SW17LS

Honda and Chrysler have DOMINATED the minivan market for years with no AWD option, so I don't see how the comment that Kia has to have an AWD option to compete makes any sense. If that were true the Sienna would be dominant, its not and in fact AWD units only make up like 10% of their sales. This Sedona will be a small footnote in minivan sales, it will be dominated by Chrysler, Honda and Toyota.

AWD is just not a requirement in this segment. Pacifica is going to have an AWD option but the Odyssey wont, and watch the Odyssey will continue to do just fine and the majority of Siennas and Pacificas sold will be FWD.

And, it kinda looks like a crossover but the proportions are still not right, hood is too short. It reminds me shape wise of a Mazda MPV. People who like crossovers and not vans are still gonna buy crossovers.

mmarshall

Actually, for a number of years, the Chrysler minivans did have AWD......if my memory is correct, that option went away when the Stow-N-Go option was introduced, because of packaging conflicts. Technology was more limited back then, though....today, it is easier for engineers to fit both the seat-folding hardware and the AWD components underneath the floor.

The Sienna, by minivan standards, sells in some pretty good numbers....since 2000, in a wide range between 80K and 160K each year. So, even if AWD is only 10% of sales, that is a not-insignificant number.

SW17LS

It went away, and sales didn’t go away. That’s a great example.

Fizzboy7

Very agreeable exterior lines and details. Good for Kia! This is one of the best-looking new vehicles, regardless of roll or category. Hyundai should copy this front end to fix the look on their newest sedans.

pbm317

Not having AWD is in no way a deterrent for us. FWD with lots of weight on the drive wheels does just fine. If we lived in a snowier or hillier place, we'd get snow tires and continue to do well. Sounds like this has a Kia version of the CabinWatch, which we absolutely love in our Odyssey (and coming to next years Pacifica). Will watch closely to see the seating flexibility and configurations we end up with here stateside...

mmarshall

Fine, but they don't just sell the Sienna in the American market....that's probably one reason for the AWD. Northern parts of Japan itself, particularly in Hokkaido, get very deep snows in the winter. Their position, with water between them and Siberia, makes that winter climate similar to what we get here around the Great Lakes and its famous Snow Belt.

I agree, though, that FWD with good tires and weight on it helps.

pbm317

It's true they export some Siennas outside of America, but I don't believe Japan is an official destination for any Sienna exports. Some Siennas make it to Korea, where they like larger size vehicles and minivans do decently well there.

Yes Japan does have snowy regions, but that isn't why the Sienna offers AWD. Sienna is designed, engineered, and manufactured predominantly for North America and its preferences. Toyota dealers in Northern regions believe that AWD is enough of a unique selling point and competitive advantage.


Back on topic. I'm sure Kia will happily shove more people who want AWD into the Telluride, which is built in America and sold predominantly in America. They actually don't sell any Telluride in Korea. Sedona isn't a huge volume play for Kia here, at least not to date.

mmarshall

Steve and his wife had one of the last-generation models, and, from what I remember, didn't have any major complaints about it, except, from what I remember, the steering and how some of he seats adjusted.

The main problem with Telluride, though, is that it has become a victim of its own success.......supply cannot keep up with demand. Trying to "shove" more customers into them may only make that worse.

pbm317

Yes, Steve had a Sedona. Yes, many Kia owners tend to like their cars. That doesn't mean it sells well.

Kia Sedona is a distant 4th place behind Honda, FCA and Toyota.

SW17LS

They don’t even sell the Sienna in Japan. The Sienna is a North American product, as with other American style minivans.

AWD just isn’t an essential option in this market. It’s kind of like family sedans, AWD just doesn’t really move the needle.

My Kia was great, but it never sold anywhere near what the other vans sold, this one will be similar. The Sedona was/is designed for the Korean market vs the American market and it shows when you compare it to American vans like the Pacifica Odyssey and Sienna.

Toys4RJill

The 2021 Pacifica will offer awd. The new Sienna will offer electronic awd on all grades. KIA is MIA with awd but the problem is that the hybrid awd from the Sienna will offer superior fuel efficiency.

Toyota now has awd on Prius, Camry, Avalon, Sienna, Venza, and all for their suvs and crossovers.

sdls

It sells. Its a really powerful inducement for car buyers north of the Donna Dixon line.

SW17LS

Even in snowier climates they don't sell that large a % of AWD vs FWD Siennas. Plenty of FWD Odysseys and Pacificas in the north, Canada, etc.

sdls

I think Canada is different because they require snow tires in winter in a lot of places. A two wheel drive vehicle, particularly front-wheel drive, on snow tires, will get around perfectly well in bad weather.
I think a lot of folks who buy AWD vehicles and live in sometimes-snowy climates throw on a set of all season tires and leave them on year-round with confidence. Whether or not that confidence is misplaced is a different discussion

SW17LS

I live in an area where we don't get enough snow to have to worry about snow tires. If the AWD were available, I would buy it...but I wouldn't choose one van model over another because one had AWD and the other didn't. I went from AWD Lexus sedans to a RWD one and it doesnt worry me at all. One of the S560s I'm looking at is a RWD one in SC...doesnt worry me at all.

We might have 3-4 days every 3-4 years where it would be an issue.

I would never buy a 2WD SUV, but to me AWD is part of what makes those vehicles what they are...in a sedan or minivan though, it doesnt move the needle for me.