Kia Rondo, Kia's new Mazda 5 Options

[cobas]

Okay, it's not technically a Hyundai, but it's pretty close so I put it here. I mentioned this one in the "Why not a 2.4L" thread (because it has the 2.4L) but it deserves its own thread.

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/30/la-auto...sms-mark-debut/
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Autos...icleId=117786#1
http://www.kia.com/index.php

I think it's awesome. You have a new family, so you're dealing with car seats and a lot of junk, or you have more than two kids and your compact is getting cramped. You hate the look of minivans (which a lot of people do...) and you're not crazy about SUVs either. You want cargo space and/or seating for up to seven, lots of important safety features like ABS, stability control and side curtain airbags, lots of practicality and some decent-average power under the hood. Plus you're on a budget and you don't like unexpected expenses so you want a Kia-length warranty. This fits the bill perfectly.

It could have the 235hp V6 from the Sonata too, it could handle like a Mazda5, it could have some better styling (the front/rear are not bad, the side is ok...) ... but it's cheap, and that's what a lot of people with young families care about. More importantly, quality, reliability and crash test results are still in the "wait and see," phase. I'll look forward to reading the reviews.

[xxxmonoxidechild]

kia really likes mazda's designs. the spectra5 is beyond a ripoff of the protege5 down to the name.

[Bigs]

This is a nice car! I would buy that!

[southpawboston]

it seems like a great idea, especially for anti-SUV and anti-minivan people like myself. the third row is KEY to me liking it. if i had this car, that third row would stay down all the time with the child seats in the second row, and just get flipped up on rare occasion when we needed to tote a third adult.

also, doesn't the optima platform share with the sonata? that should make for a safe, competent platform (compared to an XD, for example).

not only does hyunkia copy mazda's styling, they also copied that third row design almost completely from the mazda5... right down to the strap-pull latching mechanism.

what puzzles me, however, is that the third row seat does not appear to have *any* leg room. i mean, you'd have to be legless to sit there:

[cobas]

Maybe it's for childseats only.

[RHINESEL]

it seems like a great idea, especially for anti-SUV and anti-minivan people like myself.  the third row is KEY to me liking it.  if i had this car, that third row would stay down all the time with the child seats in the second row, and just get flipped up on rare occasion when we needed to tote a third adult.

That's kinda like the wife and I. With the twins if we want to go anywhere with the grandparents or anyone we need to take 2 cars.

[southpawboston]

Maybe it's for childseats only.

ah i see your point. according to the specs, the third row DOES have latch, so perhaps that is the intention. it certainly helps keep the car small and pleasantly anti-SUVish. however, you may not realize how large car seats are. they take up a LOT of space, and from the above pic, it appears that a car seat may not even fit between the second and third row seatbacks. does the second row slide fore/aft? the mazda5 has second row buckets, and they do. that would solve that problem.

interestingly, the mazda5 does NOT have latch for the third row. i think that is because they want to encourage you to use the second row for child seats and the third row for the occasional unlucky adult. perhaps it's for safety reasons (rear crash)? and another reason to have the kids in the second row is because you have to constantly cater to them, handing things back to them, taking things from them, etc... kind of impossible when there's an entire row separating them from you.

That's kinda like the wife and I.  With the twins if we want to go anywhere with the grandparents or anyone we need to take 2 cars.

exactly!!! that's our dilemna, except substitute friends and neighbors for the grandparents! we have to fly to see them!
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okay, here's a comparison of the mazda5 and the ronda, from mazda's website. on paper, the rondo appears to be superior to the 5 in many ways. i'll have to take a much closer look once they start hitting dealer showrooms:


2007 MAZDA MAZDA5 Touring 2007 KIA RONDO EX

Price
Base Price MSRP $19,150 $19,195
Destination Charge $560 $600
Engine & Transmission
Engine Cylinders 4 4
Driveline Front Wheel Drive Front Wheel Drive
Horsepower @ RPM 153@6500 162@5800
Torque @ RPM 148@4500 164@4250
Standard Transmission Manual Automatic
Braking/Traction & Suspension
Brake System (front) Disc Disc
Brake System (rear) Disc Disc
ABS Brakes Standard Standard
Suspension (front) Independent Independent
Suspension (rear) Independent Independent
EPA Mileage Estimates
Fuel Economy City (mpg) 22.0 21.0
Fuel Economy Highway (mpg) 27.0 29.0
Safety
Passenger Air Bag Standard Standard
Vehicle Anti-Theft Standard Standard
Keyless Entry Standard Standard
Interior
Automatic Climate Control Standard Not Available
Power Windows Standard Standard
Power Locks Standard Standard
Tilt Steering Column Standard Standard
Exterior
Power Adjustable Exterior Mirror Standard Standard
Alloy Wheels Standard Standard
Dimensions - Interior
Front Head Room (inches) 38.9 41.6
Second Row Head Room (inches) 39.2 40.2
Front Leg Room (inches) 40.7 41.3
Second Row Leg Room (inches) 35.2 38.2
Dimensions - Exterior
Length (inches) 181.5 179.0
Width (inches) 69.1 71.7
Height (inches) 64.2 67.7
Warranty
Basic (months) 36 60
Basic (miles) 36000 60000
Powertrain (months) 60 120
Powertrain (miles) 60000 100000
Anti-Corrosion (months) 60 60
Anti Corrosion (miles) Unlimited 100000

[Bobzilla]

Just saw one of these today at lunch. I must say, it looks rather. . . . .wierd. Tall and narrow. By appearance it just looks like it'll tip over in a crosswind.

[cobas]

Dooh!! Why do I frequently get the feeling that the US is late to the party??


Kia Rondo (Seats 7)

Ford S-Max (Seats 7)

Ford Galaxy (Seats 7)

Mazda 5 (Seats 6)

Chevy Tacuma (what does that mean in Korean?)

Citroen Picasso (Seats 7)

Renault Scenic

Toyota Verso

Honda FRV

Mitsubishi Grandis

[gtloverisback]

THe Ronda looks like a winner for KIA.

[roydjt]

I saw one of these on the road the other day. Size-wise, it looks like what the HD Elantra would look like in a wagon form. I hope that is what Hyundai has in mind!

-Roy

[ElantraGuy19]

I saw one here in Portland in August filming for a commercial. I was wondering what it was.