Topic: Kia Rondo, Any Happy Leasers, Owners Out There?

[Zoo]

Hi All,

  Long time no see! I have been off the forum for some time. I am in a career transition and am looking for a smaller vehicle that I can sell with. By sell I mean both carrying some cargo around and sometimes a couple of passengers (I am taking my real estate courses to sell here in Ontario for the future).

  Frankly the Rondo seems to offer an amazing value as a lease vehicle. I would go for a 5 passenger EX and at this point I don't know if I would upgrade to the V6 or not. I works out to about $7 more a month for the V6 lease (although I don't know how much more insurance would be on the V-6 though).

  So, I am just looking for some feedback from those of you who have one in your driveway or have driven one fairly extensively. This will be a lease with no downpayment so from what I have studied so far the Rondo would be a less expensive alternative for my than the Mazda 5 based on Kia's low interest rate.

   Any thoughts?

[mmret]

I doubt insurance would be too bad on this type of vehicle. Gas on the V6 vs. I4 would be another story, especially if you drive a lot.

Ask gottarondo about her experience, I believe she is quite happy with it.

[Zoo]

I doubt insurance would be too bad on this type of vehicle. Gas on the V6 vs. I4 would be another story, especially if you drive a lot.

Ask gottarondo about her experience, I believe she is quite happy with it.

From what I have read the V6 is only about 1-2 MPG worse than the inline 4. Some of the things I have read suggest about an additional $108 per year in fuel costs which isn't that much of a biggie. I like that the V-6 comes with a 5 speed auto instead of the 4 speed auto on the 4 cylinder and this might account for the minimal difference in fuel consumption.

I normally am quite frugal about these things (hence the 2001 Civic we have which was bought on a basis of fuel consumption and reliability) and normally would go for the most fuel efficient option. COnsiderimng how close they are the V-6 might make sense for when I am carting around sales items and customers. It could probably handle the camping gear we load up better too.

[mmret]

I doubt insurance would be too bad on this type of vehicle. Gas on the V6 vs. I4 would be another story, especially if you drive a lot.

Ask gottarondo about her experience, I believe she is quite happy with it.

From what I have read the V6 is only about 1-2 MPG worse than the inline 4. Some of the things I have read suggest about an additional $108 per year in fuel costs which isn't that much of a biggie. I like that the V-6 comes with a 5 speed auto instead of the 4 speed auto on the 4 cylinder and this might account for the minimal difference in fuel consumption.

I normally am quite frugal about these things (hence the 2001 Civic we have which was bought on a basis of fuel consumption and reliability) and normally would go for the most fuel efficient option. COnsiderimng how close they are the V-6 might make sense for when I am carting around sales items and customers. It could probably handle the camping gear we load up better too.

Ah, wasn't aware of the extra cog. Still, I'd look on a Rondo forum for real world experience of I4 vs. V6.

From the sound of it though, you want the V6. So go with it. Doesn't seem like its that much of a financial issue.

[Zoo]

Thanks for the suggestions. I did the 'ol "Google" thing and found some Rondo forums so I will join one or two and get some feedback.

One thing that irks me about so many cars nowadays (boy do I sound grumpy and old when I write like this) is how options are usually grouped. I would love the 17" wheels and sunroof; but I don't want leather or auto climate control! On so many cars you have to snag the leather to get a sunroof! I prefer cloth.

[Zoo]

To be slightly OT on my own thread!

Fuel economy... I am looking for relatively good fuel economy for a larger vehicle. My "pleasure" vehicle offers anything but good fuel economy:





Unfortunately times and circumstances change so this old buddy will be finding a new home and I will not have a "pleasure vehicle" for the forseeable future. Maybe one day I can balance things out with a sportier alternative than the Rondo which provides some sportiness combined with economy and the right price. Maybe in a few years I can go the Mazda 5 route with a manual or a sports sedan of some sort. For now though call me "Mr. Practical". Man I will be 38 this year. Aren't I supposed to be having a crisis or something and get something really impractical?

[Winklovic]

Don't sell it!  Store it!

[tpl]

Yes 38 is a good time to start the "Me first" decade.   Actually once you start you can keep going until.... he who dies with the best toys dies ahead

[Zoo]

Don't sell it!  Store it!

I have been storing it since 1999 (when I bought it from the first owner). Many hours & dollars to get it to where it is now. I have been out of work since September of last year so I cannot be selfish and need to think of my family and how my finances affect them.

These are some pics from the summer of 1999 when I first got the car (interestingly enough this was my first car! Like everything else in my life it happened late):





Maybe if things work out in the coming year or two the Mrs. and I can snag a 1964-1966 Mustang Convertable that we can both drive and enjoy. She really isn't that into the Chevelle. With another car that she liked as well we could go on trips with it etc.

Someone else can take my old car to another level and have fun with it.

