Kia's hoping we care about the new Carens
That’s because the Carens will be coming to the U.S. as the “Rondo” in its newly redesigned duds. Our foreign language sister site Autoblog Spanish has the scoop on the new seven-passenger CUV. The Carens appears to be a Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe-type vehicle and compared to its last iteration, the new version is a looker. Of course, this is a hot segment in the U.S. in which many attractive players compete, including the aforementioned Pontiact/Toyota twins, the Mazda5, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Chevrolet HHR. The ability to pack an extra pair of people in its interior compared to some of its competitors will be to the Caren’s advantage, as will what we assume to be a traditional Korean high-content/low-price strategy.
[Source: Autoblog Spanish]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jason 11:38AM (4/16/2006)
I like it, nice interior, useful-looking shape. Hopefully the powertrain isn't awful.
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Paqza 11:52AM (4/16/2006)
The styling's inoffensive. If the handling/fit/finish is the same, it will sell a decent amount. Sure, it doesn't get the heart racing...but I don't mind it.
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Clari0n 12:12PM (4/16/2006)
The Rondo? I think the Carens would do better here than the Rondo, but preferably something else entirely. Even if I was in the market for this type of vehicle and this one met my needs, I wouldn't want to by it just for that. "Hey, what's that you're driving?" "Oh, it's a Rondo." Yea.....
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MikeW 1:03PM (4/16/2006)
It would not be too hard to one-up the mazda5, come on that has a 5 speed manual and a 4 speed automatic.
A nice 2.4 inline4 and 5 speed automatic, or 2.0 inline 4 and 6 speed auto.
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Howard Kerr 1:20PM (4/16/2006)
To quote the British auto magazine CAR:
(on the outgoing Carens)
" FOR: Swallows everything
Against: Invisible
Verdict: Automotive black hole
Alternatives: Chinese water torture, surrendering your driver's license... "
Maybe this new one is WAYYYY better, maybe not.
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Udayan Tripathi 1:40PM (4/16/2006)
Hmmm, it looks dull, i like the different stylings of the HHR and PT when otherwise cars in this segment are looking more and more similar.
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Tommy 3:59PM (4/16/2006)
Looks like an Impreza wagon to me. Is there a rubber shortage in Korea? Why do they always make their wheel/tires 1 size too small for the cars?
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Stoneman 5:46PM (4/16/2006)
#7, they're small because they're cheap cars. You think this is bad - wait unti the storm of Chinese vehicles come into the market.
Stoneman
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ben 6:36PM (4/16/2006)
Yet another car that looks like a Pontiac Vibe.
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Jason 6:51PM (4/16/2006)
There's nothing automatically wrong with small wheels and tires. They're inexpensive to replace, and not everyone really cares about big-ass rims.
Consider this vehicle's target niche and ask yourself if you were selling it, if you'd really benefit the customer by adding even 17" rims.
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Kumar 7:13PM (4/16/2006)
The nose on that thing looks like the euro focus. But by the time it actually gets here, it'll get knocked for looking like a Rondo.
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Puff Chippy 8:16AM (4/17/2006)
Rondo has to be one of the worst names ever. "What kind of car is that?" "Oh, that's my new Rondo." Yuck.
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Mike Homeniuk 9:26AM (4/18/2006)
It's already on my short-list, as it one-ups the Mazda5 in a few areas...it's thankfully absent of the ground-scraping rice-racer sideskirts that are forced upon us in all trim levels on the Mazda5 (at least here in Canada), it has a centre armrest that can be used by both driver and passenger (as opposed to the 5's driver-only armrest) and it appears to have proper roof-rails/cross bars. Hopefully it will have a 5 or 6 speed auto, a modicum of towing ability (the 5 has none) and a third row that is at least the equal of the 5. Being a Kia, it will also have a great warranty and a good price to boot.
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Chris G. 6:00PM (4/18/2006)
Wow, nice X3 side glass. What the hell, why is everybody copying BMW?
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MoJo 9:40AM (5/07/2006)
kind of dull. Not anything like the drawn pictures they released. I imagine the target market will like it. Name wise it probably hits that market too. If it was aimed at the youth market it would have to have some catch name like Rondo5 or CarnesMKII so they could say "Its a Rondo "5" or "MKII" "Sweet!" The young guys I know are obessed with short quick names and will shorten something as if it is cool. "STi" "Evo" "Mk IV" ect...
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