Feature-Laden Family Fun; Can the Sedona's improvements overcome past quality woes?(News)

Byline: MARK VAUGHN

The second-generation Kia Sedona looks terrific on paper. When you drive it, you'll say it's terrific, too.

The new Sedona minivan is better in almost every way than the first-generation Sedona. It has a new 3.8-liter aluminum (replacing iron) V6, matches competitors in most feature categories, is 400 pounds lighter overall and-with a longer and wider body-boasts 15 percent more interior room. It is pleasant to drive, and it is quiet over the road and through the air.

And, somewhat ominously, Kia says Sedona "quality is up.''

Quality-there's the 800-pound gorilla. From ranting on internet chat rooms to scientific surveys like those of Strategic Vision, AutoPacific and J.D. Power, Kia has had more than its share of quality problems over the years. (It was dead last, again, in the 2005 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, for instance.)

Does this mean the roomy, comfortable Sedona should be crossed off your minivan shopping list? Well, let's see:

It is, as they say, "all-new,'' so Kia addressed the most commonly complained about items, which are the alternators, air conditioning, brakes and batteries. Transmissions, sometimes, too. None of these systems gave us a hint of a problem during our daylong drive of a couple hundred miles. The Sedona felt great. In fact, it seemed ready to take on and wallop all comers in the class.