Secret MPVs of 2006 - Kia Sedona/Kia Carens

Sedona on sale: September 2006
Price: £16,000 (est)
Carens on sale: November 2006
Price: £10,000 (est)

Like Ford, Kia has two new MPVs in the pipeline.

For starters, a new version of its Sedona goes on sale in late summer, and, as before, this will be a full-sized people-mover which you can buy for the same price as most small ones. The cheapest model is expected to cost around £16,000, meaning it undercuts some rivals by as much as £4000.

Much improved interior plastics are promised, as are a set of folding third-row seats, so there should be no more grazed knuckles or pulled muscles from trying to remove them. A raft of more powerful engines complete the package.

At the end of the year, there will also be a new version of the five-seat Carens. As with the Sedona, low pricing is likely to be a big part of its appeal, but if Kia’ Multi-S crossover concept car is anything to go by (and a Kia insider suggests that it is), chunky 4x4-style looks are on the cards, too.

It will also be better-equipped than the current car, and is likely to be available with a choice of 2.0-litre petrol, 2.7-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel power. A rumoured seven-seat version would be a cut-price alternative to models such as the Toyota Corolla Verso and Volkswagen Touran.

LATEST NEWS - For more news and images of the new Sedona, come back to whatcar.com on January 1.


See the February 2006 issue of What Car? magazine for a free 100 Secret Cars of 2006 and Beyond supplement.