Despite being larger than the previous version, the 2006 Sedona weighs 400 pounds less, thanks to use of aluminum in its construction. Its lighter weight improves handling as well as acceleration. But it's still no lightweight, and it didn't always feel like it had 253 pound-feet of torque, as the five-speed automatic transmission kicked down a lot under pressure, for example, when running up a long steep grade with the cruise control set at 79 miles per hour.

On the way back to the city the next day, over the twisty two-lane, the Sedona was impressive in the curves, with power rack-and-pinion steering. Kia's marketing motto is "the power to surprise," and it fits here. We drove with a lot more spirit than your average minivan pilot, and found the turn-in to be precise, with no false moves. For safety, there's some built-in understeer, meaning you sometimes have to feed more steering into a corner as you speed around it, but if it were any more direct it might be darty.

The suspension kept pace with our cornering, allowing very little body lean. The only chink in its armor appeared when zooming over a rise in the road, beginning at maybe 45 miles per hour, as the front wheels wanted to hang. But when the Sedona settled, it stuck with no wallow. At the other end of the road, in the dips, it felt just fine.

We used the disc brakes pretty hard too, and they felt as good as the suspension.

The Sportmatic manual mode in the transmission was a pleasure. We have the feeling that drivers designed this new Sedona: Brits, in fact. We downshifted for corners and manually upshifted, and the transmission did exactly what we asked it do, and rarely any more. The lever fit nicely in the heel of our hand.

The engine sometimes sounded a bit harsh under hard acceleration at low rpm, but now we're nit-picking, which is a compliment of sorts, because that's what happens with high-quality vehicles. At idle, it's so quiet that we once tried to start it when it was already running.

Summary

The all-new Kia Sedona is a great-looking minivan with a V6 engine having the most power in the class, and a suspension that's second to none. The interior is well thought out, with standard seven-passenger seating, easily convertible to a carpeted cargo van, while providing an abundance of storage compartments. The Sedona lacks nothing, except all-wheel drive. It sends a clear signal that the Korean carmaker intends to be a player, and it proves that Kia has the engineering expertise to build excellent cars.

Model Line Overview

Model lineup:Kia Sedona LX ($22,995); Sedona EX ($25,595)

Engines:244-hp 3.8-liter V6

Transmissions:5-speed automatic

Safety equipment (standard):side-impact door beams, frontal airbags, front side airbags, full-length air curtains, energy-absorbing steering column, electronic stability control with traction control, ABS with EBD, tire-pressure monitoring system

Safety equipment (optional):N/A

Basic warranty:5 years/60,000 miles

Assembled in:South Korea