2007 Kia Rondo: Pushing the Limits of Fashion

Yes I am so looking forward to cars with low beltline and big tall windows coming back.
 
I am so sick of all the newest cars with high beltline and tiny windows.
 
I wonder who is the idiot who think low visibility and the claustrophobic feel is cool. Sure it makes the car stylish, but feeling like being in a prison inside is not cool at all. The Benz CLS is the prime example, yuck!

I agree but Kia still needs to fix that ugly blind spot of a D pillar.

Firstwagon--
 
That design element is seen on a lot of cars such as: Nissan Versa Hatchback, Mazda 3 Hatch back, Nissan Murano, Honda C-RV, Toyota RAV-4, Jeep Compass, Subaru Tribecca, and Lexus RX-350. (I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that come to mind.)
 
There are worse blind spots on vehicles such as the Toyota FJ Cruiser, Scion Xb, and Dodge Magnum Wagon.

True but it's still ugly and it's a blind spot.

Ugly, yes, but it sounds like overall visibility is great. Maybe if I keep the lights off in the garage until I'm inside the car ;)

I agree that the Dodge Magnum has the worst blind spots. I rented one before and you just hope nothing is behind the car when backing up.

It would be really nice if the current trend of bloated car bodies with tiny windows would reverse a bit.
Sitting in many new cars (the ones with the tiny windows) feels claustrophobic. I guess some people might feel cozy but for me I feel trapped and uncomfortable. I have no problem with sitting low in a sports car that you actually sit low in, however if I'm driving a larger, higher sitting vehicle then it seems silly to make me look out of an opening similar to a slit in a bunker just for the sake of appearance.
Unfortunately, it has become such a standard design method of making the windows shorter and shorter to make the car have some sort of a sleek look. I don't see the manufactures focusing on visibility much any time soon. Don't get me wrong, the cars don't all have to be like Pacers, but a bit more window would be a good thing.
I looked at a Nissan Rogue recently and looking out the back of it was like looking out a chunk of pipe, I couldn't really see much of anything.
Volvo and Subaru seem to have the best visibility of cars I've recently looked at. And they make some cars that still look pretty good.

I have a 2007 EX V6 and I find that visibility is great all around. I am only 5' 10", and do not have any issue with blind spots, over the shoulder visibility, or backing up. Plus, our Rondo has dark tinted glass.
Backing up at night is not an issue, since the Rondo has the brightest reverse lamps I have ever seen.
I have to disagree with those who find the Rondo to be claustrophobic - quite the contrary! It is airy, bright, and easy to see out of. The 2nd row passengers have huge door windows, and the 3rd row is occasional use only anyway.
Plus, I LIKE the design element of the kicked-up D-pillar. It lends a little bit of a (gasp!) Porsche Cayenne element to the overall shape as seen from the rear 3/4 view. I am sure too that this design adds to the roof's structural integrity.
How can tmanz say "it has become such a standard design method of making the windows shorter and shorter" - has he actually looked at the Rondo's windows? They are quite tall with a low beltline, just like lazyhater says.
Anyway,as an owner who has really enjoyed his Rondo for 5 months now, I look forward to a few more years with this versatile, practical, economical, efficient, good-looking (yes!), sporty (yes!) family run-about.

High beltline all the way.
 
I love how those 4-door coupes look.

"High beltline all the way.
  
I love how those 4-door coupes look."
 
They look awesome as long as I don't have to sit in it.
 
I rather sit in a Kia Rondo then a AMG CLS63, that is how much I hate the claustrophobic prison feel.

With all the big trucks and SUVs around, having a higher beltline is supposed to make you feel safer because you're surrounded by metal. It's kind of a way around the fact that they can't engineer a safe door with normal-sized windows and still protect you in a crash. So they creep up the amount of metal that's around you and leave gun-slits for windows.
 
Sure, it might look cool, but then you only see the head of the person driving it.
 
Is a four door coupe a way to get around insurance premiums because it has four doors? Mazda RX-8 is still a coupe, but it has four doors.
 
If I chop and channel a 2001 Impala, do a '49 Mercury job to it, can I call that a four door coupe?

Actually I like to sit in a high beltline vehicle as well, especially in the driver seat. It gives me a close-cockpit kind of feel, one aspect I like most about my IS.

A friend of mine has an 87 Honda Civic. The visibility is phenomenal, it's actually a bit disconcerting because you feel kind of exposed. He let me drive it for a bit too, amazing car, tight handling, the engine pulls strong and sounds good, easy clutch and shifter and over 300 000 miles on the clock. However a crash with a modern SUV would end a lot worse for the passengers in the CIVIC vs. a modern day prison car.

but does the higher door metal equal a safer car in side impacts? Or is it just for appearance?

"but does the higher door metal equal a safer car in side impacts? Or is it just for appearance?"
 
In my opinion the higher door doesn't make it stronger, it is a false sense of security. I never heard the side impact crash requirement was changed.
 
My feeling is the high belt line is just the latest styling trend, I bet you the low belt line will come back in a few years.

I prefer vehicles with low beltlines. Driving a vehicle with a high beltline makes me feel like I'm driving a big bathtub.

"Actually I like to sit in a high beltline vehicle as well, especially in the driver seat. It gives me a close-cockpit kind of feel, one aspect I like most about my IS."
 
It is a love it or hate it thing, all personal preference.
 
It is the reason why I do not like the IS, very claustrophobic to me.

"I prefer vehicles with low beltlines. Driving a vehicle with a high beltline makes me feel like I'm driving a big bathtub. "
 
Thank god for used car!

I'm pretty sure that being able to see out makes me safer.