Grand, spacious and comfortable Kia

Upmarket appeal

Although some eyebrows might lift at the Grand Sedona title affixed to a 7/11-seater Korean people-hauler, in this case it is bang on target because smart it certainly is - from its streamlined un-boxy lines and large alloy wheels to the roomy interior, smartly furnished with attractive two-tone seats (cloth or leather, depending on specification) large and comfortable enough to host seven large Seffriken rugby forwards on a long journey.

Other upmarket appealers are an elegant piano black and chrome instrument panel, privacy blinds, a sassy sound system and acres of luggage space. All the rear seats can be folded forward or flat within seconds to extend its already generous luggage space. Also impressive (and very convenient!) features are a press-button, pop-up tailgate and sliding doors to the rear seats.

Although the range is made up of five models, even the least expensive options have a TFT LCD screen, a clearly laid-out instrument panel (which displays all journey information required by the driver via the multi-function steering wheel), MP3 CD player, ports for AUX and USB, and a super six-speaker surround sound system.

A lively drive

Our test model, the mid-range 2.2 CRDi SXL seven-seater, was kitted out with cruise control, front and rear park assist, fully-adjustable steering wheel, foot hand brake, dual sunroof and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and privacy blinds.

The four diesel options are all powered by a punchy 2.2 litre turbo engine which churns out a punchy 147 kW and 440Nm linked to a six-speed auto transmission. Although I didn’t get to drive the vehicle with a full load of passengers and luggage aboard, it certainly felt lively, even up steep stretches of black ribbon.

I drove the Grand Sedona when it was launched in South Africa a few months ago and liked it then and after whizzing around the Cape Peninsula for a week I am even more impressed. The MPV’s cabin insulation is excellent and does a fine job of keeping intrusive noises at bay and keeping rain and Hout Bay’s fine beach sand from the interior when strong winds spray it all over the village at regular intervals.

Supreme safety

Kia has the hospitality market and large families in its sights for this snooty transporter so safety features are also extensive and include eight passenger airbags (driver, passenger, side and curtain), ABS brakes, electronic stability control and a host of active aids such as blind-spot detection with lane-assist, rear cross-traffic alert… All adding up to a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.

With a vehicle this size it takes a while to get used to squeezing it into standard, often tight, parking spaces and also to get a grip on the various seating configurations which requires some quality reading time of its manual. Other than that, (and even with it!), Kia has come up with a solid competitor in this growing segment, particularly when weighed up in terms of comfort, convenience, safety and value for money. I would rate it in the top three “must test drive” to anybody shopping for a vehicle of this calibre.

The Grand Sedona’s price of R705,995 includes a five-year/100,000km maintenance plan and a three-year unlimited roadside assistance plan.