Long-Term Introduction: 2006 Kia Sedona

When the Sedona came to market in 2001, it was big news as the first Korean minivan sold in the United States. Even though it wasn't the dynamic match of the category leaders, people paid attention to its strong value message and long list of standard features. The Sedona now is completely redesigned for 2006, getting additional room and power and is based on an all-new platform. Its longer wheelbase and increased length and width result in a near-15-percent boost in passenger room. Its all-new 3.8-liter aluminum-block V-6 engine has a 25-percent increase in power over its predecessor.

Kia so believes in this product, as well as the brand's much-improved quality, that it offered us one for a year's worth of evaluation (translation: torture). We accepted Kia's challenge and outfitted our Sedona EX with three option packages. First, the Luxury package: leather seat trim, heated front seats, two-position memory for the driver's seat and outside mirrors, power-adjustable pedals with memory, automatic climate control, sunroof, backup warning system, steering-wheel audio controls, and engine immobilizer ($2400). Second, the Premium Entertainment package: DVD player, eight-inch monitor with two wireless headsets and remote, and Infinity surround-sound system ($1700). Third, the Power package: power sliding doors and power liftgate ($1000).

The two trim levels, LX and EX, get ABS (with electronic brake force distribution), six airbags, active headrests, electronic stability control, traction-control system (with brake assist), tire-pressure-monitoring system, five-speed Sportmatic transmission, trizone air-conditioning, sliding door power windows, cruise control, AM/FM/CD player, captain's chairs for the second row, and keyless entry with alarm--all standard. Flip-and-fold second-row seats and 60/40-split folding into the floor third-row seats also are standard on both models.

For $2600, the EX adds a chrome grille, foglights, eight-way power-adjustable driver seat with power lumbar, heated power mirrors, AM/FM/CD/MP3/cassette stereo, auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, power rear-quarter glass, compass, roof rack and wood trim. In short, our tester is as loaded as loaded gets for this model. Break-in is complete, and our Sedona already has over 3000 miles on the clock. We'll let you know how things go during the year we spend with this Kia.