Minivan reviews please

[i.love.lucy]

We are looking to getting a *new to us* minivan. The kids are very excited to get the "super cool sliding doors!" :001_rolleyes:

 

I'd like reviews from those of you who own one. I'm talking later model, like 04-07 years. You may skip posting if you own a Toyota or Honda because I am sure you love it, and I would too, just can't afford one.

 

Looking at Chrysler/Dodge, Nissan, Mazda MPV, KIA, even Hyundai, and anything else you can think of. We're not GM people but maybe they're great? Had a Ford at one time that was older and it was crappola, but maybe they're better now?

 

Your wisdom and experiences are sought! :auto:

[Ria]

The first thing I'd do would be look at the crash tests and safety reviews for the vans you have listed. From what I know about Kia's safety record, that wouldn't even be on my list. If this van is going to carry your precious children, look at safety first.

 

Ria

[Kathleen in VA]

We own a Dodge Caravan. I wouldn't buy another one. That is all.

[chiguirre]

Avoid the Ford minivans! I had a rental that turned itself off in the middle of a busy road. That was the most stressful 2 minutes of my life because they're incredibly hard to steer and brake without the power assist. It was probably just a lemon, but it put me off of Ford.

 

:auto:

[fivetails]

We have a 2002 Ford Windstar - But I'm afraid I can't give you much 'review' because I haven't got anything even close to compare it with..everything else we've ever owned has been of the $400 sput sputter stall shedding parts variety. This van runs! Like, all the time! :D

 

Though it's down for the count right now because it needs brake work done - that's normal though.

 

I will give you a piece of advice though - please be careful with those "super cool sliding doors" ... ours are automatic (push a button rather than haul on them) and they DO NOT STOP when something gets in the way.

 

Y'know how a garage door can have that sensor thing where it stops coming down when something - cat, dog, bike, CHILD, etc is detected?

 

I figured these must have that - nope. Not ours, anyway.

 

They just keep on coming. You *can* stop them, with enough force - dh showed me.. however, a small child isn't gonna have that force or the presence of mind to try.

 

Check the sliding doors on whatever van you look at - maybe some of them do have that sort of safety feature.. just figured I'd mention it.

[LizzyBee]

My dh was surprised when he read that Powell's rates the Kia Sedona very high. I'm not sure which years specifically, though. We have friends who bought a Kia last year, and they really like it.

 

We have a 2004 Nissan Quest, and I love it. Two of my sisters have Odysseys, and when my parents rode in my van, they both commented that it was even nicer than D's and M's vans. It's roomy enough that even my 6'4" husband could sit in the back comfortably if he needed to - the roominess is what sold him on the van. The back seat folds flat into the floor, but the middle seats can only be unhooked at the back and leaned forward. When the back seat is not folded down, there's a deep well in the back so we can fit lots of luggage. There are hooks for groceries, etc, and the tailgate opens and closes by itself at the touch of a button.

 

There are plenty of cupholders throughout the van and lots of little cubbies. The instrument panel is in the middle of the front rather than directly in front of the driver. That took a bit of getting used to, but it's really cool-looking.

 

Last but not least, I like that the Quest isn't as common as other minivans. It's a little easier to find in a parking lot, and I just don't like being the same as everyone else.

Edited May 7, 2009 by LizzyBee

[fivetails]

 

Last but not least, I like that the Quest isn't as common as other minivans. It's a little easier to find in a parking lot

 

That's why I love the remote control thingamjig that came with our van! It opens and closes doors, locks and unlocks, and --- best of all --- it makes LOUD BEEPING NOISES when you push the lock/unlock buttons. :D

[i.love.lucy]

This is ALL excellent so far! Keep it comin'!!!

 

I have looked at Edmonds.com and lots of other spots with reviews and am of the mind that if a person is satisfied with a consumer product they generally go happily on their way, and may comment to friends and family about their happiness. If you are p*ssed, however, you will find a place to get your rant on. Especially about cars. Book reviewers, a la Amazon, seem okay, but I have yet to read many good reviews of cars, People keep buying them, so someone somewhere is happy, but tis hard to find reviews.

 

That's why I thought to ask the hive. Good advice too, to look at the safety ratings. I also assumed the Kia was 5*, but maybe not. Will check.

 

I do like the Nissan, seems a little space-age design wise, but I guess that would make it unique!

 

Again, keep it comin'...please!:D:bigear:

[Matryoshka]

Love my Toyota Sienna! Love that it seats 8, too. :001_smile:

[sleepymommy]

Love my Sienna! My sister has an Odyssey and wishes she had gotten a Sienna too.

