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Can anyone make any comments on the kia Sedona or the vw sharan as tow cars I am torn between a new kia or a 2 year old sharan, the sharan has 17000 miles on the clock and is 3 grand cheaper than the kia. Kia 13,000 sharan 10,000 the sharan is the 1.9 carret and the kia is the 2.9 LE both diesel. I am pulling at the moment 1000kg and can’t see this changing in the future thanks Conrad

The beauty of the new Kia would be the three year warranty, I assume you'll only get the balance of the warranty on the VW. I towed for years with a 2litre diesel & found the caravan getting heavier as the kids got older & needed to take more kit. With this in mind we've just bought a 3.0 Espace which has more grunt than we're ever going to need.

I'd seriously consider the new Kia with the 2.9 engine over the VW with the 1.9 you run the risk of asking a boy to do a mans job if your caravan runs heavier as ours did. I know several people who tow with them & one man who runs one as a taxi & they all love them. One suggestion is to go & ask for a demonstrator for the day at Kia, tell them you're thinking of either a sedona or the VW & you want to know how the vehicles compare over a reasonable period not just a trip around the block. That way you'll know which you prefer to drive. Make the dealer work for you because you have the right to decide & therefore the right to a reasonable test period.

I do know that our local Kia dealers are giving some really strong deals on the Sedona & I assume these deals are available where ever you are in the country. Have a peep at the Kia site, I think it's www.kia.co.uk  Our dealer offered me all sorts if I'd buy one including free servicing & interest free credit but Julie fell for the car we've bought so at the end of the day it's all down to personal choice. I don't think there are any bad vehicles made now.

BB

Problem with the Kia is the very low Ncap rating Here, looks good on paper but I would go for the Sharan every time.

I would go for the Sharan provided that it has the 130 bhp engine.

Braked trailer towing weight 2000kg.

Some people go by ncap others go by driving experience, go for the sedona anyday, you get a lot more for your money and its an excellent towcar, it will easily tow 2000kg and there are good deals on new sedona's at the moment. Tows brilliantly.

We tow with a 1.9tdi 110 bhp Galaxy (same as the Sharon), it is a really good tow car.

We did test drive a Sedona but found it rolled much more on courners, felt to us more like a van and was quite a bit less economic on fuel consumption, should add this was about 3 years ago so they may have changed since then.

I really liked the style / size of the Sedona but on balance we went for the Galaxy.

We tow a Bailey Pageant Bretagne and it doesn't have any problems with that.

As has previously been said I'd try a test drive. When we looked for our current car we test drove quite a few cars.

Good luck

One question - what's the residuals like on the Kia?  Every car obviously will lose value the minute it's driven out of the showroom - some more than others.

And as a rule, Korean cars generally tend to lose quite a fair bit of value over 3 years.  How do Sedona's bear up???

Also, something else to bear in mind - Kia are about to bring out a brand-new Sedona.  So if it's an older shape one which you're looking at, you should be able to negotiate a hefty discount.  This discount may be off-set though by any further reduction in residual value due to the fact of the new model being released.  But, if you're intending on keeping it for a fair few years, it shouldn't be a major concern really.

From a towing performance point-of-view, there's not much in it.  Both the Kia and Sharan (if it's a Sharan 130TD) have 310Nm of torque.  The Kia has marginally more power though - 142bhp as oppose to 130bhp (as the name suggests!) in the Sharan.

Don't get too taken in with talk of residuals . At the end of the day the sedonna costs £5 -6000 less than the galaxy/sharan/albrama so on paper its bound to be worth less in 3 years time . Parkers guide states depreciation isn't as heavy as you may think they're a popular car with proven & reliable technology .However If your confident your not going to tow anything heavier than your current van the sharan will do the job very well & in my opinion has the better seating arrangement . I felt the sedona let me down with its odd 2,2,3 seating plan no way would 3 sit comfortably in the boot . I believe the new model is going back to the traditional 2,3,2 layout. The main benfit of the Sedona is the 3 year warranty - good for peace of mind . The sharan however is more economical to run but watch out for gearbox problems on the automatics & some manual models had clutch problems but seem to recall they're only on early models than the one your considering ?

whichever you decide on they're both up to the job and hope you get sorted with whatevers right for you . All the Best

Bob

I have had both, and towed with both so here is my honest opinion.