[Minou]

I rented a 5 seater Rondo LX V6 for 8 days in Florida last month and really liked it.

Although I drove the car very smoothly on smooth US roads, I managed to get "only" 315 miles before the low fuel light came on and put 14 USG in it.  But I suspect that the car wasn't completely full when I picked it up.  It had 5000 miles on the odo.

Engine revs were in the 2000-2100 rpm at 60 mph compare to 2400 at 100 km/hr for the 4 cyl. model if I recall CD's road test.  So highway fuel economy between the 2 shouldn't be that different but city mileage with the 4 might be better.  The V6 sure is smooth but not that much more faster than the 4.  The slushbox shifts in 5th gear at 40-45 mph in light acceleration, 1st is very short so the transmission restarts from botched stops in 3rd. 

The ride was smooth, the car very roomy and practical for 4 adults or 2 adults + 2 bicycles with the back seat folded. If it were me, I wouldn't go for the 17" wheels with our bad roads.  The level on interior finish was very good but it displayed more hard plastics on the dash and in the doors than my '08 Sonata GL.  The seat fabric was also less enticing and it had no leather steering wheel such as my Sonata but both lack wheel-mounted audio controls, telescopic adjustment and sliding center console lid.  The base Sonata also has 2 tweeters in the front doors.

I routinely got 700+ km per tank this winter with my car before the low fuel light in mixed driving and my average is 8.3 l/100 km since day one, with close to 8000 km on the car.  And this with the exact same 4 cylinder engine the base Rondo comes with.  So no matter what, high-roofed cars and small SUV/crossovers never get the fuel economy of an intermediate car with comparable drivetrain.

[Mitlov]

That's a beautiful Chevelle...

[Zoo]

Thanks for the feedback Minou,

 Yeah, the standard 16" wheels which come on the EX should be fine and I would save some money on snows for this size versus the 17"s (I am a believer in winter tires). Although the dealerships were closed today I dragged Mrs. Zoo to the Kia dealership in Cambridge where they had a grand total of 1 Rondo on their lot (a loaded up 7 passenger EX V-6 with the premium package (leather, sunroof, auto climate control, 17" wheels etc).

 I was amazed with how much room there seemed to be in it and it would be able to accomodate 2 rear passengers with lots of room and with all the seats folded down we would have a ton of room for our camping trips and to bring larger items from the stores (like larger canvas for my wife's painting).

  I will bug Kia Guelph and see how many models they have on their lot. I would like to compare the 5 seater EX in both the 4 and V-6 varieties (without the premium package).

  So far the vehicle seems like a real winner. It reminds me of the micro vans I have seen in Europe and reminds me a bit of my brother's older VW can he used to have. Of course it doesn't have the rear, air cooled boxer 4; but it does have that nice airy cabin and a lot of room despite a modest footprint. In some ways it also reminds me of the first gen Honda Odessy with the 4 cylinder engine before they made them into the huge vans they are today (which rock BTW!). Minivans aren't so mini anymore and my 2000 Toyota Sienna I used to use for work is a lot smaller than the current Siennas and Hondas etc. I like that there are some micro vans out there vying for our dollars. A very sensible option for families, salespeople, seniors etc looking for something with a higher step in height, fuel economy, and value for the dollar.

  I think Kia hit a home run with this model. It will be interesting to see if anyone else wants to challenge Mazda and Kia in this niche segment. The P.T. Cruiser and Chevy HHR are sort of in the same ball park. The Honda Element is not really the same thing and the Toyota Highlander is a size up in price, and well, in size as well.

[Zoo]

That's a beautiful Chevelle...

Thank you very much. It didn't look so pretty for some time. It got the disc brake conversion and then I drove it. New floors got welded in front to back and then I drove it. At one point it reminded me of something from Mad Max with the new body panels on with primer etc. Needless to say the new paint and finishing touches last year really set it off. It went from being a 100 foot car to a 10 foot car, and maybe even a 2-3 foot car now. She rumbles nicely too now!

[MedicineMan]

Zoo, have you checked out the Rondo forum at Kia-Forums.com yet?  IMHO, that's the best Rondo forum on the whole darn WWW (which I just so happen to participate in).

About the mileage, ignore the Canadian EnerGuide estimates and use the American EPA estimates instead.  If you follow the EnerGuide estimates, you will most likely end up being disappointed.  The EPA has introduced a new method of estimation for 2008 that is supposed to take into account real-world conditions more accurately.  Indeed, most Rondo owners seem to be getting somewhere between (and including) the EPA's city and highway estimates.  Remember that the estimates are based on US gallons, not Imperial.  Here's a handy converter.

If you're interested in the V6, there is some anecdotal evidence based on comments from a handful of people that suggest that a few V6s have a pulling problem.  I've only read one account of a similar problem with the I4 (BTW, no problems with my I4).  Check out a thread at Kia Forums entitled "Problem: Pulling to the right."