[Rosy]

We've had our 2003 Ford Windstar for 2 years, with no problems--almost. The brakes squeak and we've had them inspected and been told they're fine. I'm not convinced, but the van has been as Les Schwab 3 times--I would think if there was anything wrong, they would want to fix it.

 

Besides that, we've had no problems at all.

[bigdogs29906]

My 1997 Dodge Gr Caravan has well over 200,000 miles on it and it runs wonderfully. It's sort of a love it or hate it van with the masses....but I really don't have any complaints.

Maybe I should add that my husband does a pretty good job with regular maintenance...;)

[rwjx2khsmj]

We have an 02 Chevy Venture that I adore. It seats 8, has given us no mechanical problems and has worn beautifully. It has all the "latest" bells and whistles from when it was new and everything still works. About the automatic doors, when the kids were tiny, those were a lifesaver! So nice to have the doors open and waiting when you have a babe in arms and a two year old by the hand. Our doors have a trumpeting chime that warns you they are closing and they do stop and reverse when something solid is in the way. Chevy may not be everyone's first choice (it wasn't mine) however, I can't say enough good things about this van.

[Kathy in MD]

I have a Chrysler T&C that's older than your age range -- it's a '97. We love it. It handles well on curvy roads and takes heavy cross winds well (as in Kansas heavy winds). Stops are good and the only time I've wished for more power (we hae the smaller 3 liter engine) was trying to get onto the DC beltway from a few, select steep ramps. That includes traveling long, long steep grades in both the Appalacians and Rockies. Visability is very good. The traction control saved us big time last Christmas when the roads suddenly turned icy and I got onto the shoulder. (Traffic was also traveling about 2-5 mph wich was probably even more important.) Milage is good for a minivan, 26 or greater mpg on flat, long distance drives.

 

We did have to replace the transmission at over 165,000 miles last year. We replaced it with a transmission rebuilt by a 3rd party and haven't had a problem with the rebuild. The rebuild carried a 3 year or x mile warrenty. We still drive the van on long distance trips without worrying about it's relibility.

 

Our biggest problem has been an encounter with a concrete column that jumped into the side door. :lol: By the time that happened, the van was so old, we didn't get it repaired. We also have a minor, cosmetic rust issue on the lift gate.

 

When looking for a new vehicle, I'm very concerned with handling ability, reliability on the road and comfort for long trips. The T&C has been a very good vehicle for us.

Edited May 7, 2009 by Kathy in MD

[rafiki]

.

[fivetails]

Our doors have a trumpeting chime that warns you they are closing and they do stop and reverse when something solid is in the way.

 

I wonder if there's some sort of sensor thing we could add to ours - I would so LOVE to at least have a noise warning thing.

[kah]

My mom has a 2005 Town & Country and is very happy with it. I've found it comfortable to ride in, and really, when I was buying mine, I was down to the Honda and the Town & Country, and they were pretty much even. I almost bought the T & C, in fact, but I wasn't happy with the sales guy. (Long story, but didn't reflect poorly on the van itself in any way.)

[fivetails]

We've had our 2003 Ford Windstar for 2 years, with no problems--almost. The brakes squeak and we've had them inspected and been told they're fine. I'm not convinced, but the van has been as Les Schwab 3 times--I would think if there was anything wrong, they would want to fix it.

 

Besides that, we've had no problems at all.

 

Brakes can squeak and be totally safe & working right - have a look here ... I remember my mechanic cousin telling me that stuff before too. :)

 

(unfortunately the brake noises coming from *our* Ford Windstar - year older than yours - aren't benign. RIP rotors. :tongue_smilie: )

[*Inna*]

We're very happy with our 2002 Dodge Caravan SE.

[newbie]

We loved our Sienna.

[Lolly]

Kia Sedona here. pros: safety rating and features are excellent. No major problems so far, and I really put the miles on a van. Gas milage has far exceeded my expectations. On the road, mine averages 28 (not exactly flat either) on the hwy while fully loaded down. More packing space than my last van (Odyssey); it is unbelievable how much stuff I can cram into the back of it! Controls are all well located. Air conditioner is outstanding!

 

Cons: It makes a strange noise underneath when turning. Seems common to Kia's. So far, mine is only doing it when very cold outside; but friends with kia have the same problem. I don't think it is anything major wrong causing it; just a noise. Back seat is horribly uncomfortable. Only a very small adult, or young child is comfortable in the seat; but the seatbelt only fits for a tall adult. This one is causing us problems. Ds was much shorter when we purchased our van and agreed to take the back (only reason I was willing to buy it). Now, he has grown and is NOT wanting to sit back there. It won't be long until he really won't fit; he is going to be tall.

