2011 Kia Sedona gets corporate face, new engine

2011 Kia Sedona – Click above for high-res image gallery

Minivans are back in the spotlight again, thanks in part to the large effort Toyota put forward in reintroducing its Swagger Wagon, the Sienna. Since then, Honda has released its all-new Odyssey, Nissan has teased its all-new Quest, and Chrysler‘s reworked Town & Country and Grand Caravan twins are set to hit dealerships in the next few months. Kia, on the other hand, isn’t making great strides in improving its minivan, the Sedona, though the friendly family-hauler does get some modest updates for the 2011 model year.

Most significantly, the Sedona is now powered by Kia’s 3.5-liter V6 with output rated at 271 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque. This represents a gain of 27 hp versus the outgoing 3.8-liter mill, though torque output is actually down by five pound-feet (we doubt you’ll even notice). Power now runs through a six-speed automatic transmission, and because the Sedona retains its front-wheel-drive-only setup, the Sienna is the only minivan to offer four-wheel power.

Visually, the Sedona now wears Kia’s new corporate grille, and LED turn indicators have been added to the side mirrors. Aside from that, no other major updates have been made for 2011, save the addition of standard Bluetooth connectivity across the model range. Pricing starts at $24,595 for the base Sedona LX, and the full details are available in Kia’s press release, after the jump.

Gallery: 2011 Kia Sedona