You've probably read a couple of reviews here about the Rondo's all-season tires and their poor grip on ice and snow, plus the traction control being too intrusive.  Some Rondo owners agree with this assessment; others, not so much.  In any case, winter tires will solve this issue.  Whether or not this will be an issue for you, you should factor in the purchase of winter tires just in case (and it appears you already have since you're a proponent of winter tires).

You might not notice this when you check out the Rondo so I'll mention it--there's no dedicated cargo area light in the 2008 Rondo (there is one in the 2007 model, though).  The dome lights don't come on, either, when you open the rear hatch door.

Anyway, those are some things that come to mind that you should be aware of.  As for my own opinion about the Rondo, it's a great little versatile hauler--a vehicular equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife--that does a little of everything efficiently and effectively, no more, no less.  I have no major complaints about the Rondo, although I have a few minor quibbles that are not worth mentioning since they don't seem to bother many other Rondo owners.  

It's surprisingly nimble and handles better than one would probably expect, but I wouldn't call it sporty.  I couldn't care less about that, however, because I didn't buy this vehicle to marvel at how well it handles--this is a practical vehicle, first and foremost.  Am I going to be pushing it and admiring how well it corners while I'm in stop-and-go traffic with wife and kid in tow?  Not bloody likely.  If it happened to be sporty, that would have been a bonus, not a necessity.

You seem to be interested in the 5 seater, but I don't have much to say about it since I have a 7 seater.  Perhaps Conwelpic (a 5 seater owner) will discover this thread and add his two cents.

[gottarondo]

In my opinion the Rondo 7-seater is an extraordinary car in two ways, and an ordinary one in most others - and has no truly unsatisfactory characteristics. 

Its two extraordinary characteristics are its accessibility - ease of entry and egress and the nature of the seat - and the flexibility of its interior space.  Having both good cargo capacity (I move a lot of furniture around) or seven-passenger capacity without being a big car was an irresistible package.  Those were our two deal-makers.  And while I too have a few little quibbles, there were and still are not any deal-breakers. 

The low floor, the height of the roof and of the seat, the lack of side bolstering in the seat, and the width that the door opens to all combine to make it second to nothing in terms of ease of entry and egress - at least nothing else I've encountered.  And of course that attribute carries over to the 5-seater as well. 

To some extent the cargo capacity is probably still a feature in the five-seater - though there may not be more of it than in other vehicles, little rear window slope makes it fully usable for box-type loads (schlepped the old dishwasher to the transfer station last week). 

Interesting coincidence that you like the styling and also have a vintage car - that applies to us as well.  The Rondo doesn't seem to scratch the itch of people who like the aero/Bombardier look, but we think it's cute.  That is a nice Chevelle, by the way! 

I agree with MM that the 07 has a tiny edge over the 08.

Hope you find a car that makes you happy... !

[Zoo]

Thanks for the helpful review and info Gottarondo (and thanks for replying to my PM as well),

I don't know why I like the Rondo so much. I like hatchbacks and find them very sporty despite their obvious utility. The Rondo to me is like a 14/10 Matrix or a 7/10ths minivan, I don't know which! It seems like a big hatchback to me although one could argue that it is just a larger version of a Matrix sort of car or a small Pacifica type of vehicle.

I just like that it can do everything I need to do without having an excessive carbon footprint etc. BTW, I have a neighbour who has a loaded up 4 cyclinder Sonata (it pretty much has everything except the V-6 and leather). I have to say that I was surprised by the pep of the 2.4L 4 in his Sonata! I am waiting to do my ROndo test drive as the dealer here in Guelph is trying to line up a couple for me to try (I requested both the 4 and 6 cylinder 5 passenger EX). When my neighbour punched his Sonata I felt like saying Oscar's favourite line from Corner Gas "Holly Hell"! I have not been around a larger 4 cylinder for a while and was used to the 115 hp 2.0 in our 1993 Jetta and now the 117 hp 1.7 in our 2001 Civic. I forgot how much torque a larger 4 can have.

At any rate based on my limited experience with this 2008 Sonata with the 2.4" 4 I might find the 4 cylinder adequate after all!

[gottarondo]

No pulling to the right on my V6.  In fact, flawless reliability so far (15000km).

Someday MM and I are going to have to get together and settle the relative power question of the 4 vs. the 6... (but not till I wash my car  ). 
When we test drove the 4 it seemed adequate but the approved route wasn't exactly challenging.  Not sure of the weight difference between the 5 vs. 7 seater; you'd probably want to be sure to drive the model you're interested in getting. 

[safristi]

Loved the Pics ...ZOO.....I wondered where  Billy Connolly retired.....

[Zoo]

Good one Saffi!

My Uncle Keith is in that one picture and he lives up near Arthur. I didn't get your reference right away; but when I did you gave me a good laugh!

Thanks I needed that!