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The idea behind the Kia Rondo is to combine the practicality of an SUV with the look and feel of a car. And the Rondo does it, sort of, with seven seats and a profile that is, in its own awkward way, more reminiscent of a car than an SUV. So how does the Rondo work in the real world? Read on.
Larger photos: Front - rear - interior - all photos
- Low price
- Lots of seating space and storage areas
- All safety features come standard
- Using all seats leaves little cargo room
- Awkward styling
- Mediocre fuel economy
- Rondo blurs the line between car, minivan and crossover utility vehicle
- Price range: $17,395 - $25,505
- Price as tested: $23,895
- EPA fuel economy estimates: 19 MPG city/26 highway (4-cylinder), 18/26 (V6)
There are a few things I really like about the Rondo. I think the interior (link goes to photo) is nicely done, with attractive, high-quality materials. (Several folks who rode in the car disagreed with me. But what do they know? I'm the journalist!) I like that adults can occupy the third row without having to slide the second-row seats forward. And I like the price -- the $17,395 base model includes an automatic transmission, electronic stability control, and a CD player, though if you want air conditioning you'll have to pay another $1,500 for the Rondo LX.
Here's the problem: The Mazda5 does almost everything better. The Mazda5 provides decent cargo room with all three rows of seats in use. The Rondo's cargo bay barely has room for a few grocery bags unless you fold down the rear seat. The Mazda's four-cylinder engine yields better acceleration and fuel economy than the Rondo's V6. (The 4-cylinder Rondo is slower but almost as thirsty as the V6.) The Mazda5's sliding rear doors are more convenient than the Rondo's traditional hinged doors. And the Mazda looks like better -- the Rondo appears to have been styled by two different groups of people who apparently don't like each other very much.
It's not an outright victory for the Mazda, though. The Rondo seats seven versus the Mazda's six, and the Mazda's two-seat middle row means you can't put a child seat in the center position; you can with the Rondo. I think the Kia's interior is way nicer than the Mazda's. And the Kia's value is hard to beat: Feature-for-feature it's $800 to $1,000 cheaper than the Mazda5, plus it gets standard electronic stability control, which the Mazda5 doesn't even offer. The Rondo is a good solution for a large family on a tight budget . But if you can swing the cost of a minivan -- Kia's own Sedona starts under $22k -- you'd be better off. -- Aaron Gold
