 Sedona is coming in late 2021 as a 2022 mode year vehicle with level 2 autonomous technology and everything you can imagine in a car.

Source Credits: CarBuzz