I had the Galaxy (same as sharan) the 110 BHP, it was great, drove like a dream solo, great mpg, and towed us all around scotland fantastic. However it had high milage.

I then looked at a newer MPV car, and because the Sedona was so much cheaper than a similar age galaxy I went for it.

What a mistake!  Yes it towed like a train, yes the spec was good, however...  It drives terrible in comparison, like a bus, even though the engine is a 2.9 its slower than the the galaxy/sharan.  the MPG was awful   solo I was getting about 300 miles for £55 of Fuel.

And the worst bit...   I bought it for £10500 In January, and sold it in April for £8500 and I was lucky to get that.

I was swayed by all the good reports on them, and peoples advice, but trust me and only take advice from people who have had both, I am sure if I had had the Sedona BEFORE the galaxy I would think its great, but the price difference is for a reason and the sharran is worth the extra.

ALso, Consider the Seat Alhambra, its the same as the sharan and the glalaxy but you get a little more for your money.

also do a search on google for " kia sedona " forum and read about the mpg etc.

one good thing about the sedona it will pull around 1800 kg easy, which is generally only done with 4x4's so a choice between 4x4 and sedona, sedona would win, but not against a galaxy/sharan/alhambra

Do your research well, and dont lose a fortune like I did.

This is a good website for reviews http://www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/?frommenu=true

Steve

Quote: Originally posted by PeeWee on 29/6/2006

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I have had both, and towed with both so here is my honest opinion.

 

I had the Galaxy (same as sharan) the 110 BHP, it was great, drove like a dream solo, great mpg, and towed us all around scotland fantastic. However it had high milage.

I then looked at a newer MPV car, and because the Sedona was so much cheaper than a similar age galaxy I went for it.

What a mistake!  Yes it towed like a train, yes the spec was good, however...  It drives terrible in comparison, like a bus, even though the engine is a 2.9 its slower than the the galaxy/sharan.  the MPG was awful   solo I was getting about 300 miles for £55 of Fuel.

And the worst bit...   I bought it for £10500 In January, and sold it in April for £8500 and I was lucky to get that.

I was swayed by all the good reports on them, and peoples advice, but trust me and only take advice from people who have had both, I am sure if I had had the Sedona BEFORE the galaxy I would think its great, but the price difference is for a reason and the sharran is worth the extra.

ALso, Consider the Seat Alhambra, its the same as the sharan and the glalaxy but you get a little more for your money.

also do a search on google for " kia sedona " forum and read about the mpg etc.

one good thing about the sedona it will pull around 1800 kg easy, which is generally only done with 4x4's so a choice between 4x4 and sedona, sedona would win, but not against a galaxy/sharan/alhambra

Do your research well, and dont lose a fortune like I did.

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Good review, well put.

The Sedona is a budget MPV and I would love to be able to afford a VW Sharan but with 4 kids, the fancy cars are out, as are the package holidays (next to none available for more than 3 kids - thus the need for a caravan and good towcar). I owned a Galaxy, the build quality was great, then because of the cost moved to a Zafira which the kids quickly outgrew and I am delighted with the Sedona. To be able to by a brand new TD Sharan or Galaxy or Alhambra I was looking at over £20k.

The Sedona is a great tow car and has masses of room for the kids, drives well, tows well and brand new for less than £15k, how old would the Sharan need to be to get it at under £15k.

Did you know that from 1st of July, tomorrow, there is a new Sedona being launched.... The new 2.9 Diesel is 182bhp and the V6 is 186bhp

http://www.carpages.co.uk/kia/kia-sedona-27-06-06.asp

As stated Kia are confident of gaining 4 stars for euro ncap for the new model and while the new model comes out, they have reduced the prices of the older model so that people like me, on a budget, can buy a new car and have peace of mind about having a 3 year warranty.

If money is not a problem you can pay through the nose for a new Sharan, Galaxy, or Alhambra.

hi

i have to say i have had a sedona and i had no probs with it, the drive was good and the umphhh, but you can get a 18 month old sorento for that money, and i have to say, they are very good tow cars, they tow anything. anyone lookng for 4x4's i'd recommend the sorento

the bitch