Though the competition has heated up, we feel that Dodge Caravan is still one of the best minivans you can buy. It offers all of the creature comforts in a pleasing package at a fair price. Our other Best Buy is Honda Odyssey. It's sportier to drive, and it has a super-convenient flip-and-fold-away rear seat, but the ride can grow harsh at times.

Recommended Chevy Venture and Toyota Sienna are comparably priced and offer loads of neat features, but they can't match the road manners of our Best Buys. Mazda MPV makes it to the Recommended list this year as a reliable family hauler offering better fuel economy than competitors at a reasonable price. Also garnering Recommended ratings are the Chrysler Town & Country and Chrysler Voyager. Though they don't offer the Caravan's breadth of model choices, they are mechanically similar. Their entry-level models are a super value for the price.

Sedona drew some 15,000 orders in debut 2001 and nearly 32,000 in just the first nine months of '02. Kia had projected annual U.S. sales of 20,000-24,000, saying its South Korean factory could supply more if needed. Apparently, that's just what's happening.

Parent Hyundai Motor Co. sees Kia as a price-conscious "high value" brand, at least in the U.S. That's one reason why Sedona doesn't offer expected minivan features like side airbags and rear-seat entertainment system. Kia says market studies showed such items weren't vital in Sedona's price bracket, but says they could be added if enough customers are willing to pay for them. Meantime, industry moles say Sedona may be redesigned for model-year 2006--emphasis on "may."