KIA wanted us to check out their Kia Sedona (yes – for free and yes – for review purposes). We took this gorgeous car for a week, loaded it two always fighting siblings, one mother-in-law, one husband, one wife, and one baby and took it on the road.
How often does it happen, when you plan something, but life in a matter of minutes re-arranges your affairs? The day this car was dropped off at my house was our packing day. My family could use a vacation with a busy year, and everyone was excited. However, a few hour later my husband found himself in the ER with the lower stomach pains. I suggested that he had sympathetic cramps – the doctor said, it’s his appendix. I didn’t plan to drive a car for 6 hours. I didn’t want to cancel the trip. I didn’t want to unpack before even leaving the house.
My husband didn’t want to miss out on fun and insisted on getting cleared by a doctor. He couldn’t drive, but he was in the car with us going away for a weekend.
I am the least technical person I know. I can’t assemble a side table from IKEA or put together a Lego set. The minute I realized that I would have to drive a new and very complicated car, I got scared – I am never the one to drive for hours on our road trips.
DAY 1
I had to figure out how to start the car with a push of a button – that took me 5 minutes. While looking for a manual, I turned the lights on and couldn’t figure out how to turn them back off. 10 minutes before I found out how to turn it off. To my surprise, 6-hour drive didn’t bring any unpleasant surprises. Most important, the baby was happy, and my passengers didn’t complain. No backaches, no headaches.
DAY 3
Just wrapped up our activities at the amusement park and we are about to go back home. I have to say I am more confident about driving this car knowing how well it can do. The amusement park was so much fun – it was overwhelming. I’m kind of happy that I have a big car where I will be in the front and the kids all the way in the back.
DAY 5
We are back in Chicago, and I am back to commuting to and back from work. I discovered the most adorable feature EVER. Whenever I approach the car, it senses me (and the remote control) and unfolds its mirrors. It looks like a puppy flopping its ears.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
We just said goodbye to Kia Sedona. It was so much fun to drive, it was a huge adjustment going from 2004 van to 2015 Kia Sedona, it was pretty cool. At the end of the week I was still getting confused with all the functions. I accidently turned the heat and the steering wheel, and it took me forever to find how to turn it back off.
I think the coolest moment in this entire week was at the blogging conference. I was talking to my friend Sarah and discovering that we both drove Kia Sedona to the conference – instant Kia buds.
I am not a fan of the blind spot sensors! I understand it’s a great technology but I Live in Chicago, and we have traffic. The minute when I turn the blinker on it goes beep..beep..beep. I know there is a car, but I still need to change lanes.
This minivan does not come with a TV, but TV can be put in a van as an option. However, it’s not on a ceiling it’s on a floor, so if you’re in a third-row seat, you can hardly even see it. I told my kids that you can start putting money aside for tablets because in the future cars do not come with a TV in the ceiling.
Once again, my whole family would like to say a big thank you to Kia Sedona for giving us this unbelievable cool experience for a whole week.
I know you hate the blind spot sensors but I wish I had them in my van. Every time my husband drives my van he nearly runs someone off the road because he forgets to check the blind spot! Kias are such reliable, affordable cars. I know several people who own them and they love them!
This looks like a great vehicle. We have a Kia Soul and our next new car will be another Kia.
Looks like someone felt just at home in your car. I have never driven in a Sedona but looks like a great car.
Though I’m sorry to hear your husband was having stomach pains, it otherwise sounds like it was a fun trip! What a cool opportunity 🙂
We have had Kias for over 10 years and absolutely love them. They are reliable and sturdy cars. They fit our budget and yet have all of the bells and whistles we are looking for . I hope your husband is better.
we love our KIA, it handles so well, service is great and the kids love it too!
You and your family are brave soldiers. I cant imagine doing a road trip, it doesn’t matter how comfortable the vehicle is the thought of being in a vehicle for so long drives a little nuts.