CD Article: 2007 Kia Rondo

[CD_Editor]

You may discuss our cover story of the day in this thread....
First Drive:

"A surprisingly likeable family vehicle in search of an identity", the new Kia Rondo is "a cross between a car, wagon, SUV and van," says Editor, Greg Wilson.  Ranging in price from $19,995 to $25,995, the Rondo is available with seven-passenger seating and optional V6 engine, he reports, and "is clearly a good value".  
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[wing]

Wow this caught me by surprise, I didn't even know what a Rondo was!  First I hear of it.

I think Greg needs a new Camera for X-mas, a tad pink.

[chrischasescars]

Wow this caught me by surprise, I didn't even know what a Rondo was!  First I hear of it.

I think Greg needs a new Camera for X-mas, a tad pink.

I know, right? I'd heard of it, but hadn't seen pictures except for a concept sketch. Nice looking little car.

And the pink images, yeah; I've been noticing that for a few weeks. I though at first he had shot some pics early in the morning, but it's pretty consistent. I'll ask him about it.

[Bullet Blue]

Yeah I'm surprised no one (myself especially) added this to the "spy shots" section before it came out 

I've heard of it, but this is the first pics I've actually seen. Design isn't ground breaking, but it seems like a decent car to me.

[Loudpedal]

 "The Rondo's biggest problem is that it's a Kia"

This may be the truest of all lines written about this car. 

It is indeed an interesting car.  Would I go see it, forsure.  Would I test drive it, maybe.  Would I ever buy it, never.   Why?  Simply because it's a Kia.   I think that personally I'm at least a decade or two from buying a Korean car. 

I can only hope that it proves as successful as the Mazda5 and other makers (Honda, Toyota, and Nissan) come to the party with similar vehicles.   

[Juke1]

I agree with you Loudpedal. The Mazda 5 is a far better looking vehicle than this and one that I would certainly trust more.

[mrthompson]

I would probably wait a couple of years to see how the first year or so pans out (says the 00 Focus owner  ).  Otherwise, it looks like an interesting people mover.  I look forward to seeing more of this class of vehicle.  Bring 'em on! 

"Help me Rondo.  Help! Help! Help me Rondo...." 

[odman]

I'm glad to see that it appears to have been well designed and assembled -- all of the reviews on it have been positive so far. Most say the 4-cyl is the one to get. Greg's is the first to say the V6 is best.

I'm wary of Kia's reliability, but the Sonata/Magentis platform on which it is based has been reliable. The new Consumer Reports 2007 Buyers Guide shows a much stronger performance by the Sedona, so I'm hopeful. Kia's brand equity is low, so rapid depreciation may make this a better used car in 2-5 years time than a new car.

I'm glad to see more entries into this segment - the Mazda5 sells relatively better in Canada than in the US, so I could see the Rondo doing well here but not there. Honda's rumoured to be bringing the Stream over as the Latitude, and it would add serious weight to this segment too.  

[haris]

Looks interesting. Hopefully North America gets more cars in this class.
As for Mazda5 vs Rondo, I like Rondo better, even if it's a Kia. It's smaller on the outside, bigger on the inside and has more power....

[Shnak]

It is indeed an interesting car.  Would I go see it, forsure.  Would I test drive it, maybe.  Would I ever buy it, never.   Why?  Simply because it's a Kia.   I think that personally I'm at least a decade or two from buying a Korean car. 

I thought the exact same thing up to about a year ago... I remember laughing at my friend's parents who had bought a Sonata like 12 years ago... then, Kia came to market in what, like 1995, and I honestly had no idea why anyone would buy that crap. But fast-forward 10 years, and here I am with a Sportage, and loving everything about it.

All I'm saying is don't say 'never'... give it a try, compare their vehicles against their competitors, and you will see that there is hardly any difference in quality (and in some cases, the Kias are actually of higher quality than some of their competitors IMO), and that the difference in price and warranty more than makes up for whatever difference in perception you might have.

[Shnak]

Kia's brand equity is low, so rapid depreciation may make this a better used car in 2-5 years time than a new car.

True, but at the same time, low MSRP, great financing deals, and longer warranty also make Kias great new purchases...

[Loudpedal]

It is indeed an interesting car.  Would I go see it, forsure.  Would I test drive it, maybe.  Would I ever buy it, never.   Why?  Simply because it's a Kia.   I think that personally I'm at least a decade or two from buying a Korean car. 