 

Of all the vans I have owned, Town and Country has been my favorite. The only drawback it has is that absolutely EVERYTHING on it broke. We sold it at around 70,000 miles. I honestly think we had replace every major and most minor parts except the transmission. I figured it was about to be trashed too. We had had it serviced every time it should have been. But, it was the most comfortable, well designed interior I have owned.

[TN Mama]

I have a 2005 Town & Country and it has been a really good van. It has 110,000 miles and the only thing we've had to replace are the breaks (rotors once and pads multiple times). I love the convenience of the auto sliding doors and the auto rear hatch. It is comfortable to drive & to ride and there is lots of room. Love the stow & go seating. So nice to be able to fold the seats into the floor and not have to take any seats out. I really wanted an Odyssey, but we couldn't afford it at the time. We talked about replacing this one with an Odyssey when the time comes, but I might stick with another T&C, if I can get used to the new body style. It's awfully boxy.

[i.love.lucy]

Thanks again for the great responses! This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for.

 

Been doing some research and I find that the Mazda MPV has been replaced with the Mazda 5, and it's called a "compact" minivan, or a mini-minivan. So that's out. I'm 5'11", and dh is 6", and my kids are tall, we need the space.

 

I do like the look of the Nissan, and it might be a good way for me to get that Japanese reliability that I want, without quite the price tag of the Honda or Toyota. The Kia has excellent crash test ratings I'm finding. So that's good. Just don't think I can trust a Ford or GM.

 

Oh, if only I just had a couple more thousand, I might be able to find one with leather and a DVD player! *sigh*:tongue_smilie:

[rafiki]

.

[i.love.lucy]

Ah! Thanks Michele, better to test drive it than rule it out! They are made by Ford, right? Some I've seen used are pretty nice!

 

No transmission problems on yours? I've read something about this being a chronic problem.

[Diann]

We have a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan. We bought it new. It has almost 104,000 miles on it. It has been wonderful. If I were in the market for a minivan, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Caravan.

 

Diann

[Mom-ninja.]

This is a great site for safety ratings. http://www.informedforlife.org/

 

Kia has a great rating and price tag that is affordable.

[BikeBookBread]

For what it's worth, have you thought about a wagon??? We downsized (for a lot of good reasons) from an Expedition to a Subaru Outback. Nope, it doesn't have cool sliding doors (which my girls ADORE and wish for, TOO!!!! :001_smile: ). We bought it "new to us" with 14,000 miles on it and haven't stopped smiling since. The Forester is taller inside, but has the same space, basically. No, it isn't a minivan, but it is great 4 wheel drive, gets good gas mileage (25 with AC full-blast for most of the year and 75% city driving), and both thw Outback Wagon and Forester are super highly rated on Consumer Reports, and the Car Talk guys love them :lol:

 

You'd be seriously surprised just how well-priced Subarus are. I was.

 

And oh, my husband is 6'0', I'm 5'8, and we get two HUMONGO car seats in back. He can also throw his bicycle inside the back, or we could actually sometime PAY for a bike rack :)...and we use a Yakima "space cadet" rocket box on the roof for long-haul trips.

Edited May 7, 2009 by BikeBookBread
height info

[sportymom]

I have a Dodge Grand Caravan and I'm very happy with it. 2005 model, sliding doors, fold-down seats and the really deep 'trunk' space. Plus we now own it, so I'll hopefully be able to love it for a really long time!

[Pip]

Love our 1999 Odyssey. We had to replace the transmission at 150K miles while visiting my folks in Raleigh 2 years ago. The man at the transmission shop said Honda has a design flaw in their transmissions that has yet to be fixed; very disappointing for Honda. Other that that, we have love our van.

 

We had a Ford, AVOID

 

Had a Previa, Loved it but it did poorly in crash tests. We'd probably still have it if it weren't for that fact. That is the car that got me loving Toyotas

 

Had a Mazda. Nice, but too small (we camp) and the seats were so uncomfortable I couldn't drive around town without a major back ache. I got rid of it at 20K miles I was so miserable.

 

Now have the Odyssey.

 

However, my next one will be a Sienna. It seems to be the only van with reliable transmissions accoding to Consumer Reports and the very nice transmission guy in Raleigh.

