Autoblog

Yet another week passes by, and all we have to remember it are the pictures. This week on Autoblog we had reviews of the Holden Commodore SS V Series, the Mercury Montego, and the Kia Rondo. Plus, we saw a glass-shard Maserati that was one of the more popular posts in recent memory. Oh, and let's not forget that the Infiniti G37 broke cover as well. We've captured some of the best photos of each and placed them in this video. For your enjoyment, a few of the related galleries are included below.

Music for this piece comes from EL84 with "Race Car". Enjoy!

click on the above image to view additional pics of the 2007 Kia Rondo EX

We just gave back the keys to a vehicle that would have shamed my old Camaro RS in more than just number of usable seats. It also had 12 more horses from two fewer cylinders, drank a little less gas, had a sunroof that probably won't leak until well after the 10 year warranty runs out and would carry as many as seven full-grown friends.

Kia's new Rondo is classified as a compact MPV in Europe, where it's been sold as the Carens since 2003. Add 17" wheels and that 182 hp V6, and Uncle Sam calls it a midsize wagon. Kia, of course, wants you to call it a crossover. Most shoppers will see it as a stylish, comfortable, affordable people-mover. Just don't call it a minivan.

High-res live and media pics available by clicking image

Following in the footsteps of its other "sporty" SX models, Kia unveiled its new Rondo SX in Chicago today. Playing up the versatility of the new people hauler, Kia's VP of Marketing, Ian Beavis, said the new Rondo SX should appeal to those who want to have a more aggressive package on a budget. The SX was done all in-house by lowering the suspension, adding some bigger rubber, a new mesh grille, rear valance, red trimmed interior accents, and a new cold air intake and cat-back exhaust to add 10 hp to the Rondo's 2.7-liter V6. In the SX, it's rated at 192. The 2007 Kia Rondo was intro'd at the Los Angeles Auto Show back in November, with a slew of "Rondoisms" describing all of the new terms people had to invent to cover the new things this versatile vehicle could do. Well, here in Chi-Town, the Rondoisms returned and the unveiling of the SX was even accompanied by song as a rainbow-clad chorus sang Let The Sun Shine In. No, really.

One small tidbit slipped out of the lips of Len Hunt, executive vice president and COO of KMA, right after the presentation too. He said that the enthusiast market is small but showing what can be done on a small budget is what these special addition cars are all about. Something Kia owners can replicate pretty easily on their own. He even mentioned in passing that a light turbo application has been considered as well. "The Rondo SX Concept is proof that smart, spacious vehicles don't need to be boring, and that consumers can still be passionate about a daily driver." When asked how he sees the Rondo stacking up against the similar Mazda5, he said that sliding doors equal minivan in the minds of most consumers and that the Rondo is definitely not a minivan. He also said that we might see a new side of the Rondo in New York, where it has been pitched as a 21st century cab. Full press release and specs after the jump.

[Source: Kia]

click above to view a pair of high-resolution images

Kia will be using the 2007 Chicago Auto Show as the venue to debut its Rondo SX Concept. We don't have much information on the car, besides the fact that it's based on the Rondo and features a more aggressive front end with a big lower air intake and a revised rear with what we assume to be faux diffusers nestled between a pair of tailpipes. A glimpse of the driver side front wheel shows five-spoke alloy rims that are definitely not available on the current Rondo, as well. Kia says that the suspension will be tuned for performance and that there are other performance mods on the Rondo SX. The regular Rondo can be had with either a 162-hp 2.4L four-cylinder or a 182-hp 2.7L V6, so hopefully the Rondo SX will feature one of these engines pumping out more power than stock.

[Source: Kia]

The Autoblog staff was surprisingly impressed with the Kia Ronda that officially debuted at the 2006 LA Auto Show last week. The small people mover looks attractive, can seat up to seven with an optional third-row, and will come with Kia's standard battery of safety features and a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty. Our jet lag from the LA Auto Show has hardly subsided and Kia has already announced that Rondos are on their way to dealers and they're priced to sell. The base Rondo, fittingly called the Rondo Base, starts at a reasonable $16,995 and includes 16-inch alloy wheels, airbags everywhere you look and electronic stability control. A/C, however, is a $900 option. Next up we have the midrange LX model with both an inline four-cylinder engine starting at $18,495 and a tiny 2.7-liter V6 at $19,795. The range topper is the EX, which with the four-cylinder starts at $19,795 and the V6 at $20,795. That's as high as her base price will go. Check out our original post on the Kia Rondo's debut here, which includes all the info you could ever want on the Korean automaker's newest model.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

Kia just showed off its new Mazda5, and we like it. Actually it's called the Rondo and although it is a tall wagon like the Mazda, it lacks the 5's sliding rear doors. It does, however, trump the 5 in height and width, as well as in number of seats at 7 versus 6 for the 5, although only in the optional three row form. Confused yet? There's more. It's basically another smallish people mover with flexible seating/cargo configurations and even an optional third row. This seems to be a popular segment with cars as diverse as the PT Cruiser and Honda Fit in the fold. Available with your choice of a 162 hp 2.4-liter four or a 2.7-liter sixty-degree V6 putting out 182 hp, it fairly covers the segment-sharing Chevy HHR's powerplant ratings.

Len Hunt, executive vice president and COO of Kia Motors America (KMA) managed to keep a straight face while discussing all of the new "Rondoisms" that this new Kia has created in the company. Nothing on the level of Molly Simms or Jennifer Love Hewitt popping up at other unveils, but at least it was somewhat entertaining, if only in a hokey way. They really didn't need the "spectator" jumping on stage or the confetti at the end, because this is actually a pretty nice vehicle that could have stood on its own quite nicely. Probably the best debut of this very slow day at the LA Auto Show.

Pics and full press release after the jump.

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]

Fans of wagon-like small minivans (yes, me and you other two), should keep your eyes peeled for Kia's new Rondo. There are apparently quite a few more on U.S. roads than there were last year. Three more actually. Which brings the total number ever sold in the U.S. to, uh, three.

Some sharp-eyed journalist over at Automotive News noticed the odd sales figure at the bottom of Kia's recently-released October sales numbers. They quote a Kia spokesman saying Kia is mounting a soft launch of the Rondo. The Rondo is not being advertised. The Rondo is not listed anywhere on either Kia's consumer Web site nor on their media site. Maybe instead of soft launch the spokesman should have said mushy. Or even nonexistent.

The Kia employee also says they expect to sell 500 by the end of December.

Um, good luck!

Check out the sales chart for yourself after the jump.

[Source: Automotive News]