Those of us who work in this business do so because we really like cars. We know a fair amount about them, some of us have raced or wrenched them, we have read car magazines and books, we have Speed Channel in our cable package; one of us even Tivos the Barrett-Jackson auction. But there are a whole lot of people out there who feel a car is simply a conveyance, a way to get from A to B. Nothing more, nothing less...
I believe the Kia Rondo is for these people. It's very easy to drive and get to know. It's plenty spacious, not really a station wagon and not really a sedan. All the buttons are where they should be, nothing particularly out of place, and it's got a heating system and a stereo and lights and all that. But I have absolutely no Feel for it, no Passion, nothing that rubs me one way or another. As a dyed-in-the-wool opinionated car lover, there's nothing I really DIS-like about it, but there's also nothing I particularly LIKE about it. You get in and you drive it and you park and you forget it. OK, to be honest, I don't particularly like how tall it is. But I don't dislike that either. It's just sort of a very good blah. And there happens to be a very large audience of people who want exactly that.
Rondo: The Car for People Who Don't Like Cars. or Rondo: If All You Care About Is Getting There. OK, maybe I need to work on these.
Doug Lloyd, Senior Copy Editor @ 4,842 miles
whateverdude says:
06:00 PM, 01/ 2/08
Maybe they should rename it the KIA Atob ("Because it gets you from A to B")
ken7966 says:
09:12 PM, 01/ 2/08
As someone who just ditch his minivan for a Rondo. I can honestly say I LIKE DRIVING AGAIN! Booting around town in an over bloated tin box with 70 series rubber is not inspiring driving. Can't want until spring when I could get rid of the winter tires and try out the 17" 50 series tires... Okay so the ride is predictable. And it is a bit top heavy. But the alternative?
Maybe This should be Rondo's tag line: "Rondo for people who likes to drive but can't keep their kids far enough apart..." KC (I'm begining to so like a KIA fan boy... Stop it!)
bgw says:
06:08 AM, 01/ 3/08
Doug, I could not disagree with you more! I am an avid car nut, and participate as a Timing Volunteer with Targa Newfoundland every year. I pride myself on knowing as many details about as many autos as I can cram into my cranium (often at the expense of things I SHOULD know, complains my wife).
We bought an 07 EX V6 Luxury in August to replace our beloved 98 Legacy wagon, and I have to say that the Rondo is everything I could ask for in a car, all rolled into one vehicle. It rides well, handles quite well, has great brakes, handles crosswinds well, is very practical, has solid construction, a comfortable interior with lots of toys, has a full complement of safety features, a smooth V6 that is more than up to the task of hauling us, two kids and a load of luggage, and it returns 32-33 mpg highway.
It is not a Z06, nor do I expect it to handle or accelerate like one. It is not an LS430, nor do I expect it to ride or coddle like one. It is, however, everything that my family needs, and no more. That last part is important. For its intended role, this vehicle carries no excess of anything - weight, length, fuel consumption - that so many vehicles do, that families buy to ferry themselves around.
Does it excite me? Yes it does. Not in that way that driving a 911 excites me, or in the way that a CTS excites me, but it does excite me. It handles/rides/ accelerates/coddles/tows/etc more than well enough, way more than I have come to expect for a family hauler, and it puts our Legacy wagon to shame in all areas. It even matches its fuel economy.
I know what you wrote is your opinion, but your readers deserve to know that owners such as me love their Rondos. My only complaint is that there isn't a manual transmission offered.
SubyTrojan says:
09:55 AM, 01/ 3/08
bgw, being a resident of the U.S.' northern neighbor, do you miss the Legacy's all-wheel drive? Perhaps you simply put tire chains on your Rondo. Or maybe you have another vehicle with AWD/4WD to get you through the white stuff. :o)
bgw says:
10:03 AM, 01/ 3/08
SubyTrojan, I thought I would miss the Legacy's AWD (which was faultless in snow) but so far I have not. The Rondo is not equipped with tire chains (I don't know anyone who uses them, on any vehicle) but with studded Goodyear tires. My other car is a 1998 Escort wagon with similar studded winter Goodyears.
So far, we have received a lot of snow (4 storms in 5 days), and the Rondo has FAR exceeded our expections in getting around in the white stuff.
We would have gone with a 2007 Legacy Outback or 2008 Legacy wagon (which we can still get in Canada), but our friendly Subaru dealer, to whom we had been loyal for 9 yrs, insulted us with a trade value for our Legacy. Every other dealer we looked at (Mazda, Dodge, Kia, etc) offered triple or more than did Subaru. So, we now proudly drive a Kia.
funkymunky says:
10:49 AM, 01/ 3/08
BGW:
I couldn't agree with you more. But this phrase of yours crystalizes it perfectly: "It is, however, everything that my family needs, and no more." If I had a family, I would love this car. It's perfect for that. It's totally efficient and does everything it should do. But no more. My point, however insignificant, was that it's not exciting, it doesn't boil the blood. But that does not make it a bad car, not in the slightest.
SubyTrojan says:
12:21 PM, 01/ 3/08
bgw, good call on the snow tires. They are often more effective than having AWD/4WD for driving in snow.