Kia Rondo found! And reviewed
Canadian Driver apparently took our "Where's Rondo?" challenge, found one of the mysterious Kias and wrote an in-depth review. Their opinion? They deem the Korean-made people hauler "a surprisingly likeable family vehicle."
The review says the Rondo is bigger than its direct competition (PT Cruiser, Matrix, Mazda5), has a more powerful available engine (182 HP, V6), can seat up to seven (one more than the Mazda5, two more than the PT), and has much more interior space. The Rondo even uses less fuel than all those others (25/34 for the I4, 24/36 for the V6). The biggest criticism is the oddly-designed exterior.
Even more odd, is that you still can't find the Rondo on Kia's U.S. website, not even in their media offerings. However, if you want a tiny bit of information, Kia's Canadian site has a few photos and a short description that ends with "Available in dealerships in December 2006."
So where's Rondo? Looks like it's in Canada, headed our way.
[Source: Canadian Driver]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Bob 6:46PM (11/25/2006)
I saw one of these on a pedestal outside my local Kia dealer. It really is one of those euro-style MPV things -- really bridges the gap between, like, a Matrix and a minivan.
And Kia's website is infuriating. Half of the cars on the American site are still the 2006's.
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sp 7:36PM (11/25/2006)
lol, such an bad review - "2000 litres of trunk vs 800 on Mazda5", obviously they used different counting methods (some manufacturers count up to the window, some count complete area)....
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Jeff Banks 9:09PM (11/25/2006)
Huh...I like the exterior. Very attractive design if you ask me. Looks like a sport compact, and not like an MPV at all, especially since it has no dorky sliding doors. Decent fuel economy too. Away with the huge-ass mini vans and SUV's!
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matt 9:25PM (11/25/2006)
am i the only one that thinks they stole the front right off a subaru legacy? Are they trying to tarnish subaru's name?
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Howard Kerr 9:33PM (11/25/2006)
Interesting, they call the ondo an "urban utility vehicle". What next? sedans labeled as "family UTILITY conveyances"? For Americans who insist on a big engine in nearly every vehicle, the Rondo with it's first for the class/size V6, will be just the ticket.
I guess it must be me, when I tried to access various features of the Canadian Kia website, it either did nothing or did the wrong thing. Example: I tried to do a build and price but it dumped me into an F and I table.
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Stoneman 10:06PM (11/25/2006)
Its ugly. Sorry, but it's true. There is nothing good looking about this thing. It looks like a pimped up and blown up Chevy Aveo. Daewoos suck. So does this thing.
Stoneman
http://www.stonemanautoreview.com
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ConceptVBS 10:16PM (11/25/2006)
What a great description Stoneman. Care to put up a reason why things "suck"?
I think this vehicle is fantastic bargain fit in a unique niche market.
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lee Klokow 10:40PM (11/25/2006)
I saw one of these on the lot of the local Kia dealer here in Madison, WI. I had never heard of it before. The dealer had a $500 ad'dl dealer markup on it. ADM on a Kia??? I looked it over. It is nothing impresssive. Just another Asian small people mover. I was not impressed. AM on a Kia??? Unbelieveable
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MikeW 11:12PM (11/25/2006)
Nice, but I'd hope that they would launch it with the 2.7 V6 & 6 speed automatic standard for the US.
The veracruz has the 3.8 & 6 speed auto.
Then the santa fe can get the 3.3 & 6 speed auto as standard.
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Tom 11:36PM (11/25/2006)
Stevenson Mazda/KIA (what a combination!) in ILM has one on the lot. Buried at the back alongside the used cars!
The ADM thing is out of hand: every Kia and Mazda on their lot has a $1250 "dealer advertising and prep fee" added to each and every new Mazda and Kia. Even the Rondo! This is in addition to the MSRP w/destination charge (isn't that suppossed to take care of "dealer prep"?)
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That One Person 12:54AM (11/26/2006)
I believe the Rondo was in the running for Motor Trends 2007 COTY award...
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Jason 1:03AM (11/26/2006)
The trend now is small car companies with compact cars are trying to jump on the above MSRP thing just because their product is new and other higher end dealers have been doing it on exclusive cars. It is absolutely crazy, but this is typical modern sleazy tactics where a dealer will try any possible way to make more money on each sale. The new thinking is, "our car is all new, so we have to get above sticker." It doesnt' matter if the car is good or crappy. They want the buyer to believe this new rule..."if it's all new, it must sell for above sticker." Will the buying public buy into this new sleazy rule? I bet they will. We are not wise buyers as a whole. My local Honda dealer (Kolbe, Reseda, CA) has every new Civic and CRV marked above sticker. L.A. is a VERY competitive market, so anyone can go to another Honda dealer that doesn't have a mark up. This dealer has big cajones, and I will NEVER buy a vehicle from them for this reason.
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Ryan 1:46AM (11/26/2006)
Projector style headlights would really sharpen up that front end.
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Mark 2:03AM (11/26/2006)
What I want to know is where is the new short wheelbase Sedona. Those are supposed to be trickling into dealers about now, but Kia says nothing about it. It was at the New England Auto Show in Boston a few weeks ago.
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drew 12:33PM (11/26/2006)
the 2007 kia brochures do include the rondo.
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John riley 7:29AM (11/26/2006)
Converting the CDN mileage, I get 21/31 and 21/29 miles per US gallon. Still better than the Mazda, IIRC.
If you don't _need_ this ecomomy and utility, you aren't going to like this car, but if you do, this a welcome addition to a class of 2 (the other being the Mazda5).
Every other vehicle class comes in a range of sizes. Haulers seem to only come in small (like the Matrix I now own) and extra-large vans. Not sure why in between sizes never found a market in N Am they way they have in the rest of the world.
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Galley 7:55AM (11/26/2006)
Dunno if I'd buy a vehicle named after a 1970's soft drink.
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George 9:36AM (11/26/2006)
The most exciting CUV I have seen. Everyone with a small family should own one.
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Michael Karesh 10:30AM (11/26/2006)
I need to track one of these down. Can you get a manual transmission? If so, with the four only, or also with the six?
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www.gmaccessories-direct.com 10:46AM (11/26/2006)
The dealers have a Market Adjustment and/or dealer prep fee added to the MSRP because the markup on this vehicles is $320 from invoice to MSRP. KIA doesn't really care if its dealers make money or not. It's pretty unbelievable.
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