The word Kia means "to come up out of Asia to the world".

For several years now Korean manufacturers have been offering simple, good value no thrills cars. The majority of these (with the odd exception such as Hyundai's Coupe) have sold on their price alone - in the same way Ladas used to - and keep the mini cab drivers of Britain in cheap reliable transport. The Sedona marks Kia's first foray into the MPV sector and they haven't done things by halves. To put it simply, the Sedona is big. Huge in fact. It is not far short of five metres long and nearly two metres wide. It weighs in at over two tonnes. It also looks big but you'd never call it ugly, at the same time it's not pretty but no MPV is in my eyes.

As you'd expect, the Sedona seats seven. What you probably wouldn't have expected is the comfort in which that seven are transported. The interior contains four individual cabin seats, which have head and arm rests, and the third row is a bench, as you would find in any family hatch. The driver's seat offers 8-way adjustability including a novel arrangement on the seat height whereby the front of the seat base can be raised or lowered independent of the rear and vice versa. Combine this comfort with the elevated driving position and the driver's seat is quite a pleasant place to be.

There is the usual array of cubbyholes and a lockable tray under the passenger seat. The boot volume is adequate for all but the most inefficient packer. The rest of the cabin is spacious and airy, and is the kind of environment kids and adults alike enjoy being in with a good view all-round keeping boredom at bay. Add to this the optional TV and DVD player and the kids should be rendered silent for many hours. Standard equipment includes a 6-speaker VDO stereo, which, whilst being a bit fiddly to operate at times (and ugly), offers good sound quality. The placement of the electric aerial on the front wing can be distracting but looking around the car there's not really anywhere else to put it other than built into a window.

Included in the standard spec. are air-con, electric windows and mirrors, roof rails and a remote alarm and immobiliser. One of our only complaints were with the crude temperature control on the heater. If this is Heath then let me introduce Mr. Robinson, which is the placement of the optional DVD player; beneath the drivers seat. This may not be a problem assuming a child who is old enough to watch a DVD is old enough to control the player. If not, then you need to stop to change the disk and then, especially if it's dark, this may not be straightforward. It would be better placed in the glovebox; the handbooks could live under the seat.

The Sedona reviewed here was fitted with a four-speed automatic transmission (a £1000 option) mated with the 2.9-litre turbodiesel powerplant. The engine is good for 143 bhp (at 3,800 rpm) and a hefty 229 lb.ft of torque at only 2,000 rpm. It copes admirably with the Sedona's bulk, even with six adults on board and never leaves you feeling shortchanged. It is also worth noting that the maximum towing weight is two tonnes, which is particularly useful for caravanners and weekend racers alike. The unit is relatively smooth and quiet for an old-tech engine, only becoming raucous up above the peak power point at which time you would normally shift up in any case. There are a few vibrations when lugging below 1800 rpm too.

Unfortunately the automatic box holds onto the intermediate gears right up to the red line and the next gear comes in with a bang, though downshifts are marginally better. The shift is neither smooth nor particularly well judged and may prove better matched to the petrol V6 option. Ideally you'd use the torquey nature of the diesel and drive between 2000 and 3800 rpm. However, when mated to the auto box, this isn't always possible. The gearbox is easily the Kia's worst attribute. Performance figures aren't the number one priority in vehicles such as these but for the record Kia claim 105 mph top speed and 0-62 mph in 16.2 seconds. On paper these look terrible but in reality the Kia never struggles to keep up with the stop and go of city traffic and is a very capable motorway cruiser. Fuel economy is claimed to be 32.1 mpg on the combined cycle and we managed well in excess of 470 miles on a single tank (75 litres), which equates to nearly 30 mpg.

The ride is relatively good with the weight only becoming evident over high frequency undulations on the motorway, which sometimes take the dampers two efforts to control completely. Urban environments and the pitfalls associated such as potholes and drain covers are absorbed nicely. Whilst on test the Sedona coped well with some fairly blustery conditions on the motorway. The handling isn't great, but in context is fine. Not many people would drive a fully laden vehicle of this nature as hard as we would. The brakes, which have ABS and EBD, fared well and never faded during some fairly spirited driving.

The Kia is an interesting vehicle. At £17k it has no other natural rivals, save for its Korean counterpart the Hyundai Trajet, which doesn't offer a large TD option. The other principal equivalent offerings on the market are the Fiat Ulysse/Peugeot 807/Citroen C8 family, Chrysler Grand Voyager, Renault Grand Espace and the Mercedes V-Class. Save for the obvious handicap of badge snobbery it is hard to form an argument against the Kia. Every one of these rivals costs a significant premium when specified to the same level and don't match the same unlimited mileage three-year warranty.

At the end of the day the Sedona is unpretentious, simple, cheap motoring that proves the gap between the Far East and Europe is closing. If I was in the market for an MPV and had to answer the question "How much am I prepared to pay for a little more ability and a more credible badge?" I'm not sure I could convince myself that the answer would lead me to part with an extra £10k. However, if I were to buy the Sedona I would ditch the automatic and spend the grand I'd save on the leather interior.

Maybe the English meaning of the word Kia should read "better than you thought it would be".