I thought the exact same thing up to about a year ago... I remember laughing at my friend's parents who had bought a Sonata like 12 years ago... then, Kia came to market in what, like 1995, and I honestly had no idea why anyone would buy that crap. But fast-forward 10 years, and here I am with a Sportage, and loving everything about it.

All I'm saying is don't say 'never'... give it a try, compare their vehicles against their competitors, and you will see that there is hardly any difference in quality (and in some cases, the Kias are actually of higher quality than some of their competitors IMO), and that the difference in price and warranty more than makes up for whatever difference in perception you might have.

I see your point.  Never is a long time, so maybe 'unlikely' is a better choice of words. 

I'm not a brand or vehicle snob, per se, (I drive a Honda Civic), but the lingering reputation the Koreans have of being the 'cheapest' vehicles on the road is still very much prevalent.  That's the emotional part of it.  The wicked depreciation of the Korean brands is the rational and fiscal part of it.   And, being completely forthright, the part I really don't want to have to deal with would be the continual defense of my car as not being the sh!ttiest brand on the road.   

I'm considering putting Kumho tires on my car in the summer.   This itself is a big step for me as I've always been a Bridgestone/Yokohama/Michelin/Nokian tire guy.       

[libraman]

For me, no manual means no sale.

I would like to check out those cargo/interior numbers also. Like the author, I wonder how such similarly sized vehicles  (Rondo, Mazda 5) could have such different numbers for interior volume.

Otherwise, it looks like a decent vehicle. Glad to see more of this type coming to this side of the pond.

[Scaerio]

I really like this vehicle.  I already drive a similar vehicle, and can see myself in something like this in the future.  Blame my hatch/wagon affinity on the '82 Citation we had when I was a teenager.  Unlike most Citations, it gave us 7 years of trouble free service and that hatch was huge!  Kind of a precursor to the  Malibu Maxx... 

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Where have you guys been? http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index.php/topic,44905.0.html

I think this vehicle will be superb for Kia. It's very close in concept to the Sportage minus the AWD, but has extra benefits like the 3rd row and even sharper pricing.

I personally still love the Mazda5 (looks and driving dynamics - and would take the manual tranny), but can see how the extra room and V6 power will be very appealing to many. Factor in warranty, and other incentives... Rondo looks attractive too tho with bits of chome and the wheels AND WINDOW TINTING! (learn, Mazda) - I especially like the rear with that sort of mid-height integrated spoiler, but is a little top-heavy like it's wearing a big hat. Inside looks to be well designed with good choice of materials too - perhaps better than the 5. I'm rather impressed.

Of all the interior dimensions, rear headroom is NOT the one I expected Mazda5 to have the advantage in. I mean, look at the roofline of the 5 compared to the Rondo. In another article, I believe I read the 5's advantage was in cargo area behind the 3rd row, which makes sense but this article contradicts that too. I don't honestly believe Mazda5 has half the usable capacity of Rondo, but don't doubt Rondo's larger.

If people don't think it looks too frumpy, I think this will be a huge hit for Kia in Canada (and with the V6, has a better shot in the US - hey, what do you know, Kia has 2 people movers!), and both Mazda and Kia will meet success.

My next vehicle is likely to be a tall hatch/wagon. But I'd like something along the lines of a B-Class or VW Golf Plus (unavailable here). These are a tad too large for me without kids, but if they're the same price as a Matrix, why wouldn't I go for it?

[DoubleClutch]

The Mazda5 looks much sharper exterior wisse. But the V6 with 5 speed auto does it for me. I'd take that over the I4 + 4 speed anyday of the week. My only concern would be low resale of the KIA.

[Bullet Blue]

Where have you guys been? http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index.php/topic,44905.0.html

I even posted in that thread too 

Oops 

[Arthur Dent]

Kinda odd looking but would make a awesome used car buy in two years or so.

[chrischasescars]

Where have you guys been? http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index.php/topic,44905.0.html

That the Rondo was coming wasn't news, but Kia hasn't exactly been hyping it, either. At least, not like some other carmakers do with their new models.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Where have you guys been? http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index.php/topic,44905.0.html

That the Rondo was coming wasn't news, but Kia hasn't exactly been hyping it, either. At least, not like some other carmakers do with their new models.

Yeah, somewhat strange. Heard the advertising would start in January. I guess if you don't have the availability and already have a similar enough '06MY vehicle to clearout (Sportage, likely well into '07MY deliveries by now though) and people mover in the line-up, not a priority to tell the world just yet.

At least it's mentioned on the web site now.[/color]