The 2012 Kia Sedona takes a double whammy and gets it pretty much from both sides, from within its own family and the outside as well, leaving it in the dust as far as some are concerned. Kia upgraded and freshened up several of its offerings for the model year, but paid little heed to its minivan. At the same time, the Sedona’s rivals, the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna, along with the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, were shown more love by their makers in the way of improvements.

That may be a function of the rumors in recent years that Kia plans to phase out the Sedona with the idea and hope of steering those in the market for a seven-seater to its four-wheel-drive Sorento.

Despite the lack of attention and an uncertain future, the 2012 Kia Sedona, while perhaps not shining, manages to persevere and still has a fair share of fans among buyers and reviewers. After all, soccer moms and dads may have long ago moved on to the next great thing for transporting half a team’s worth of kids, but when it comes right down to it, the ease of access and egress and overall roominess of a large rig equipped with sliding back doors have not lost all their appeal. The Sedona continues to offer that at a competitive price and with a more-than-competitive warranty.

The 2012 Kia Sedona again comes in two trims, a base LX and an EX. Both are powered by a 3.5-liter V6 that was new for 2011 and is good for 271 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque and teams with a 6-speed automatic transmission with manual shift control. Fuel mileage estimates are 18 mpg city/25 highway.

The LX comes with 16-inch wheels, front and rear air conditioning, rear parking sensors, full power accessories, a tilt steering wheel with audio controls and a 6-speaker CD/MP3 stereo with satellite radio. It features a table between the front-row seats, the second-row captain’s chairs are removable and the third-row bench seat folds flat.

The EX gets 17-inch alloy wheels, a power tailgate, a trip computer, heated outside mirrors, foglamps, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a rear-view camera.

Kia groups several options for the EX into packages. Heated front seats, tri-zone automatic climate control, a sunroof and leather upholstery come with a Luxury package. Buyers who go for the Luxury package can also add either a Premium Entertainment or Navigation package. A navigation system and an 8-speaker Infinity audio system make up the latter. The Entertainment setup offers a 10-speaker Infinity audio system and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system.

Most experts call the 2012 Kia Sedona roomy for passengers in all three rows and equipment alike, and it’s loaded with cupholders and assorted storage spaces.

The 2012 Kia Sedona, to be sure, receives mixed reviews. While some experts laud the safety and comfort of its ride and feel it has plenty of power and boasts good value, others are quick to label it tired and uninspiring in design, both from the outside and on the inside, as well as in its drivability. They also find fault with its reliability and resale value. A common complaint seems to be that the cabin in particular, while functional, uses too many low-quality materials.

The Sedona has long scored well in safety tests conducted by the government and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and features a full array of airbags, traction and stability control, and antilock 4-wheel disc brakes with brake assist.