Kia reveals the 2015 Sedona, treats "minivan" like a dirty word

Objectively, a minivan is a much vehicle as most people could ever need. It hauls people and cargo in comfort; for their size most minivans get decent mileage, and no class of vehicle has quite as much safety engineering. And for all their benefits, they get shunned as wombs on wheels, rolling reminders of responsibility suitable only for carry one's spirit of youth to the local recycling center.

How then to tackle the metaphysical challenges of launching a minivan? Kia believes its found one way to make the reveal of the 2015 Sedona break through the clutter: Simply never mention the word minivan.

In Kia's palaver, the new Sedona is a "midsize multi-purpose vehicle," a term that also describes wheelbarrows. The changes from the previous slow-selling Sedona are legion — a new design in the sharp Kia look, a new chassis and interior, and a new 276-hp, 3.3-liter V-6. If the face reminds some of the current Chrysler Town & Country, the fold-flat second-row seats will only bolster that connection.

In keeping with trends, the new Sedona gets every technological trick Kia can muster, from automated cruise control to rear cross-traffic alert. And Kia's version of OnStar will offer services like a speed limiter, "curfew alert" and geography-limiting driving range for when the rugrats suddenly turn into teen-agers.

Kia's press release talks endlessly about the Sedona's new "segment-leading" features, but never mentions exactly what that segment is. (Kia actually only uses the word "minivan" in connection with the Sedona once — and that's only in the corporate boilerplate.) We've seen this shunning before: GM tried it on its dismal last-generation minivan to no effect.

At this point, people who buy a minivan don't need to justify their choice. I know this first-hand because I number among them, as do many car geeks, including Pulitzer Prize-winning reviewer Dan Neil. Kia shouldn't give into the haters; the only way to make a promising vehicle like the Sedona a success is embracing what makes such vehicles great. Among those who care, "minivan" is a dirty word only in the best sense.