The Kia Sedona offers all the space and practicality you would expect of a full-size people carrier, though at the price of a family hatchback. It’s not as pretty as the Renault Scénic or the Ford S-Max, but in terms of bang for your buck, it is hard to beat.

The current version was launched in 2006, seven years after the original Sedona, and presented a much-improved, more rakish appearance with its large, swept-back headlights. It was also markedly better to drive than the outgoing model.

Passenger accommodation comes in the form of three rows of individual seats in a 2:3:2 configuration, with a slide-and-recline feature on every seat, Isofix child-seat mounting points on the second and third-row chairs, and twin sliding rear side doors as standard — all helping to take the pain out of family outings.

With all seven seats in place, the 364-litre boot seems miserly, but is certainly on a par with the luggage space of rival people carriers. Unlike other cars in its class, however, you can’t fold the third row of seats completely flat, so if you want extra load-space you have to remove the seats altogether. This creates about 1,750 litres of space — more than enough for most families.

The second-generation Sedona, while not exactly fun to drive, is a dynamic improvement over the first, mainly because of its multilink rear suspension, which gives a more supple ride and better handling.

There is a choice of two power plants under the Sedona’s sloping bonnet — a 186bhp V6 petrol unit or a 2.9-litre 185bhp four-cylinder turbodiesel. The 2.7-litre V6 is far from fuel-efficient, but is smooth and has good mid-range torque, which helps to make light work of towing. For just £6,000, a three-year-old­Sedona V6 is something of a bargain, even if it is expensive to run.

However, the turbodiesel, which typically commands a £1,100 premium, has always been the volume seller. That seems a lot to pay for better fuel economy, but as the diesel’s residual values hold up noticeably better than those of the petrol variant, that extra outlay is recovered when you sell the car. Don’t expect blistering performance from the diesel, though, as it takes 15sec to accomplish 0-60mph.

Fans of automatic transmissions might want to seek out a model with the optional five-speed auto box that came paired with the diesel. It will cost about £450 more than the manual version, but the much more ­relaxed driving style warrants the added cost.

The entry-level Sedona GS has air-conditioning, front, side and curtain airbags and a CD player as standard. Spend about £1,400 more and LS spec upgrades the air-conditioning to automatic climate control, while adding powered sliding rear side doors, alloy wheels and tinted glass. Spend a further £1,300, and the top-spec TS, which starts to nudge Renault and Citroën MPV pricing, provides leather up-h­olstery — a nice luxury, alt­hough most buyers can do without it.

The Sedona has its critics, though more for its badging than anything else. So if you’re in the market for a reliable, well-equipped and very sensibly priced people mover, you should take a closer look at the used Kia Sedona.

Owner's view

“The Sedona is a great towing car and mine manages over 30mpg even with a caravan on the back.”

Brian Blake, Taunton

Vital Statistics

Model Kia Sedona 2.9 CRDi LS

Engine 2902cc, four cylinders

Power 185bhp

Transmission Five-speed manual

Fuel 36.2mpg (combined)

Acceleration 0-60mph: 15sec

Top Speed 122mph

CO2 emissions 206g/km

Road Tax Band K (£215 per year)

Cost New Now £19,262

Need to know

Electric seat Check electric adjustment of driver’s seat works, as infrequent use can cause motors to seize

Insurance Group 12-13 on all models, so insurance costs are reasonable

Parking Standard parking sensors on top-spec models help keep bumpers pristine

Seats Heavy to remove, but they do tilt and slide individually

Stability control A rare option on top-spec cars

Transmission Five-speed manual or five-speed auto on diesels, while 2.7-litre petrol gets manual gearbox only

Trim Standard cloth trim is dowdy but commendably durable

The one to buy

A 2007 07 Kia Sedona 2.9 CRDi LS with 20,000 miles. Pay £9,725 at a main dealer or £9,000 privately

or for similar money

2005 54 Chrysler Voyager 2.8CRD Limited

2005 55 VW Sharan 2.0 TDI SE (140bhp)

2006 55 Ford Galaxy 1.9 TDi Zetec 2006 06 Renault Espace 2.2dCi Dynamic

2007 07 Citroën C8 2.2 HDi SX