Our 2007 Kia Rondo has one of the simplest and most logical climate control systems going. And it generally works great. But on a recent jaunt to the LA Auto show, it left me cold. Well, OK, mildly chilly.
You see I needed a bit of cool air circulating, but not so much that I could feel the breeze itself. At the lowest fan speed, there's still too much concentrated airflow and too many goosebumps. I couldn't aim the vents far enough away, and shutting the offending ones off completely (a) defeated the purpose by stopping circulation where I needed it and, (b) accelerated the flow through the remaining ones further still, creating more noise and annoying the passenger. Blending a bit more warm air in didn't do the trick either, as the breeze was still too strong.
During the summer, when too much A/C is never enough, this was never an issue. But on these in-between warm fall days with bright sun, I find that I need a lower "low" fan speed. Or a jacket.
Note: Ignore the settings above - the photo was taken on a different day.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 3,501 miles
flipb says:
06:39 PM, 11/25/07
My thoughts on the Rondo's HVAC:
LIKES:
Eight fan speeds to choose from
Windows rarely get foggy, and when they do, defrost works rapidly
Controls are easy and (mostly) intuitive
There are rear seat vents, which I can open/close fairly easily from the driver's seat.
DISLIKES:
"Off" should be a setting on the fan speed dial, not the "mode" dial. I'd much rather be able to set the mode and turn the fan off, which (in other cars) provides a slight ventilation breeze at highway speeds through my selected mode.
As noted above, lowest fan speed isn't low enough. And since I can't select the mode when the fan is off, the fanless gentle highway breeze isn't in my control.
Too much air leaks through various vents regardless of the selected Mode. When I have the heat on "feet only", I often have to close the dashboard vents to stop the airflow at my face.
A/C isn't as cold as it should be for a new car.
OK, I think that's all.
[/diatribe]
dalaw says:
08:33 PM, 11/25/07
maybe you should try defroster mode. air coming out from the top of the dash board so they dont blow directly at you. but the drawback is that the a/c will be on automatically so you need to crank up some heat at the same time if the air becomes too cold
stovt001 says:
06:04 AM, 11/26/07
Usually it is difficult to get just the right airflow settings for days like what you mentioned. You would think with the Rondo's 8 speeds the problem would be solved, so it is a little discouraging that it wasn't.
actualsize says:
08:28 AM, 11/26/07
Yeah Flipb, I'm with you on the OFF location: it's weird having it on the mode selector. To my addled brain, OFF is a fan-speed setting of zero.
As I understand it, having OFF on the mode switch helps prevent fogging complaints, as it is impossible to accidentally have a zero fan setting with a defog mode selected. The problem is, as you say, it is impossible to choose a fan speed setting of zero with ANY mode selected.
Ours seems to produce plenty of cold air, though. But we're not in Phoenix.
Zooming out to a bigger picture, I'm constantly surprised by how well the Rondo rides and handles. Its got decent power and a useful interior layout. This thing is nowhere near to being a penalty box.
ahightower says:
08:45 AM, 11/26/07
I can totally relate. I really liked the vents on my old 2004 Outlander. They were the round ones that can spin in any direction, or be closed completely. No little switches or levers to fiddle with. I could send the air flowing in a sort of upward direction, just past my left side to keep it cool on a summer day when a lot of heat was coming from the window. Not blowing ON me, but blowing PAST me, just so. Sounds anal, right? It's true. I also loved how they were really easy to dust with the swiffer cloth I keep in the console so I can tidy up the dash when stuck at a long red light. I probably need professional help.
My new Mazda3 is almost as good. The two vents farthest left and right are the round ones, and the two in the center are more like those pictured above. Yes, it bothers me that they don't match. But they work well and I'm able to fine tune things just the way I like them.
actualsize says:
09:01 AM, 11/26/07
I also loved how they were really easy to dust with the swiffer cloth I keep in the console so I can tidy up the dash when stuck at a long red light. I probably need professional help.
Now THAT sounds anal. Are you on TV? Your name wouldn't happen to be MONK, would it? ;-)
wheelspin1 says:
08:08 AM, 04/ 2/08
"Yeah Flipb, I'm with you on the OFF location: it's weird having it on the mode selector. To my addled brain, OFF is a fan-speed setting of zero."
Okay, although I agree with you on this, I must say when I stop to think of my previous vehicles an Olds, a Jeep, and a Pontiac none of them had the off on the fan selector they were all on the mode selector.