[Lolly]

posted twice

Edited May 7, 2009 by Lolly
multiple posted

[Lolly]

Thanks again for the great responses! This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for.

 

Been doing some research and I find that the Mazda MPV has been replaced with the Mazda 5, and it's called a "compact" minivan, or a mini-minivan. So that's out. I'm 5'11", and dh is 6", and my kids are tall, we need the space.

 

I do like the look of the Nissan, and it might be a good way for me to get that Japanese reliability that I want, without quite the price tag of the Honda or Toyota. The Kia has excellent crash test ratings I'm finding. So that's good. Just don't think I can trust a Ford or GM.

 

Oh, if only I just had a couple more thousand, I might be able to find one with leather and a DVD player! *sigh*:tongue_smilie:

 

Just a thought, we added the DVD player as an aftermarket addition. (Actually, this is the way our dealer does it.) It is much cheaper than factory installed. It is just like the ones the factory installs, only with a larger screen and 4 sets of headphones instead of 2. Did I mention that it was less $? Lots less.

[i.love.lucy]

Just a thought, we added the DVD player as an aftermarket addition. (Actually, this is the way our dealer does it.) It is much cheaper than factory installed. It is just like the ones the factory installs, only with a larger screen and 4 sets of headphones instead of 2. Did I mention that it was less $? Lots less.

 

 

Yep, I know that's an option and one that we will do if the "perfect" van we find doesn't have one. It's not a "must have" or anything.

 

And leather is unbelievably hard to find! I guess most people that buy vans are families on a budget and don't want to shell out for that option when the kids will just ruin a van with their messes, but leather is SO EASY to clean, and so much more comfortable. I've seen it most often in the Odyssey's and Sienna's that I find, but just another reason why they are $$$$$$.

 

Thanks again for your advice/opinions/experiences!:)

[Matryoshka]

And leather is unbelievably hard to find! I guess most people that buy vans are families on a budget and don't want to shell out for that option when the kids will just ruin a van with their messes, but leather is SO EASY to clean, and so much more comfortable. I've seen it most often in the Odyssey's and Sienna's that I find, but just another reason why they are $$$$$$.

 

 

I really wanted leather in our Sienna, for the easy clean-up, and yes, because I could get a tush-warmer with the leather. I live in the north, and there's nothing better in the winter!

 

But even if I had been willing to shell out the $$ for the leather, the 8-seater only came with cloth. What's with that? I have lots of kids so I have *less* need for easy clean-up??

 

I pretended I was going to buy a Honda instead and they threw in after-marked seat-warmers *and* a sun-roof (which also normally only came with a huge upgrade bundle). Still miss having leather, but it did save us a ton of money. I hate how they bundle all the options together.

[Kathy in MD]

..... but leather is SO EASY to clean, and so much more comfortable. I've seen it most often in the Odyssey's and Sienna's that I find, but just another reason why they are $$$$$$.

 

Thanks again for your advice/opinions/experiences!:)

 

I've always heard that leather is not as comfortable because it's colder or hotter than fabric. Is my info wrong? Or is it because they're frequently heated? or what?

 

BTW, ds doesn't want leather because he forgets he has screwdrivers in his pockets too often and he's afraid he'll puncture it. (or he's cheap ;) ) More likely, our dog will puncture it with his claws.

[caitlinsmom]

I love love love my Chrysler Town and Country. Its a 2000 so a little older than you want but it is wonderful. Lots of room, nice use of space, and I love the dual push button doors. One of the best things is the driver and passanger seat heaters. :D Makes it nice and toasty in our cold winters. LOL.

 

It seats 7 but I *think* the new ones seat 8, not positive though. It gets decent gas milage around 24 on the hwy (I've read some mini vans only get 18 on the hwy!). The only thing is that to keep that 24mpg the oil has to be changed at about 3000 miles. No later.

 

Once again I love my van and will definatly buy another one in the future. Good luck on your search.

 

ETA: One more thing ours is a fully loaded model. The leather is great and wears wonderfully. DH has taken the van on many a manly excursions and its all a matter of wiping it off. He works a hard job and has tools all over the place and nothing has happened yet. Our van blue books for around $5,500 so its totally affordable to me. A newer one probably wont be much more. We did have a DVD player in the van but it was broken when we bought it. We paid $30 at walmart for their smallest player, hooked it up, and walah! movies in the car. :)

Edited May 7, 2009 by caitlinsmom

[fivetails]

I've always heard that leather is not as comfortable because it's colder or hotter than fabric. Is my info wrong? Or is it because they're frequently heated? or what?.

