First introduced in 1998 as the KIA Carnival, KIA’s Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) offering – now known as the Grand Sedona in southern Africa – has been completely reinvented for its third iteration and is set to take customers to a place where superior design and smart features combine with a deep understanding of practical needs.
Completely redesigned for 2015 and built on an all-new chassis, the Grand Sedona introduces a wider-looking stance, a clean profile with crossover utility vehicle style, and KIA’s typically bold ‘face’. The new model was designed to offer a modern interpretation of the practical and versatile MPV, with a look that combines the on-road presence of a large crossover with the luxury of a sedan. The new Grand Sedona’s exterior styling was led by KIA’s Korean design centre in Namyang, South Korea.
The front of the new Grand Sedona incorporates a wide, upright ‘tiger-nose’ grille, with wrap-around headlamps and prominent, framed fog lamps that gives the car a more modern, imposing appearance than its predecessor.
In profile, the new model’s more upright grille is accompanied by a smoother, more swept-back silhouette than the second-generation model, with a long bonnet and a wrapround glass area which rises gently to the rear before narrowing after the C-pillar. The car’s sportier, horizontal shape is aided by a strong crease that runs along the length of the car, more sculpted surfaces, and a small rear spoiler, ensuring the car conveys a more dynamic appearance than its predecessor.
The rear of the Grand Sedona further emphasizes the car’s solid appearance – with wide rear lamps, broad metal surfaces and a glass-area shaped to give the car more prominent ‘shoulders’.
The interior of the new Grand Sedona is an entirely new design, with a sophisticated, luxurious cabin made up of higher quality materials and premium features and technology. Styled by KIA’s North American design studio in Irvine, California, it takes ergonomic cues from luxury sedans, with a wide, wrap-around dashboard angled slightly towards the driver.
The dashboard offers a feeling of spaciousness in the cabin, with an emphasis on wide, horizontal forms to provide a modern look, echoed in the shape of the instrument cluster, fascia and highlights that run across the full length of the dashboard.
Designers cite first class air travel as a key influence behind the design and layout of the cabin, with elegant individual seats for front and second row passengers and overhead consoles and air conditioning vents to ensure maximum utility and comfort for all.
The two-tone interior features a higher proportion of soft-touch materials and extends from the dashboard into the door trims, creating a premium ambience and consistent design throughout the cabin. South African models are finished in a Light Gray & Black two-tone colour schemes, with cloth or leather trim depending on specification level.
The new Grand Sedona is equipped with a range of advanced on-board technologies designed to improve the car’s capabilities and owner and occupant satisfaction. These include KIA’s Smart Power Tailgate, which automatically opens when the key is ‘sensed’ in close proximity to the trunk, allowing owners to load their shopping bags or heavy objects straight into the vehicle. For added convenience, the Grand Sedona also features two power-sliding rear doors that also open at the touch of a button, either on the driver’s overhead console, or the Smart Key.
A new 7-inch colour TFT LCD screen, with an electro-luminescent instrument cluster, further improves the interior’s modern function and ambiance, while displaying all relevant journey information which the driver can select from the multi-function steering wheel. The standard audio system provides 4.3-inch TFT LCD touchscreen display, also fitted with a rear parking camera, MP3 CD player, multimedia ports for USB and AUX-in connections, and six speakers around the cabin. High specification models feature 8 Infinity speakers throughout the cabin and an external amplifier to provide a more powerful, high quality sound.
The Grand Sedona will retail from N$ 499 995. All models ship as standard with KIA’s renowned 5-year / 150 000 km warranty, a 5-year / 100 000 km Maintenance Plan, and three years unlimited roadside assistance.