2015 KIA Sedona SXL Snowy On-Road Review: Buy It! [Video]

2015 Kia Sedona SXL
2015 Kia Sedona SXL

Finding snow and ice in the middle of summer isn’t hard to do in Colorado, so when TFLcar fans asked for a snow and ice review of the 2015 Kia Sedona SXL, Nathan Adlen took it up into the Rocky Mountains to do just that.

With an as-tested price of $43,295, the Sedona sits right in the mix with other fully loaded minivans. And this test vehicle is definitely loaded – leather seats, heated everything and dual sunroofs are just a portion of what this Sedona has to offer.

Under the hood, the Sedona has a 3.3-liter direct-injected V-6 that makes 276 horsepower and 246 lb-ft of torque. While those are respectable numbers, they’re a little low when it comes to moving around such a heavy vehicle.

2015 Kia Sedona SXL

The V-6’s power is fed to the front wheels through a six-speed automatic that can be manually shifted. While having manual shifting on a minivan may seem out of place, it came in handy when climbing steep, snowy grades as the ability to keep the car in first and second gear really helped traction. The transmission also shifts gears very smoothly.

All that weight takes its toll at the pumps, though. The Sedona is rated at 17 mpg city, 22 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined.

Exterior styling is quite good for a minivan. There’s not much that can be done with a big box, but Kia managed to infuse some of the Optima’s good looks into the Sedona, especially in the front end, to come up with a very handsome vehicle.

2015 Kia Sedona SXL

Inside, the Sedona takes after Kia’s flagship luxury car, the K900. Controls and buttons are of very high quality, and although there are a lot of buttons on the dash to control the Sedona’s HVAC and infotainment system, they’re easy to use with a little acclimation.

The SXL model tested here is a great family hauler and a great car for daily driving, although those living in very snowy climates may want to check out the Toyota Sienna and its available all wheel drive. Or, they can buy snow tires.

Buy-ItOn the TFLcar scale of:

  • Buy it!
  • Lease it!
  • Rent it!
  • … or Forget it!

The 2015 Kia Sedona SXL gets a Buy It!

Kia did a great job making an attractive, capable and value-packed minivan. All it needs is just a little more horsepower to overcome its weight.

Check out the full snowy review of the 2015 Kia Sedona SXL: