2004 Kia Sedona EX review from North America

The back seat belt is stuck.

There is a recall on this vehicle for a potentially deadly problem - a throttle that can stick in cold weather.

I'm not sure how real the "value" proposition actually is.

I recently got rid of my Sedona because I was tired of the lousy gas mileage it got. At best, I averaged about 22 on the highway. Around town, it was much, much worse than that.

Still, if I were going to stay with a minivan, I would have kept the Sedona. (I traded it in for a sedan).

In my view, it's a no frills car that gets the job done with an average level of comfort. There is also a lot of storage space. That's a good feature for a minivan.

Having said that, I will add this: the workmanship and materials used to build the Sedona aren't the best. The plastics on the inside scratch and break with distressing ease.

And then there are the dashboard lights. Some of them make no sense, and others are just downright annoying. Why, for instance, do you need, TWO lights to light up when you turn on the defroster? I mention that because I think that a bit more thought could have significantly ironed out the annoyances in this car.

And while my Sedona was always reliable - it started whenever I needed it to and got me where I needed to go with no breakdowns - I didn't own it for that long. I have some questions about how it would have held up over time.

One other thing about the Sedona: it doesn't have a lot of re-sale value.