Rolling through Central Florida in a SUVish Minivan
We were fortunate to get invited by Kia to spend four days driving our family around Florida in their 2016 Kia Sedona minivan. This would be our first time taking a minivan for a road trip, so we were curious as to how it stacked up to SUVs and sedans for hauling the family around.
Our family road trip brought us to both sides of Florida, from Tampa on the west coast to Titusville on the east coast. With the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando being our home base for the trip, we logged about 250 miles with a visit to Kennedy Space Center and to Universal’s two theme parks.
First Impressions of the 2016 Kia Sedona
As the Kia Sedona pulled up to us at the airport, my wife and I were quite impressed with its un-minivan-like appearance. The Sedona had a rugged SUV look and styling to it that we weren’t expecting from a minivan.
After taking a good look at the exterior of the vehicle, we were ready to pack it up and hit the road. As we loaded up the minivan with our family’s luggage, the Sedona’s cargo area ate up our bags and made it look like we under packed. We could have easily had another family join us without a problem.
As we settled into the Sedona for our drive to Orlando, we were very impressed by the interior of the minivan. The interior of the car was pretty luxurious, with very comfortable seats throughout the vehicle, a beautiful center console with a color touch screen, plenty of usb/power outlets, a rear seat entertainment system and places to put everything we brought with us.
Once we were ready to start our road trip, we locked the Hard Rock Hotel into the navigation system and hit the road. As we took to the highway from Tampa to Orlando, the Sedona once again impressed us with its smooth ride, SUV-like drive performance, quiet cabin and great navigation.
2016 Kia Sedona Features for the Family
The Kia Sedona minivan has a lot of family friendly features that will have parents and kids alike enjoying a road trip or their daily drive around town. Along with the features mentioned below, the Sedona also has dual glove boxes, twelve cup holders, a conversation mirror (to see and talk to passengers in the rear), usb and power outlets, Slide-N-Stow 2nd-Row Seats and many other features.
Center Console and Navigation System – For the driver and passenger, having an easy to use center console system is a must. We loved the touch screen, navigation system, climate control and all of the easy to reach buttons and knobs.
Surround View Monitor – We are used to a backup cam, but the Sedona kicks it up a notch with its almost all-around view using real-time images from four cameras. This helps the driver see their surroundings much better when backing out.
First-Class Lounge Seating – If you really want to spoil your second row passengers, then the Sedona SXL’s recliner seats is the way to go. No more calls for shotgun!
Shifter Console – Along with the Tri-zone Climate Control, the heated and ventilated front seats will keep the driver and passenger comfortable during their ride.
Mom’s Favorite Feature: Surround View Monitor and 8″ color touch screen with navigation.
Dad’s Favorite Feature: SUV like styling and very comfortable seating with heated or cooled front seats.
Kid’s Favorite Feature: Reclining seats and rear entertainment system.
Orlando Family Road Trip
We drove the Kia Sedona through Central Florida on a four day family road trip with stops at Kennedy Space Center and Universal Orlando Resort. Check out our Orlando Family Road Trip article to see all we did in Florida.
Kia has done a great job with packing the Sedona minivan with plenty of needed features for the family and pulled it off without making it look like a kiddie hauler.
Final Thoughts
We really enjoyed our time driving the Kia Sedona around Florida. This minivan proved that it could please the whole family with its myriad of features and its not-so-minivan looks and performance. We loved it for our family road trip and would recommend that families look into one if they are considering getting a family vehicle. We also recommend checking out Edmunds top picks for the Best Family Cars.
The 2016 Kia Sedona at the Kennedy Space Center with the Space Shuttle Stack in the background.
2016 Kia Sedona Highlights
- NHTSA 5-Star Crash Test Rating
- LATCH System
- Bluetooth & Hands-Free Phone
- 12-Volt & USB Outlets
- 3.3 Liter, V6 with 276 hp
- 10 yr./ 100000 mi. Drivetrain
- EPA MPG: 18/24/20
- Starting at $26,400
2016 Kia Sedona Pictures
Lead panorama, First-Class Lounge Seating, Front 3/4, Rear 3/4 and Rear Cargo photos courtesy of Kia Motors America. We were provided with a 2016 Kia Sedona for the purpose of reviewing it on our blog. Regardless, we would only recommend places, activities, services or things that we would use/visit personally and that we believe will be good for our readers.