 

Our 2002 Ford Windstar has leather seats - and yep, they're FREEZING COLD in the winter. Brrrr. Dunno what they're like in the heat of the summer - only had the van since the Fall. If we'd bought it new and were picking stuff and whatever, I'd have not bothered - but mainly because I avoid leather as much as I can anyway. We didn't though - we got it second hand and it came like that.

 

But yep. Freeze your butt in the winter. :tongue_smilie:

[Melinda]

I have not read all the pages of responses and I know you said Toyota/Honda owners need not post, however have you looked at Carmax? We got a used Odyssey (which we love) for a very low price there.

[LaxMom]

I own an Odyssey (which, yes, I do love), but the three that were in the running when we were looking were this one, the Sienna, and the Quest. I, quite frankly, had high hopes for the Quest and found it... awful.

 

The Kia Sedona wasn't around then, otherwise that would have definitely been in the running. I have never owned a GM product that was even remotely reliable - the current one is on my list of things I would set fire to in the driveway if that wasn't a felony - and will never, ever own another. I've had British cars with fewer issues.

 

FWIW, I was looking for cloth seats and couldn't find them very easily. All of the "top three" on our list had leather. (And, in the case of the Quest, orange, striped leather... brrrrrr.) I don't like leather because my bum slides around and that is, as it turns out, one of the major sensory inputs for driving. (Feet, hands, bum.) We have seat warmers, though, so it's not bad in winter. Not crazy about sticking to the seat in summer, though.

[LizzyBee]

(And, in the case of the Quest, orange, striped leather... brrrrrr.)

 

That sounds ghastly! My Quest has gray cloth seats. I too prefer cloth over leather.

[LaxMom]

That sounds ghastly! My Quest has gray cloth seats. I too prefer cloth over leather.

Ghastly is an appropriate description. When I was looking at dealers' stock online, a HUGE number of them said Seats: orange. I thought it was some kind of code. Not so much. They were totally orange. No idea who thought that was going to be a popular choice. :ack2:

[WagsWife]

We own a Dodge Caravan. I wouldn't buy another one. That is all.

 

:iagree:

 

We have a 2005 Caravan. Paid $30,000 for it brand new. Have had nothing but problems with it. Nothing *major...but nit noid things that should not happen. We can't even trade it in for a Toyota/Honda...because the Caravan is not worth NEAR what we owe on it. Will NEVER have another Dodge...and my DH has been a life long Chrysler lover!

 

My favorite fantasy right now: The day we make our last payment...putting a brick on the gas pedal, and driving it over a cliff!

 

That image, gives me the warm fuzzies!

[i.love.lucy]

Hmmmmm...... the plot is thickening.....

 

A few of you love your Caravans, a few want it over a cliff. Seems about 50/50 so far. Not too good.

 

I already knew the Honda/Toyota owners are happy. Even at CarMax they are all close to 90k miles and up, and none less than $13-14k in my area. While I know that there's still a lot of life left after that, it's taking a chance...to me anyways.

 

The T&C seems to be winning. Many good reviews and affordable enough with lower miles. Strange since the Caravan and the T&C are essentially the same.

 

Still looking at the Kia. Pretty good reviews, and certainly crash test ratings are high. Also has a high transferable warranty.

 

Not sure I could get used to the Nissan. Kinda weird looking on the interior - the way the dash is laid out. :confused: Add orange seats to that...:lol:

[WagsWife]

Hmmmmm...... the plot is thickening.....

 

A few of you love your Caravans, a few want it over a cliff. Seems about 50/50 so far. Not too good.

 

I already knew the Honda/Toyota owners are happy. Even at CarMax they are all close to 90k miles and up, and none less than $13-14k in my area. While I know that there's still a lot of life left after that, it's taking a chance...to me anyways.

 

The T&C seems to be winning. Many good reviews and affordable enough with lower miles. Strange since the Caravan and the T&C are essentially the same.

 

Still looking at the Kia. Pretty good reviews, and certainly crash test ratings are high. Also has a high transferable warranty.

 

Not sure I could get used to the Nissan. Kinda weird looking on the interior - the way the dash is laid out. :confused: Add orange seats to that...:lol:

 

As far as the Nissans go...We have a 95 Nissan. We bought it in 97 with about 60,000 miles on it (we got a fab deal on it.) It has been the BEST car! We have had to put very little money into it...and what money we have was for normal maintenance type stuff when you consider the age and mileage.

 

When we bought our Caravan, we almost went with another Nissan because we were so happy with the one we had...but they had just came out with the new design, and we thought it was horrible looking. Now I wish that we would have went with the ugly Nissan over the pretty Caravan!

[TraceyS/FL]

My STBXH used to sell tools - after a few weeks of visiting his best customers at the Chrysler dealership, he swore he'd NEVER own a Chrysler minivan (and other products). They were the #1 thing being worked on there (and he's a mechanic by trade).

 

my 05 Honda has 75,000 miles on it and has needed nothing but oil changes & brakes.

 

My Dad read a post once from a former T&C/Caravan owner about all the things he had go wrong on his van... the "high point"? When the steering wheel fell off! LOL!! Oops! (there are probably forums out there for all the ones you are looking for - you could check there to see what kinds of problems owners are having).

 

Of your list i'd probably only consider the Nissan & Kia. There are a lot of Kia's on the road around here - it's apparently a popular van in the retirement community.

[i.love.lucy]

Of your list i'd probably only consider the Nissan & Kia. There are a lot of Kia's on the road around here - it's apparently a popular van in the retirement community.

:lol: I don't know why, but being popular in the retirement community made me laugh! But maybe a good endorsement?!?!

 

I have discovered that the Hyundai Entourage (owned by Kia) is being dropped in favor of allowing the Sedona to take over the market. Minivan sales keep on lagging, so they say, but I don't think they can be beat for all they offer in practicality. The Kia is a strong runner at this point. I'll update as we get out and test drive.

 

This all still may be a while off as we are in the process of selling dh's very collectible 66 Mustang in order to make this purchase. My Exploder is not worth anything at this point, so him selling his precious baby was all there was to do. :crying:

[TexasRachel]

I will give you a piece of advice though - please be careful with those "super cool sliding doors" ... ours are automatic (push a button rather than haul on them) and they DO NOT STOP when something gets in the way.

 

Y'know how a garage door can have that sensor thing where it stops coming down when something - cat, dog, bike, CHILD, etc is detected?

 

I figured these must have that - nope. Not ours, anyway.

 

They just keep on coming. You *can* stop them, with enough force - dh showed me.. however, a small child isn't gonna have that force or the presence of mind to try.

 

Check the sliding doors on whatever van you look at - maybe some of them do have that sort of safety feature.. just figured I'd mention it.

 

My 08 Odyssey does stop. So at least in the newer vans, it's in there.

 

And to the OP have you checked out autotrader.com?

[mom2jjka]

We have an '04 Chevy Venture, and while I love it for space/reliability/smooth ride - I later found out that they have horrible crash test results - so I'd avoid Chevy (and also the 'sister' vehicles the Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Montana)

 

For safety features your best bet is a Kia, a Toyota or a Honda.

[K&Rs Mom]

I LOVE our 04 Ford Freestar - no maintenance problems, lots of storage/seating/cargo options, easy to drive (not huge). I had to drive a Pontiac minivan about 6 months after we got this, and remember thinking how much more convenient mine was in every way. It was clearly designed by someone who drives around with kids, because they thought of everything!

[mommyrooch]

We bought our 2006 Kia Sedona last June and have liked it ever since. We were sold on it because of the wonderful warranty and the crash test rating. The Sedona has the highest crash test rating (5 stars) of all mini vans. There are front or side airbags located at every seat. Also, the van is built around a "cage" so if it were to ever roll the chances of the vehicle being crushed is diminished. Keeping our family safe was a high priority.

 

We also LOVED the fact that you could roll down the windows on the back sliding doors. The Sedona is one of the very few models with this capability. We have owned (still do) a 1996 Plymouth Grand Voyager and this was one of the things I hated about it. You could only roll down the driver and passanger windows. My kids would cook at first when we would enter the van on a hot day. Having the Sedona has eliminated that. Now they can roll down their window too for fresh air.

 

We also love the stow and go seats. They are very easy to handle and provide a lot of storage space. All of the seats are very comfortable and seem to wear well.

 

We haven't have any major mechanical problems with it so far. We did have a pulley on the A/C that needed to be replaced (keep in mind that the van was 2+ years old when we bought it) but the warranty covered it without any problems. KIA offers one on the best warranties in the industry. Even transferred to second owners (which we were) the warranty is still a 5 year/60,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty.

 

Aside from that one thing we haven't had any problems. The van runs great and has been a good fit for our family. It has all of the bells and whistles like power windows, locks, mirrors, etc. It also has 13 cup holders! Wow!